Early evening summary
Here is a quick recap of all of the main Covid updates from the UK today:
- One in six UK adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with more than 2m second doses delivered in the past week.
- The first of the 77 cases of the India variant of coronavirus found in the UK were detected in specimens dating back to February, the Guardian has learned.
- Boris Johnson’s visit to India will still go ahead despite rising Covid cases and fears over a variant first identified there. Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the variant featured two “escape mutations” – E484Q and L452R – that “are causing people to be concerned”.
- Covid-19 infections across all parts of the UK have fallen to the lowest level since the autumn, new figures suggest.
That’s all from me for today. Our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here:
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This has been shared by Susan Michie, a professor of health psychology at University College London:
Schools need to be made safer. In NYC, there is a website where you can look up the #ventilation status of every school classroom. Why don't we do this in the UK? Becoming clearer that ventilation in enclosed spaces is key to prevent repeats of these kinds of graphs. https://t.co/8lurv0Dlgp
— Susan Michie (@SusanMichie) April 16, 2021
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Government data up to 15 April shows that of the 41,505,768 jabs given in the UK so far, 32,574,221 were first doses - a rise of 129,782 on the previous day. 8,931,547 were second doses, a rise of 417,683.
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The government has said a further 34 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 127,225. As of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 2,596 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, bringing the total to 4,383,732. You can read the official release here.
Shoppers are expected to flock to high streets and shopping centres in England and Wales this weekend after a bumper week, particularly for clothing and homewares sales, as people make the most of the reopening of non-essential stores.
Visitors to high streets, retail parks and shopping malls rose by 90% from Monday to Thursday compared with the same days the previous week, thanks to the reopening of non-essential stores as well as hospitality venues, according to the latest data from analysts at Springboard.
My colleague Sarah Butler has the full story here:
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That’s it from me – Rhi Storer – for now. I’ll hand the liveblog back to my colleague Yohannes Lowe for the rest of the afternoon.
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One in six UK adults fully vaccinated against coronavirus
According to PA Media, one in six UK adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with more than two million second doses delivered in the past seven days.
A total of 8.9 million people have now received both jabs - the equivalent of 17.0% of the adult population.
Wales is estimated to have given two doses to nearly a quarter of adults (22.8%), ahead of Northern Ireland (17.2%), England (16.8%) and Scotland (15.5%).
The figures are for vaccinations reported by the UK’s health agencies up to April 15, and reflect the pace at which second doses are being ramped up across the country.
Hi, this is Rhi Storer taking over from Yohannes Lowe for the next hour. Please send over your contributions to rhi.storer@guardian.co.uk, or alternatively, you can message me on Twitter.
India Covid variant found in UK specimens taken in February
The first of the 77 cases of the India variant of coronavirus found in the UK were detected in specimens dating back to February, the Guardian has learned.
Analysis of the Covid-19 genomics UK consortium database reveals that the first specimens found to contain the India variant date back to 22 February.
The number of specimens containing the variant has been rising weekly – despite the UK having been under tight restrictions until 12 April.
While 13 specimens dating to the week ending 13 March were found to contain the India variant, there were 30 such specimens dating to the week ending 3 April.
Nicola Davis, the Guardian’s science correspondent, has the exclusive story here:
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has claimed that Nicola Sturgeon plans to “bring scenes from Catalonia to Scotland”, as he accused all nationalist parties of sowing division at a time when Scotland needed to unite in its recovery from the pandemic.
Ross refused to comment on suggestions from Downing Street reported in the Guardian that the UK government is considering softening its stance on a second independence referendum in order to put people off voting SNP in May’s Holyrood election.
Ross said: “In my discussions with the prime minister and the members of the UK cabinet they are absolutely united behind our aim to stop the SNP getting that majority, to stop another referendum, and then as the whole United Kingdom, and we can work to recover from this pandemic and start to rebuild Scotland.”
He added that he believed that the SNP manifesto said that “it doesn’t matter what the UK government says: they will take an SNP majority as an agreement to hold an illegal wildcard referendum if that were required”.
Whilst the SNP manifesto does commit to holding a referendum in the first half of the next parliament if there is a pro-independence majority in May, it does not mention an illegal route.
Ross clarified: “Nicola Sturgeon previously said that the 2014 referendum which had a section 30 order from the UK government was the gold standard of referendums. Therefore, to seek to go ahead with a referendum without a section 30 order is illegal, and it would be a wild cat referendum. It will be bringing scenes from Catalonia here to Scotland, and I think absolutely it that is not what individuals, families, businesses want to see him in Scotland during our recovery phase.”
Updated
NHS England data shows a total of 4,266,670 jabs were given to people in London between 8 December and 15 April, including 3,351,883 first doses and 914,787 second doses.
This compares with 5,311,651 first doses and 1,319,851 second doses given to people in the Midlands, a total of 6,631,502.
The breakdown, as reported by PA Media, for the other regions is:
- East of England: 3,262,765 first doses and 916,925 second doses, making 4,179,690 in total
- North East and Yorkshire: 4,329,191 first and 1,245,544 second doses (5,574,735)
- North West: 3,482,048 first and 1,011,338 second doses (4,493,386)
- South East: 4,447,855 first and 1,175,594 second doses (5,623,449)
- South West: 3,011,459 first and 806,392 second doses (3,817,851)
A total of 34,762,728 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between 8 December and 15 April, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses, which is a rise of 456,589 on the previous day.
NHS England said 27,345,006 were the first dose of a vaccine, a rise of 93,587 on the previous day, while 7,417,722 were a second dose, an increase of 363,002.
Scotland has recorded three deaths of Covid-19 patients and 204 positive tests in the past 24 hours, according to the latest daily figures.
It brings the death toll under this measure - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - to 7,640.
Johnson to still visit India despite concerns over new variant
Boris Johnson’s visit to India will still go ahead despite rising Covid cases and fears over a variant first identified there (see earlier post).
A No 10 spokesman told a Westminster briefing:
The prime minister’s visit is still happening later this month. We have said that the programme will be slightly shorter than it will have been, and you can expect the main body of his programme to take place on Monday 26 April. As you would expect, safety is obviously important and is a priority for us on this trip, which is why we will make sure that all elements of the visit are Covid-secure.
Johnson was meant to spend four days in India but, following talks with Narendra Modi’s administration, the “bulk” of the meetings could be fitted into one day, PA Media reports.
Officials said there is no evidence to suggest that disease from the newly identified variant is more serious than previous ones.
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The Covid reproduction number, or R value, in England is between 0.7 and 1, according to the latest government figures. Last week, the figure was between 0.8 and 1.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect. When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially, but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched their “Put Recovery First” manifesto for May’s Holyrood elections, as leader Willie Rennie warned it was “not the moment to go back to the divisions of the past with another independence referendum ... because the recovery will require the skills and talents of everyone.”
Rennie said that his message to put recovery first was attracting people who were sympathetic to independence but wanted politicians to focus on the economic and social challenges of coming out of the pandemic.
The manifesto has a strong focus on mental health, promising more counsellors and specialists as well as a mental health first aider in every workplace.
Rennie said that this was especially important for NHS and social care staff themselves, who had been working flat out on the frontline during the pandemic and were now being asked to redouble their efforts as the NHS opens back up. “They’ve seen a lot of death in the last year and feel traumatised by it,” he said.
Speaking to journalists, Rennie also claimed that the vote amongst SNP supporters was “softer than I’ve ever seen it” - arguing that the emergence of the Alba party was putting pressure on Nicola Sturgeon to focus more heavily on independence and that this was putting off voters.
He also said that the Scottish Tory campaign run by Douglas Ross had a “harder, darker edge”, contrasting Ross with the previous leader Ruth Davidson and underlining his support for Boris Johnson.
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According to YouGov polling, half of the British public (49%) think they’ll find it hard to re-adjust to normal life post-pandemic:
Half of Britons (49%) think they'll find it hard to re-adjust to normal life after the pandemic. What this group specifically think they'll struggle with:
— YouGov (@YouGov) April 16, 2021
Crowds of people: 34%
Socialising: 16%
Returning to workplace: 8%
Not worrying about Covid: 5%https://t.co/qPGeHAXSWp pic.twitter.com/ZGzSC2PTfV
PA Media reports:
Government guidance requiring care home residents to isolate for 14 days if they leave their facility encourages care homes to act unlawfully by “falsely imprisoning” residents, say campaigners who are threatening legal action.
John’s Campaign is “very concerned” about guidance which it says “creates an unacceptable risk of illegality” and is likely to deprive residents of their liberty.
It is considering a challenge, with lawyers sending a pre-action letter - the step before formal legal proceedings begin - to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The DHSC guidance, updated on 7 April, requires residents to isolate for 14 days after a trip out of the home. The letter, sent by Leigh Day, says it is “entirely unclear” on what basis the “punitive rule” is justified.
It states that the self-isolation rule “creates an unacceptable risk of illegality, because it encourages (indeed, requires) care homes to act unlawfully (namely, by falsely imprisoning care home residents and/or depriving residents of their liberty”.
This is from the Office for National Statistics:
Infections, hospital admissions and deaths involving #COVID19 decreased in England https://t.co/Kvod8uKhFr pic.twitter.com/cOqawR7xbX
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) April 16, 2021
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Downing Street also defended the use of lateral flow tests despite reports, revealed by the Guardian, that officials have raised concerns about the accuracy of the tests.
A No 10 spokesperson told reporters:
Lateral flow tests have been rigorously evaluated and we believe that they are both accurate and incredibly useful in terms of being able to spot asymptomatic cases of the virus. We know now this can be one in three people and it therefore allows us to identify possible contacts of those people and ultimately helps us to reduce the spread and the transmission of the virus.
Downing Street has said the red list of countries is “under constant review”, when asked why India has not been put on it despite a high number of cases (see earlier post).
A No 10 spokesman told a Westminster briefing:
We add and remove countries based on the latest scientific data and public health advice from a range of world leading experts. We keep it under constant review and we won’t hesitate to introduce tougher restrictions and add countries if we think it is necessary.
Public Health Wales said a total of 1,651,028 first doses of the Covid vaccine have now been given in Wales, with 574,590 second doses having been administered.
There have been a further 48 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 210,729.
Public Health Wales said there were no further deaths, with the total in the country since the start of the pandemic remaining at 5,535.
The rapid COVID-19 surveillance dashboard has been updated
— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) April 16, 2021
💻 https://t.co/zpWRYSUbfh
📱 https://t.co/HSclxpZjBh
Read our daily statement here: https://t.co/u6SKHz0zsG pic.twitter.com/WgC8ZsFtu8
On the ONS figures:
- North-west England had the highest proportion of people of any region in England likely to test positive for coronavirus in the week to 10 April: about one in 260.
- South-west England had the lowest estimate: about one in 1,150.
Updated
PA Media reports:
When modelling the level of infection among different age groups in England, the ONS said rates have decreased in most groups except secondary school children (school years 7 to 11) and people aged 50 to 69, where the trend is uncertain.
Percentage of people testing positive for Covid falls across UK
In England, the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 fell in the week ending 10 April 2021, according to ONS figures. It is estimated that 112,600 people within the community population in England had Covid, equating to about one in 480 people. This is down from one in 340 the previous week.
In Wales, the percentage of people testing positive has decreased in recent weeks, with the ONS estimating that 3,300 people not in care homes, hospitals or other institutional settings in Wales had Covid in the week ending 10 April 2021, equal to one in 920 people. This number is down from one in 800 the previous week, and is the lowest since the week to 10 September.
In Scotland, the percentage of people testing positive also appears to have decreased in the week ending 10 April 2021. The ONS estimates that 10,500 people in Scotland had Covid, about one in 500 people. This is down from one in 410 and the lowest since estimates began for Scotland in October.
In Northern Ireland, the percentage of people who had Covid decreased in the week ending 10 April 2021 too. The ONS estimates 2,600 people had the coronavirus in that week in Northern Ireland, or about one in 710 people. This is down from one in 300 the previous week and is the lowest since estimates began for Northern Ireland in October.
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These are the latest Covid numbers in London from City Hall. On Tuesday it was announced that surge testing would be carried out in Lambeth and Wandsworth in south London after 44 confirmed cases and 30 further probable cases of Covid involving the “South Africa variant” were found, largely in these areas. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, a case detected in Southwark was linked to the clusters in nearby Lambeth and Wandsworth.
We are providing daily updates on #COVID19 in London.
— London Gov (london.gov.uk/coronavirus) (@LDN_gov) April 16, 2021
On 15 April the daily number of new people who tested positive for COVID-19 in London was reported as 315. The latest reported number of patients in London hospitals was 513.
Full update here: https://t.co/d3A29xu27a
Update: Paul Hunter (see his earlier comments here), a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, has said it is “not surprising” that the variant has come from India.
He said:
If you think about where the main variants have arisen – South Africa, the UK, California, Brazil, and now India – all of these are countries that have really struggled to keep case numbers down. So it’s not surprising. India has got a huge pandemic, and therefore that’s where you’re going to be getting the variant. The big, big anxiety with this one is that it seems – and again this is still a little bit speculative because it hasn’t been confirmed – but ... there are two mutations here that are causing people to be concerned.
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The Sheffield Wednesday manager, Darren Moore, will take a further period of leave after developing complications from Covid-19, including pneumonia and blood clots on his lungs.
The 46-year-old, who was appointed by Wednesday last month, returned to the touchline for Tuesday’s Championship defeat by Swansea following a spell in self-isolation but he will now take a further period of leave.
You can read the full story here:
According to official data from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates of nine people in Northern Ireland in the week to last Friday. That is a decrease of three from the previous week.
The agency said the closure of registration offices over Easter could have impacted the figure. It brings the total number of Covid-related deaths recorded by Nisra to 2,926.
You can read the full release here.
Hairdressers and beauty salons will be able to reopen in Northern Ireland from 23 April, the first stage in a phased reopening of the region’s economy and society.
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The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, has said the next parliamentary session at Holyrood should focus on the recovery from Covid-19. This morning, Sarwar is meeting with Keir Starmer at Edinburgh airport to talk about the party’s plans for job creation.
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Here is some more from those ONS findings (see earlier post):
After March 2020 there were notable changes due to the impact of #COVID19 travel restrictions – resulting in a net migration for Quarter 2 (Apr, May, June 2020) of around -50,000 https://t.co/Iu38tpphhC
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) April 16, 2021
The discovery of a new Covid variant in the UK, which was detected in India, features two mutations that could be a cause for concern, an expert has said.
Public Health England reported that 73 cases of the B.1.617 variant have been confirmed in England as well as four cases in Scotland, according to PA Media.
Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the variant featured two “escape mutations” - E484Q and L452R - that “are causing people to be concerned”.
He added:
There’s laboratory evidence that both of these are escape mutations. Basically, applying what we know about other human coronaviruses would suggest that this is going to be even less controlled by vaccine. But we don’t know that for certain at the moment.
Updated
The opinions and lifestyle survey results from the ONS are out and they make for some interesting reading. The findings show that the level of happiness reached 7.2 out of 10 last week (31 March to 4 April), its highest since summer 2020, before decreasing to 6.9 this week. Data covering 7-11 April shows 95% of adults left home in the past week (parks/green spaces rose to 30%, while landmarks, beauty spots or beaches rose to 10%). You can read the full findings here.
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A project set up in Newcastle to identify Covid cases among asymptomatic key workers is being reduced at two sites as not enough people are coming forward, the BBC reports.
The council said an estimated 7,500 tests had been conducted across the two sites so far, roughly 800 per week – 85% short of the maximum capacity of 5,200 per week.
Updated
Workers on zero-hours contracts and other insecure jobs are twice as likely to have died of Covid-19 as those in other professions, a report has found.
The research from the Trades Union Congress in England and Wales showed those on the frontline of the pandemic, such as care workers, nurses and delivery drivers, were at a higher risk of death.
It said many of these key workers were in insecure work, such as zero-hours contracts and agency employment, landing them with a “triple whammy” of no sick pay, fewer rights and endemic low pay, while having to shoulder more risk of infection.
The Guardian’s economic correspondent, Richard Partington, has the full story:
Good morning everyone. I will be running the blog today so feel free to drop me a message on Twitter with any story tips.
As the Guardian revealed yesterday, senior government officials have voiced “urgent” concerns about the mass expansion of rapid Covid testing, estimating that as few as 2% to 10% of positive results may be accurate in places with low coronavirus rates.
Last week, Boris Johnson urged people in England to take two rapid-turnaround tests a week, as a means to limit any continued community transmission of the virus, in parallel with the vaccination programme.
Leaked emails seen by the Guardian, however, show that senior officials are now thinking of scaling back the widespread testing of people without symptoms because of a rising number of false positives.
Across England as a whole, government officials estimate that only 38% of self-reported tests are thought to be accurate, based on the current prevalence of the disease.
In one email, Ben Dyson, an executive director of strategy at the health department and one of health secretary Matt Hancock’s advisers, stressed the “fairly urgent need for decisions” on “the point at which we stop offering asymptomatic testing”.
In Scotland, meanwhile, people can now travel between council areas for non-essential reasons and meet in groups of six from up to six different households. The Scottish government says it’s easing the restrictions earlier than planned to boost people’s mental health and wellbeing.
As of 26 April, travel restrictions to and from England and Wales will also be lifted – although Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has said it may be necessary in future to reintroduce temporary travel restrictions.
Here is the agenda for the day (so far):
09:30am: ONS release on coronavirus and the social impacts on Great Britain
12:00: Weekly UK Covid-19 infection survey, from the ONS
For coronavirus news from around the world, do read our global live blog:
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