The UK’s R (reproduction) number has risen as the country’s medical regulators have approved a new vaccine for use.
An additional 10 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have been ordered by the government after it was said to meet the strict safety and quality standards.
It comes as the Office for National Statistics estimates that almost one in 50 people had the virus during the week to January 2.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has said the coronavirus reproduction number has risen to between 1 and 1.4 up from its December figure of 1.1 and 1.3.
The figure being above 1 means outbreaks will grow exponentially.
The Moderna vaccine has been found to be 94% effective in preventing disease and the additional order will mean the UK will have a total of 17 million doses which it hopes will be available by Spring.
In total, the UK has secured early access to 367 million doses of seven of the “most promising” vaccines so far.
Health secretary Matt Hancock.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said the approval was “great news”.
“We have already vaccinated nearly 1.5 million people across the UK and Moderna’s vaccine will allow us to accelerate our vaccination programme even further once doses become available from the spring,” he said.
“While we immunise those most at risk from COVID, I urge everyone to continue following the rules to keep cases low to protect our loved ones.”
Nearly 1.5 million people in the UK have already been vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccines.
Vaccines are being deployed through a number of methods including:
hospital hubs for NHS and care staff and older patients to get vaccinated;
local community services with local teams and GPs already signing up to take part in the programme;
vaccination centres across the country, ensuring people can access a vaccine regardless of where they live.
Hospitals are currently under huge amounts of strain due to the virus, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan today declaring a “major incident” as the infection rate in the capital exceeds 1,000 per 100,000 people.
Andrew Morgan, Chief Executive at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. | Photo: ULHT
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust Chief Executive Andrew Morgan confirmed that the occupancy figure at Boston and Lincoln hospitals was around 90%, with about 9% of the workforce currently off sick.
The Lincoln hospital site was forced to declare a major incident earlier this week.
Local health bosses are still calling for more vaccination sites to be rolled out across the county in order to provide better protection.
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The problem of cyclists ignoring signage and riding on the main pedestrian precinct in Grimsby is “really bad”, according to a local resident.
The local council has been enforcing the issue since 2019, but BBC Look North said it appears only a handful of people are actually getting off their bikes and pushing them in the precinct.
There are no cycling and pedestrian only signs and even one stating there would be a £100 fine, but some cyclists in Grimsby are still choosing to ignore the rules.
When BBC Look North visited Grimsby one cyclist admits he shouldn’t be cycling and gets off to push his bike. A man with another cyclist swears when told about the rules not being followed.
A man called Trevor who initially contacted BBC Look North about the issue said: “I come down this High Street very often and I see cyclists just rushing by. One day there’s going to be a serious accident on the High Street here.”
Another resident said: “It’s really bad, it happens every five minutes around here, especially at weekends it’s even worse. They don’t stop, they don’t care.”
A 38-year-old man from a North Lincolnshire village charged with murder will face an eight-day trial later this year.
Emergency services were called at 4.23am on Saturday, July 2 to reports that a man was seriously injured on South Parade in central Doncaster.
The 28-year-old victim was taken to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
A post-mortem examination found that he died of injuries to his head, chest and abdomen.
Formal identification of the victim is yet to take place, South Yorkshire Police said earlier this week.
Steven Ling, 38, of Park Drain, Westwoodside in North Lincolnshire, has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody to appear at Doncaster Magistrates Court on Monday, July 4.
Ling later appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, July 5 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
No pleas were entered during the hearing, but an eight-day trial was set for November 28, 2022. Ling has now been remanded into custody until the next hearing.
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