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A NEW Covid-19 variant is "spreading rapidly" in New York City and could beat vaccines, researchers warn. The new variant, called B.1.526, is spreading rapidly in the Big Apple and researchers fear it may carry a mutation that may weaken the effectiveness of vaccines. The new variant first appeared in samples collected in November 2020, and by February it accounted for about one in four viral sequences appearing in a database shared by scientists. One study, which was posted on Tuesday, was published by a group at Caltech , the other by researchers at Columbia University, which is not public yet. Researchers at Caltech discovered the rise of the B.1.526 variant by scanning for mutations in thousands of viral genetic sequences in a database called GISAID. However, neither study has been published in a scientific journal, but the results suggest that the variant's spread is real, experts said. “There was a pattern that was recurring, and a group of isolates … [Read more...] about New Covid variant ‘spreading rapidly’ in New York City and could BEAT vaccines, researchers warn

The NHS is facing a legal challenge over its data deal with controversial Silicon Valley firm Palantir, Sky News can reveal. Palantir, which has become notorious for its close ties to security services and immigration agencies in the United States, secured its first ever deal to handle NHS data in March last year for the nominal sum of £1. Legal group Foxglove announced today that it was bringing a court case against the health service to force it to reconsider the contract, which was extended in December 2020 and is now worth £23.5m. Government's failure to publish COVID contracts details was unlawful, High Court rules The lawsuit is the latest challenge over procurement during the pandemic, which has become a highly contentious topic in recent months, with critics accusing the government of favouring its own contacts. It comes as a batch of internal government emails uncovered by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and seen by Sky News reveal that … [Read more...] about NHS facing legal challenge over data deal with controversial Silicon Valley firm Palantir

The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed on Monday during a visit to the eastern part of the country in a World Food Program (WFP) convoy. "The three fatalities have been identified as the Italian Ambassador to DRC, Luca Attanasio, an Italian embassy official, and a WFP driver," the UN agency said in a statement. Other passengers were also injured as the delegation was set to visit a WFP school feeding program, the agency added. Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio left a meeting in Brussels to return to Rome following the news. "The circumstances of this brutal attack are not yet known and no effort will be spared to shed light on what happened," Di Maio said on Facebook , h o noring the victims as "two servants of the state . " Enovy died of his injuries Attanasio died of his injuries after the convoy was ambushed in Virunga National Park near the eastern city of Goma , the … [Read more...] about Italian ambassador to DR Congo dies in attack on UN convoy

Prince Edward has opened up about how his own experiences as a dad during the pandemic have highlighted the vital importance of schemes like the Duke of Edinburgh programme, set up by his father 65 years ago. Prince Philip 's youngest son told Sky News that projects such as the DofE awards for young people are "more important at this present time than ever before". His comments come as those behind the project warned that when schools re-open, the rush for pupils to catch up academically should not come at the expense of extra-curricular activities. The Earl of Wessex has been involved with the award scheme in the UK and overseas for 30 years. Asked if he was concerned about the push for young people to catch up with their studies when they return to school on 8 March, he said: "We mind desperately about trying to help them catch up with their academic career, but at the end of the day we're talking about what can we give young people at this time that's really going to … [Read more...] about Prince’s plea to remember vital non-academic schemes in rush to catch-up schooling

Ghana on Wednesday became the first country to receive vaccines through the COVAX initiative with a delivery of 600,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab. The shipment is part of a first wave of free deliveries headed to dozens of low- and middle-income countries under COVAX, a UN-backed scheme that aims to ensure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines . Immunization campaign to start next week The shots, which were produced by the Serum Institute of India, will be used by Ghana to launch a vaccination drive on March 2. "The first segment of the population that will receive the 600,000 doses will be health workers, adults 60 years and over, people with underlying health conditions," the government said. The West African country of 30 million people has recorded more than 80,700 coronavirus cases and 584 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the local health authority. Watch video 02:46 Share COVAX vaccine program struggles Send … [Read more...] about Coronavirus: Ghana becomes first country to receive COVAX vaccines