Data warehouse testing

Check-in data from hundreds of millions of people who visited pubs, restaurants and hairdressers before lockdown was barely used by Test and Trace, according to a confidential report obtained by Sky News. The report admits that the failure of the £22bn service to use the data for alerts or contact tracing meant "thousands of people" were not warned they might be at risk of infection, "potentially leading to the spread of the virus." Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world To make matters worse, when coronavirus data from venues was used, public health officials encouraged pubs and restaurants to contact customers directly - a breach of data protection law which could leave businesses facing legal action. The report says that lack of guidance from Test and Trace for local public health teams on how to use the data left businesses "being asked to, or volunteering, to contact customers and visitors". Advertisement It adds: "This is a … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Test and Trace ‘barely used’ check-in data from pubs and restaurants – with thousands not warned of infection risk

French residents who travel to Germany daily for work have reacted angrily after being told they must now get COVID tests every two days in order to cross the border. Germany introduced the measure earlier this week as infection rates remained high in the French border region of Moselle - but locals say it destroys the EU's principle of free movement. Sky News spoke to Laura Jarych, who lives in France but works in a German hotel just two minutes drive away. For decades she has made her journey uninterrupted - but the morning we meet she's had to queue in a line of vehicles for her test. She is furious. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world "I am angry, very angry," Laura tells us. "And I think that the 20,000 people who are switching between the two countries in this area feel the same thing. Advertisement "We feel like animals because you go inside a drive-in with the car and it's one after the other and the cars are waiting a … [Read more...] about ‘We feel like animals’: Border testing highlights broader tensions in EU’s COVID strategy

This must be what it feels like to go shoplifting, I thought, as I walked out of Amazon's new till-less shop in London. You go in, take items off the shelves, put them in a bag, and wander back through the doors and on to the pavement. What's not to like? Well, you do still get charged, of course. Getting started is simple. First, you open the regular Amazon app and select the basket symbol at the bottom. Next, you click on "Fresh Code" at the top of the screen, which gives you a QR code to scan as you enter the store. Advertisement After that, you simply take items from the shelves and the chiller cabinets, the software somehow tracking exactly where you are and what you've selected. "It's absolutely nuts," one customer said to a friend as they walked past the herbs and spices. More from Amazon Amazon opens till-free grocery store in London - the online retailer's first physical store outside the US Streaming inquiry: … [Read more...] about Amazon Fresh: What it feels like to walk out of online retail giant’s first till-less UK store ‘without paying’

The national colors of Slovenia are no longer red, blue and white, but yellow. It is omnipresent, along streets and in town squares, decorating gas stations, shops and offices. Even the universities are decked out in yellow, the color which designates the victor of the Tour de France. "We've been preparing yellow jerseys for everyone in our faculty, about 200 of them," says Radoje Milic, a sports scientist at the University of Lubljana. "We think Monday is going to be a crazy day." Milic is something like the Godfather of Slovenian cycling. In 1988, he began conducting performance tests, developing training plans and looking for youth coaches. The performances of Slovenia's cyclists in France over the past month, from the 18-stage dominance of Primoz Roglic to the historic late comeback from Tadej Pogacar, represent the culmination of 30 years of development for Milic. "In 1990, Bogdan Fink won our first bronze medal at the junior world championships," recalls Milic. "Fink is now … [Read more...] about Yellow fever in Slovenia: Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic’s Tour de France triumph

Coronavirus vaccines that have been tweaked to deal with new variants of the disease will be fast-tracked for authorisation, the UK regulator has said. According to new guidance, manufacturers must provide robust evidence that the modified jab triggers an immune response, but lengthier clinical studies that don't offer data on safety or effectiveness won't be required. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Hancock: 'We must be vigilant on variants' The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says researchers are now in a better position to measure immunity against COVID-19 by monitoring antibodies after vaccination. It claims this will "significantly reduce" the amount of time it takes to get a tweaked jab approved and ready for use. Advertisement And it also means the three-phase safety trials required for the original coronavirus … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Vaccines tweaked to deal with coronavirus variants to be fast-tracked by regulator