Newborn intensive care specialists

BRITS aged between 56 and 59 have been invited to receive their coronavirus vaccine as the rollout goes from strength to strength. It comes as Gavin Williamson admitted this morning that ministers are "looking at" a longer school day and shorter holidays to make up for lost education due to the pandemic . Hundreds of thousands of letters for the over 56 age group began landing on doorsteps today, Public Health England have said. Meanwhile, Professor Sharon Peacock, head of the Covid-19 Genomics UK scientific body, told The Times she was "very optimistic" that the immunisation programme would continue to be effective. It comes as a minister predicted that all adults could receive the jab by June should the vaccine rollout continue at its current pace. Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, told The Times it was “possible” that all adults could be offered vaccines by June. Follow our coronavirus live blog below for the very latest news and updates on the … [Read more...] about Coronavirus news UK – Over-56s invited for vaccine and ministers ‘looking at’ longer school day & shorter holidays

The prime minister has defended a proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff. "What we have done is try to give them as much as we can at the present time," Boris Johnson said during a visit to a COVID-19 vaccination centre in north London. "The independent pay review body will obviously look at what we've proposed and come back. Are other public sector workers in line for an increase? "Don't forget that there has been a public sector pay freeze, we're in pretty tough times. "We've tried to give the NHS as much as we possibly can and that means, in addition to the £140bn of annual money, we've got another £62bn we've found to help support the NHS throughout the crisis." Advertisement The PM - who spent time in intensive care with COVID and said the NHS "saved my life" - added that he was "massively grateful" to health service staff and social care workers for their "heroic" efforts throughout the pandemic. But the proposal has … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Boris Johnson defends proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff

Germany should prioritize people for coronavirus vaccines by the number of their social contacts rather than their age, immunology expert Michael Meyer-Hermann told local media on Sunday. Meyer-Hermann, from the Helmholtz center for Infection Research in the central German city of Braunschweig, told the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel newspaper that first giving vaccines to those with the most contacts "would have a much greater effect." He pointed out that the plan followed by Germany and most other countries of vaccinating the elderly and most vulnerable first had reduced the number of deaths, but had not had a significant impact on the pandemic as these people tended to have the fewest social contacts. What is Germany's coronavirus outlook? The immunologist also criticized Germany's plan to ease lockdown measures , especially as the more virulent strains of the virus were increasingly spreading throughout the country. He predicted that case numbers would "explode" as they … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: German immunologist suggests COVID vaccine priority reversal

The UK's daily coronavirus hospital deaths have increased by 111 in the lowest Sunday rise for over four months. A further 90 patients have died in England, none in Scotland, 18 in Wales and three in Northern Ireland in the latest 24 hour period, according to official figures. This compares to 178 fatalities last Sunday, 283 on February 21, 331 on February 14 and 454 on February 7. Today's numbers show the lowest rise on a Sunday since October 25, when 90 people died. Sunday and Monday's figures are usually lower due to a weekend lag. Yesterday daily hospital deaths across the UK stood at 208. Have you been vaccinated yet? Let us know in the comments The latest data from Northern Ireland's Department of Health also shows another 138 people have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. There are 227 patients with Covid-19 in hospital, with 33 in intensive care. Scotland has recorded 390 positive coronavirus tests in the past 24 hours, Scottish Government … [Read more...] about UK Covid hospital deaths rise by 111 in lowest Sunday increase since October

A two-year-old boy who had a brain tumour the size of a satsuma could have died within days if left untreated. Brave Kasper McMullen had a swollen head and a sudden loss of appetite when his parents Paul, 38, and Emma, 36 became worried, Leeds Live reports. After visiting their GP, they were told it was ‘just a viral bug’. But six months later, tests proved that Kasper had an ependymoma brain tumour, which grows around the spinal cord. The ‘little fighter’ was rushed in for emergency surgery, then spent two months in an intensive care unit on a ventilator. In the past year, he has endured sixteen operations, eight MRI scans, up to 20 CT scans, 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and has only returned home a handful of times. His parents said they wouldn't wish what they've experienced on anyone. They are now urging all families to make sure they know the symptoms of brain tumours, because it could be the difference between 'life and death'. They first noticed the tot's head … [Read more...] about Boy, 2, with brain tumour size of satsuma could have died in days if left untreated