Latest COVID Update

Making Natural History
November 9, 2020
Cracking Christmas Raffle
November 16, 2020
Making Natural History
November 9, 2020
Cracking Christmas Raffle
November 16, 2020

Prime Minister’s Announcement

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has very cautiously made a new announcement this evening about vaccines and the mass testing process. Main points below.

Vaccine:

  • Progress is being made
  • 40,000 people have volunteered to text the vaccine.
  • Interim results show vaccine to be 90% effective at protecting people from COVID-19.
  • However, we have not yet seen full safety data and it still needs to be peer reviewed.
  • We have cleared one hurdle but have several more to go.
  • If approved, we will be ready to start using it straightaway.
  • If the vaccine proves to be effective and passes all rigorous safety checks, we will begin a UK-wide NHS-led programme of vaccine distribution.
  • Order of distribution will consider recommendations from scientific experts from the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation.

BUT these are very early days.

  • We cannot rely on this news as a solution.
  • At the end of last week, the R rate was above 1 but this doesn’t take into account the current lockdown measures.

Mass testing:

  • First pilot in Liverpool started last week.
  • Results can be provided within an hour.
  • Working with universities to begin similar mass testing in universities across the UK.

Plan is to move forward with a tiered approach from December.

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