UK coronavirus LIVE: First vaccines mark ‘watershed moment’ in Covid battle as London faces Tier 3 threat

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  • December 8, 2020
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England’s hospital death toll up by 325

A further 325 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of deaths reported in the country’s hospitals to 42,904.

Patients were aged between 42 and 101. All except 12, aged between 56 and 93, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between November 5 and December 7 with the majority on or after December 4.

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Vaccine programme marks ‘beginning of the end’ of the pandemic, says Sturgeon

The vaccination programme presents the “beginning of the end” of the pandemic in Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Today – the day when the first people have been vaccinated against Covid – is a day of optimism for all of us.

“But it marks, we hope, the beginning of the end of the pandemic. The end is not quite with us yet.

“So all of us must continue to think about how we keep ourselves and each other safe in the meantime.”

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Scotland set for more Covid relaxations

Five council areas in Scotland will see restrictions eased this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Inverclyde, Falkirk and Angus will move from Level 3 to Level 2 and Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders will move to Level 1.

The First Minister told MSPs that consideration had been made for moving Edinburgh to Level 2, but the proximity to the Christmas period had quashed that decision, however the position will be reassessed next week.

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire will also remain in Level 2, with cases having fallen in the past week.

Changes will come into force from Friday at 6pm, with non-essential retail allowed to reopen from 6am to control the flow of customers.

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Sturgeon calls for ‘care and caution’ as restrictions ease in Scotland

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged “care and caution” from people in high prevalence areas as they are moved out of the toughest restrictions.

Addressing MSPs in parliament, the First Minister urged people to continue to follow the rules to ensure Covid-19 does not spread.

She said: “As we know from our experience of Covid so far, progress can very easily go into reverse.

“So please continue to abide by the rules. That means, in particular, not visiting other people’s houses.”

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Sturgeon calls for ‘care and caution’ as restrictions ease in Scotland

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged “care and caution” from people in high prevalence areas as they are moved out of the toughest restrictions.

Addressing MSPs in parliament, the First Minister urged people to continue to follow the rules to ensure Covid-19 does not spread.

She said: “As we know from our experience of Covid so far, progress can very easily go into reverse.

“So please continue to abide by the rules. That means, in particular, not visiting other people’s houses.”

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Scotland to relax Covid restrictions from Friday

The 11 council areas in Scotland in Level 4 will move down one level, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The changes, which will take place from Friday, will allow non-essential retail and hospitality to reopen, two weeks ahead of Christmas.

The First Minister said prevalence of the virus has “fallen significantly” in all 11 areas in west and central Scotland in Level 4, but warned against complacency.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, she said: “In reaching decisions today, we have had to consider the potential overall impact of moving to a lower level of restrictions at the same time as the Christmas period begins in earnest.

“That has led us to a proportionate but still cautious set of conclusions.”

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Sturgeon allows herself a smile

Scots should “allow ourselves a smile”, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking ahead of the announcement of changes to restrictions north of the border, Ms Sturgeon said there was reason for optimism as the first vaccinations took place in Scotland.

She said: “This is a milestone we have all longed for. It offers hope, at long last, that we may now be at the beginning of the end of this pandemic.

“I want to thank everyone involved, now and in the months ahead, in delivering what will be the biggest vaccination programme in our history.

“Today we should all allow ourselves a smile.

“But we must not drop our guard.”

( Getty Images )
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Wales cases up by 780

There have been a further 780 cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 91,792.

Public Health Wales reported another 31 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 2,725.

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Key workers will be next in line for vaccine after most vulnerable

Key workers will be prioritised for the vaccine after those that are clinically vulnerable due to age or underlying health problems, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

Labour MP Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North) asked if key workers such as teachers and shop workers would be prioritised for the vaccine.

Mr Hancock said: “Because of the risk of dying of Covid, I think it is absolutely right that age takes priority and then for health and social care staff because they look after those who are most at risk of dying, their prioritisation is also high.

“Once we are through those clinical priorities, then of course we will be looking to prioritise other workers including those that she mentioned.”

Labour’s Holly Lynch (Halifax) asked if there was “flexibility” around the “Christmas bubbles” for NHS workers who have to work over Christmas and miss out on seeing loved ones.

Mr Hancock replied: “We have looked into this. We are not proposing to extend the Christmas bubbles but we do hope that the NHS trusts and employers across the NHS can look compassionately at exactly this situation for all of those brilliant colleagues who are working so hard and have had such a tough year.”

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Eager to get in line for a jab? Here’s everything you need to know about the process: