CORONAVIRUS vaccine cheats are skipping the jab queue by using an IT loophole, an investigation has claimed.
Links circulating on Whatsapp and Facebook are allowing those not yet eligible for the vaccine to get themselves booked in after a link meant for staff at the East London NHS Foundation Trust became public, it is claimed.
The Evening Standard claims it has seen evidence that vaccine cheats have managed to use the portal to secure jabs in east London and in the north despite not being NHS staff or on the vaccine priority list.
The news comes amid claims Easter is the very earliest the UK national lockdown will begin to be lifted after the UK's deadliest every day saw a staggering 1,610 die within 28 days of a positive covid test.
Follow the very latest news, updates and analysis of the coronavirus crisis in our live blog below.
- Catriona Graffius
UK SUFFERS DEADLIEST DAY IN COVID PANDEMIC
The UK has suffered its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic with 1,820 succumbing to the virus in the past 24 hours.
A total of 38,905 people have tested positive for the virus bringing the total to 3.47million.
Yesterday the UK experienced its second deadliest day during the pandemic with a staggering 1,620 Covid-related deaths.
From Monday to Tuesday the UK recorded 33,355 new infections.
The second-highest daily death toll was reported on January 13, when 1,564 lost their lives to the virus.
- Catriona Graffius
STUDENTS IN UNI LOCKDOWN STILL ORGANISING ILLEGAL RAVES DESPITE RECORD DEATHS
Students at a university forced into lockdown after a surge in Covid cases are still organising illegal raves on social media despite record death rates.
University of Manchester students are using secret codes and guest lists to host the illicit parties despite national lockdown restrictions and the coronavirus death toll hitting a new high of 1,610 yesterday.
Parties advertised on social media are set to take place at Oak House halls of residence in the student heartland of Fallowfield, south Manchester.
Police were previously called to break up raves attended by hundreds of revellers at the flats last September, before 1,700 students were placed into self-isolation when more than 100 tested positive for Covid.
But despite the outbreaks and only a fraction of students being allowed face-to-face tuition under the current lockdown, more raves are being plotted with secretive rules and guest lists to stop them being shut down.
- Catriona Graffius
SORE EYES COULD BE EARLY COVID SIGN
As the pandemic has evolved, we've come to understand more about the symptoms of coronavirus.
Whilst the key signs are a fever, a cough and a loss of taste and smell, it's also becoming clear that there are other less common symptoms.
Experts now believe that having problems with the eyes could be an indicator that someone has contracted Covid-19.
A recent study found that having sore, itchy eyes was one of the most significant ocular symptom in Covid patients.
The findings, published in the BMJ Open Ophthalmology, also found light sensitivity, known medically as photophobia, was another sign.
- Catriona Graffius
BRITS SHOULD AVOID BOOKING HOLS TILL 2022, SAYS SCOTS NHS CHIEF
Scotland's NHS chief has warned people not to book summer holidays abroad this year – dealing a blow to dreams of a beach getaway for millions.
Edinburgh's top medical adviser chief Professor Jason Leitch said nobody should expect to catch a plane abroad before the Autumn at the very earliest as cases are still so high.
During an online Q&A session with civil servants he also warned Scotland will only come out of its harsh lockdown "very, very slowly" and needs to "learn what the post-Covid world looks like”.
He said: "I wouldn't book a non-refundable summer holiday if I were you.
"I might book a holiday in the autumn or Christmas time but even then I'm not entirely sure what the world will look like in terms of freedom of movement."
- Catriona Graffius
SURGEON GENERAL WHO OPPOSED MASK MANDATE ASKED TO STEP DOWN BY BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who opposed a national mask mandate, has been asked by the Biden Administration to step down, he says.
In a statement, Adams, said that it has "been the honor of my life to serve this Nation", NBC reports.
"I will do all I can to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve and maintain health," he added.
Adams has been a key spokesman for Trump’s coronavirus response since the start of the pandemic in the US.
The anesthesiologist regularly appears on national TV and using social media to advocate for public health measures such as social distancing.
- Catriona Graffius
…CONTINUED
If the NHS reaches a point in which it has to ration oxygen to patients, doctors could be forced into deciding how to best use supplies.
The Prime Minister warned on November 2, before the second lockdown, that if the NHS is overwhelmed we could face a “medical and moral disaster” where doctors and nurses could “be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die”.
The chief medical officers have since determined there is a material risk of the NHS being overwhelmed in January, if a third lockdown was not used.
Guidelines have been produced by the British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS England on how to navigate such an unfathomable choice between one patient and another, but there is no official strategy.
“None of us were trained to make those sorts of calls”, Dr Strain said.
- Catriona Graffius
HOSPITALS COULD BE FORCED TO RATION OXYGEN SOON
Hospitals could be forced to ration oxygen in the near future as Covid inpatients reach record highs, a doctor has warned.
Almost 38,000 Covid patients are in hospitals now, 79 per cent higher than the spring, and 3,900 are on life-supporting ventilators.
As pressure builds on the NHS, Dr David Strain said it's "too late for solutions", meaning doctors may have to make “tough decisions” on how to use oxygen.
It would be the first time the health service faced such a moral dilemma, which could leave doctors carrying guilt for years.
Dr Strain, a clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and hospital doctor, told The Sun: “At some point in the not too distant future we may reach a point when it is not possible to pump enough oxygen through the hospital pipes to supply everyone who can potentially benefit from it."
- Catriona Graffius
PREMIER LEAGUE TO SHOW ALL FIXTURES LIVE IN UK UNTIL END OF FEBRUARY AS CHIEFS PLAN FOR SEASON WITHOUT FANS
Premier League chiefs have steeled themselves for a fan-free season despite the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.
The 20 “shareholder” clubs today confirmed that all matches up to the end of next month will be screened live on TV.
But privately, League and club chiefs recognised it is unlikely that fans will be allowed back through the Prem turnstiles until next season.
And unless there is a surprise change of heart from Government and health chiefs, that will mean the entire second half of the campaign being available for fans to watch “live” from home.
In a statement released after the two-hour virtual meeting, a Prem spokesman said: “All Premier League fixtures from Saturday 30 January to the last weekend of February will be made available to fans to watch live in the UK."
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
FIVE MILLION MORE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR COVID JAB
Expanding the vaccination programme means that an additional five million people will now be eligible for a Covid-19 jab, Professor Stephen Powis said yetserday.
The national medical director for the NHS in England told Good Morning Britain more vaccination centres were coming online every week.
Speaking on Tuesday, he said: "We are now able to expand the vaccination programme beyond those top two priority groups – that's the care home residents, care home staff, the hospital staff and the over-80s – down to the over-70s.
"So that brings around another five million or so people into the prioritisation groups for Covid vaccination.
"From today those over 70 years old will be invited in to our vaccination centres."
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
WELSH HEALTH MINISTER: 'WE ALL HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING'
Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething has said people "all have a part to play in doing the right thing" following reports that a group of politicians drank wine on the Senedd estate, days after a pub alcohol ban was enforced.
Mr Gething told a press conference in Cardiff that he was not aware of "all the facts" of the matter, which took place in early December, with an investigation due to establish what happened.
"I don't think I should then lay in on an issue like this where I'm simply not aware of all the facts. The Senedd authorities are conducting their own investigation and I'm sure there will be interest in that," he said.
"There is a broader point here and that is that any challenge, any sense of people not all being in this together, isn't helpful in terms of messages that we all need to follow.
"I can't be clearer, the first minister has been really clear. We all have a part to play in doing the right thing."
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
24-HOUR VACCINE ROLLOUT
Three Birmingham hospitals are to start piloting delivery of 24-hour Covid-19 vaccinations for health and social care staff.
Vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi previously said pilots of round-the-clock delivery would start "probably either [in] London or the Midlands".
A University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman said: "We are looking at further options to provide all health and social care staff across Birmingham and Solihull the opportunity to be vaccinated at a time that suits them.
"From tonight, we will be opening up a number of vaccination appointment slots specifically for our night staff, between 6pm and 8am.
"These will be rolled out site-by-site at QEHB [Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham], Heartlands and Good Hope hospitals into the weekend."
- Catriona Graffius
EIGHTEEN FAMILY MEMBERS CAUGHT COVID AFTER THROWING HUGE CHRISTMAS PARTY
Eighteen family members contracted Covid-19 with two hospitalised after throwing a huge Christmas party despite one of them displaying a classic symptom of the virus.
The Reynolds family threw the mega-bash for extended family in their home in America – with some relatives travelling from as far as Canada – even though one of the hosts had a cough.
Mum Darlene Reynolds, 55, went ahead with the superspreader party on December 27, even though she had woken up the previous day with a scratchy tickle in her throat.
The massive family Christmas party led to 18 testing positive for Covid-19, from babies to grandparents.
The virus hit the partygoers, aged from one to 62, almost immediately – with Mrs Reynolds’ husband and son both getting so ill they had to be hospitalised.
- Catriona Graffius
HEARTBREAKING MOMENT NHS MORTICIAN BREAKS DOWN AFTER DEALING WITH SURGE IN COVID DEATHS
This is the heartbreaking moment an NHS mortician breaks down after dealing with a surge in Covid deaths.
Senior mortician Hannah Leahy has likened the constant loss of life to a “conveyor belt” as doctors and nurses struggle to keep up with the rise in hospital admissions.
In Royal London Hospital where 12 out of 15 floors are occupied by Covid patients, the deaths are taking a toll on its staff.
Speaking to the BBC Ms Leahy said :“How do you ever prepare for people just dying and dying and dying, you know?
“Although it's our job and we deal with dead people every day, this level, I think it's taken its toll. It does feel like a conveyor belt in a way."
Heartbreaking moment NHS mortician breaks down as she says surge in Covid deaths feels like ‘conveyer belt’
- Catriona Graffius
BORIS JOHNSON VOWS TO WORK 'HAND IN HAND' WITH BIDEN TO FIGHT COVID
Boris Johnson has vowed to work "hand in hand" with Joe Biden on the fight against Coronavirus and climate change – as a senior Cabinet minister declared it's now time to "move on" from the chaotic Donald Trump era.
The PM said together Britain and America can lead the world in the effort to "build back better from the pandemic" and that the pair will to "join forces to protect our planet".
His remarks came ahead of Mr Biden's official inauguration as US President at 5 pm today, at a ceremony in Washington.
- Catriona Graffius
WETHERSPOONS TO STAY SHUT UNTIL APRIL AS PANDEMIC CONTINUES
Pub giant JD Wetherspoon has said that it expects its pubs to remain shut until APRIL as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The company said it has made "zero" sales in 2021 so far as all of its 872 pubs have remained shut since December 31, 2020.
At the same time, it is burning through £4million in cash a week.
The pub chain added that more than 99% of its 37,674 current employees are furloughed as a result.
It had planned to entice punters back with cut prices in January but instead it was forced to close all of its pubs when most of England was plunged into Tier 3 and Tier 4.
- Catriona Graffius
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Writing in today's Sun, Ms Patel said: "false information about the vaccine is putting lives at risk. I praise The Sun for bringing this issue to the fore.
"I will do all I can in my role as Home Secretary — and the most senior female politician from an ethnic minority background in the country — to reach out to our wonderfully diverse ethnic communities to support the largest vaccination programme in NHS history."
- Catriona Graffius
MOSQUES AND TEMPLES TO BE USED TO JAB WORRIED BRITS
Mosques and temples will be used to jab worried Brits in a drive to stamp out “tragic” religious conspiracy theories about the vaccine.
Priti Patel has launched a major drive to tackle fake news claiming the vaccine is unsafe from spreading in ethnic minority communities.
The Home Secretary said today: “we will see temples, gurdwaras, mosques, community centres as well being at the heart of the vaccine rollout programme."
It comes as Sir Patrick Vallance called the low uptake of the jab in BAME communities a “tragedy” after conspiracy theorists are spewed dangerous messages online.
South Asian families are among those being targeted with untrue claims the vaccine contains meat or alcohol, banned in some religions.
- Catriona Graffius
CHANGE IN CASE RATES IN ENGLAND OVER THE PAST SEVEN DAYS
- Catriona Graffius
PFIZER VACCINE ONLY 33 PER CENT EFFECTIVE, ISRAELI EXPERTS CLAIM
One dose of the Pfizer vaccine is only 33 per cent effective, Israeli experts claim, raising questions over the UK’s plans to delay the second dose for three months.
Millions of people have now received their first vaccine dose, including more than half of the over 80s.
But the latest research in Israel – where more people have been vaccinated per capita than anywhere else in the world – suggests the elderly are more vulnerable to Covid than believed after their initial jab.
The UK Government’s vaccine advisors said the efficacy of the vaccine was 89 per cent, starting 14 days after the first dose.
- Catriona Graffius
UK COVID DEATHS UP A RECORD 1,610 YESTERDAY
The UK experienced its deadliest day during the pandemic yesterday – as a staggering 1,610 Covid deaths were reported.
Another 33,355 coronavirus infections were also recorded yesterday.
The second-highest daily death toll was reported on January 13, when 1,564 people tragically lost their lives to the virus.
The UK's total death toll from coronavirus now stands at 91,470.
- Catriona Graffius
TWO NHS HOSPITAL TRUSTS START 24/7 COVID VACCINATIONS
Two NHS hospital trusts are now giving out 24/7 Covid vaccines.
They are part of a pilot to eventually get jabs in Brits’ arms at all hours in the mass rollout.
University Hospitals of Birmingham Foundation Trust and Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust started trialling the programme today, HSJ reported.
Medics at the two Midlands centres will stay focused on the same sections of the public being given the vaccine at already established hubs.
This includes high-priority groups, those over 80 and frontline and social care workers.
- Catriona Graffius
CHINA SPREAD ANTI-VAXX CONSPIRACIES OVER PFIZER JAB
China is spreading anti-vaccination conspiracies about the Pfizer coronavirus jab using its state-run media to suggest it might kill people.
It comes after Norwegian health authorities said there was no direct link between the vaccine and the deaths of 33 elderly people.
Chinese state media is seizing upon the chance to spread misinformation about the vaccine as its rolled out in nations around the world, including Britain.
Communist Party-owned newspaper The Global Times and state-controlled television network CGTN have both been found by The Sun Online to be playing up fears over the Covid jab.
And while attempting to rubbish the Pfizer vaccine – which is due to be given to 40million people the UK – it also seizes the chance to play up China's own vaccine, CoronaVac.
- Catriona Graffius
VACCINE PASSPORTS MAY BE NEEDED TO TRAVEL FREELY IN EUROPE
Next time you head on holiday abroad, you may need two passports with you as a number of European countries are considering vaccine passports to allow free travel.
Spain, Greece and Brussels are just some of the destinations which support vaccine passports from travellers to allow them to visit the country without restrictions.
The passports would show that the holder had been vaccinated, and could allow them to skip quarantines or avoid restricted movement in the country.
- Catriona Graffius
MUTANT COVID STRAINS ARRIVE IN BRITAIN
- Catriona Graffius
PFIZER COVID VACCINE DOES WORK AGAINST UK MUTANT STRAIN, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
Pfizer's Covid vaccine is likely to protect against the mutant variant of coronavirus first discovered in the UK, new findings suggest.
The encouraging results from further tests on the jab will provide further hope after Britain recorded its deadliest day in the pandemic on Tuesday.
The results are based on more extensive blood analysis of participants in trials of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.
Last week, the US drugmaker said a similar laboratory study showed the vaccine was effective against one key mutation, called N501Y.
This had been found in both of the highly transmissible new variants spreading in the UK and South Africa.
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