Infectious diseases
MMR jab uptake among young people in England up by 23% since 2023, says NHS
April 28, 2024The number of young people receiving their MMR jab is up nearly a quarter from last year, official figures show. A national campaign to boost uptake was launched in January amid concern over measles rates in England, when the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national incident after a major outbreak in the West […]
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Rise in measles cases prompts vaccination campaign in England
January 22, 2024A national campaign to boost uptake of a vaccine that protects against measles has been launched in England after a rise in cases of the potentially deadly disease. Measles outbreaks have occurred around the country, including in London, with the West Midlands experiencing cases at their highest level since the mid-1990s. The situation has led […]
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London at risk of major measles outbreak, UK Health Security Agency warns
July 14, 2023London is at risk of a major measles outbreak that could result in tens of thousands of cases, the UK Health Security Agency has warned. Without an improvement in MMR vaccination rates, the capital could experience an outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,0000 cases, fresh analysis by the UKHSA suggests. Experts said an outbreak of […]
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Met warns protesters against joining London anti-lockdown rally
November 28, 2020The Metropolitan police has warned people against joining a mass anti-lockdown protest due to take place on Saturday in central London, saying that such gatheringsare banned under current coronavirus legislation. A Met statement said: “Protest is not currently a permitted exemption to the prohibition on gatherings under the current coronavirus regulations. “Strict regulations have been […]
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UK coronavirus: Gove says lockdown could be extended; Starmer rejects union calls to close schools – as it happened
November 1, 20204.13pm GMT16:13 23,254 people test positive in the UK, with 162 further deaths On Sunday, 23,254 people were tested positive for Covid-19. A further 162 people have died within 28 days of a positive test. The daily dashboard also shows there are 1,442 more patients in hospital. For a closer look at the numbers and […]
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Far right using coronavirus as excuse to attack Asians, say police
August 29, 2020Police chiefs have warned that the far right is using coronavirus as an excuse to attack east and south-east Asians as new figures show hate crime against them is rising. Attacks on people classified by the Metropolitan Police as “oriental” have risen a third since the lockdown was eased in May, with figures significantly higher […]
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Up to 6% of England’s population may have had Covid, study shows
August 13, 2020About 3.4 million people in England – 6% of the population – have had Covid-19, with infections more common among members of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, according to the results of a large home antibody testing study. The results from the study, known as React-2, are based on home finger-prick antibody test results […]
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20 offices turned into 2,000 individual pods for post-Covid working
August 13, 2020Welcome to cube city. Xu Weiping, a Chinese multimillionaire, has a vision for the future of office work in the post-Covid-19 pandemic world: thousands of office pods where each person works in their own self-contained 3m x 3m cube. Xu reckons the coronavirus pandemic will have such a fundamental impact on the way people work […]
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Immunity to Covid-19 could be lost in months, UK study suggests
July 12, 2020People who have recovered from Covid-19 may lose their immunity to the disease within months, according to research suggesting the virus could reinfect people year after year, like common colds. In the first longitudinal study of its kind, scientists analysed the immune response of more than 90 patients and healthcare workers at Guy’s and St […]
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Nine out of ten public transport users wearing face masks – survey
July 10, 2020More than nine in 10 commuters are complying with rules requiring face coverings on public transport, a Guardian snapshot has found – though conspiracy theories, confusion over public messaging and concerns over lack of enforcement are prompting concern. In Glasgow on Wednesday, compliance with the measure to control coronavirus was almost 100% on buses, overground […]
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