Breaking news
French blockade of British border over mutant Covid strain that left thousands of HGV drivers stranded and sparked chaos at ports cost Kent Police £1.2m, figures reveal Emmanuel Macron ordered closure of the border with the UK on December 20 Thousands of HGV drivers spent Christmas parked in laybys near Port of Dover Freedom of … Read more
UK’S ‘KENT’ VARIANT – B117 UK health officials announced in December that a ‘variant of concern’ had emerged in Kent. The variant is known to scientists as B117, a name derived from the location of its most significant mutations. B117 appears to be more infectious than older ‘wild-type’ coronavirus variants. Most estimates put it at … Read more
The medical director at Public Health England has said it is not ‘absolutely clear’ if a UK variant of the coronavirus is more deadly amid concerns over a ‘scaremongering’ Downing Street press conference. Dr Yvonne Doyle said more work was needed to determine whether the Kent strain was more likely to take people’s lives. It comes … Read more
Britain faces becoming a global pariah as countries around the world consider tougher travel restrictions in a bid to keep out Britain’s ‘more deadly’ Covid strain. EU leaders are said to be drawing up a blue-print which could see travel banned from the UK to all of the union’s member states. It come as the … Read more
The mutant South African coronavirus variant may make the current crop of vaccines 50 per cent less effective, Matt Hancock has sensationally claimed. In footage obtained by MailOnline, the Health Secretary warned allowing the variant to become the dominant strain in the UK could ruin Britain’s vaccination drive and send the country ‘back to square … Read more
Housework will never disappear, alas. But a global technology revolution is set to make our homes simpler to operate – and also more hygienic. Change was already under way before the pandemic, but lockdowns and working from home have accelerated the pace. Now a whole range of companies are betting that more people will invest … Read more
UK bans flights from Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo in latest bid to stop South African ‘more vaccine resistant’ Covid strain spreading here The UK will introduce a ban on arrivals from the two African nations from Friday The rule will not apply to returning UK nationals, and those with residency rights It … Read more
Two London buses have been converted into ambulances to help ease the strain on the NHS in the hard-hit capital as Covid deaths continue to soar. The single-decker buses can carry four patients each and have been kitted out with all vital equipment including infusion pumps, oxygen masks and monitors. Bus firm Go-Ahead converted the buses in the … Read more
Two London buses have been converted into ambulances to help ease the strain on the NHS in the hard-hit capital as Covid deaths continue to soar. The single-decker buses can carry four patients each and have been kitted out with all vital equipment including infusion pumps, oxygen masks and monitors. Bus firm Go-Ahead converted the buses in the … Read more
The super-infectious mutant strain of coronavirus that was first detected in Kent has spread to at least 60 other countries, the World Health Organization said today. Cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, sometimes known as VOC 202012/01, have been reported in most of continental Europe, as well as in nations further afield including the US, Australia, India, … Read more