Boris Johnson speaks at the Scottish Conservative conference
The head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), Professor Sir Ian Diamond said he has “no doubt” there will be further waves of Covid-19 infections.
Sir Ian acknowledged on Sunday the impact of the “wonderful” vaccine rollout. However, he warned: “we need to recognise that this is a virus that isn’t going to go away.”
In Ireland the deputy chief medical officer has said the rollout of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine should be suspended temporarily following reports of blood clotting elsewhere in Europe.
A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Health toldThe Independent, that the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab has been “temporarily deferred” as of Sunday morning.
This comes as Scottish secretary Alister Jack will claim that the UK’s vaccination programme is the “envy of the world” as he pays tribute to the NHS and armed forces who have helped to administer coronavirus jabs.
Mr Jack will describe the rollout so far as a “truly astonishing achievement, a task on a scale that dwarfs anything since the war.”
Meanwhile, UK charities including Cancer Research UK, Mencap and the Terrence Higgins Trust have written an open letter to those in priority group six, urging them to get the vaccine.
This group includes people aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions. It also induces their carers as well as people who have learning disabilities.
Latest government figures have revealed that 23.6 million people have received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
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