CORONAVIRUS NEWS

​Vaccinating all adults in the UK is unlikely to achieve herd immunity and fully contain the virus, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

​There were 39% fewer heart operations and other heart procedures performed in January in England compared to January last year, according to analysis of NHS data by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

New findings from Public Health England have shown that an estimated 75.8% of 70 to 84 year old blood donors had antibodies against COVID-19 by early March.

New analysis shows lateral flow tests (LFD) to have a specificity of at least 99.9% when used to test in the community and could be as high as 99.97%.

Surgery should be delayed for seven weeks after a patient tests positive for COVID-19 – as operations taking place up to six weeks after diagnosis are associated with increased risk of death, according to a new global study.

A new report from the World Obesity Federation warns that increased bodyweight is the second greatest predictor of hospitalisation and a high risk of death for people suffering from COVID-19. Only old age rates as a higher risk factor.

Minister for equalities, Kemi Badenoch MP, has published the second quarterly report to the Prime Minister and Health Secretary on progress to understand and tackle COVID-19 disparities experienced by individuals from an ethnic minority background.

Whole families and households with primary school, secondary school and college age children, including childcare and support bubbles, will be able to test themselves twice every week from home as schools return from 8 March.

Imperial College London and Ipsos MORI have published their latest antibody surveillance report tracking COVID-19 infection across England.

The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has urged patients to take up screening appointments and seek GP help for cancer symptoms, with oncology teams reporting more cases of less treatable cancer.

A new report from The King’s Fund finds that health and care organisations across London have worked together more closely than ever before to improve and join up services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new study looking at how COVID-19 affects people with asthma provides reassurance that having the condition doesn't increase the risk of severe illness or death from the virus.

People experiencing the longer-term effects of long COVID will benefit from £18.5 million to fund research projects to help better understand the causes, symptoms and treatment of the condition.

New technology has been introduced in England to help clinicians identify, for the first time, a new group of people who may be at high risk from COVID-19.

A team of researchers studying the effectiveness of different types of face masks has found that in order to provide the best protection against COVID-19, the fit of a mask is as important, or more important, than the material it is made of.

A UK study involving Addenbrooke’s patients has found that a drug used to treat arthritis reduces the chances of severely ill patients dying from Covid-19.

With more than 24,000 responses, a recent survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that 85% of respondents had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 7% who had received both doses.

​The NHS will pay GPs an additional £10 for every COVID vaccination they deliver to someone who is housebound as part of the drive to protect the most vulnerable people as swiftly as possible.

Sudden cardiac arrest is more often fatal in people with COVID-19, a new study shows. Those responsible for the research see the results as a wake-up call for the public and care providers alike.

Patients taking part in a new clinical study will soon receive different COVID-19 vaccines for their first or second dose.