The number of cases of South African and Brazilian COVID variants in the UK appears to be falling, the health secretary has told Sky News. Matt Hancock said there was evidence that enhanced contact-tracing and stricter border measures were helping to control the number of people being infected by those new variants first discovered abroad.
Politics
Dr. Anthony Fauci shares his thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic as the US approaches the grim milestone of 500-thousand deaths from Covid-19. He also explains why Americans might still need to wear masks in 2022.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he would like to see all children back at school from next month, but admits that things will need to move forward “carefully”. Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ride on Sunday, Sir Keir said: “Ideally I’d like to see all schools back open on 8 March and all children
The prime minister is still aiming to reopen all schools in England next month despite concerns from teachers and scientists. Ahead of an announcement about easing coronavirus lockdown on Monday, Downing Street refused to be drawn on specific reports that more extensive outdoor socialising could be allowed by Easter, including suggestions that two households will
Burnt-out NHS staff will be offered more support from military medics as they prepare to cope with a new wave of non-COVID patients, the defence secretary has told Sky News. Ben Wallace said “exhausted” staff would be given help as they start to come out of the worst of COVID-19 but are forced to confront
CNN’s John Avlon and Van Jones react to a Georgia GOP bill intended to restrict voting by taking measures like eliminating Sunday voting and limiting the use of drop boxes. #CNN #News
Seeking a sharp break from the “America First” policies of his predecessor — which often manifested in bitter disagreements, escalating trade wars and rejection of the systems established to prevent conflict — President Joe Biden on Friday reaffirmed the US position of global leadership, the power of its alliances and the resilience of democracy in
The government unlawfully failed to publish details of coronavirus-related contracts worth billions, the High Court has ruled. The Good Law Project launched a judicial review against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) over its “wholesale failure” to disclose details of the COVID-19-related contracts. Under law, the government has to publish a “contract award
At least 10,000 children in care were placed in potentially unsafe accommodation including caravans, tents and barges, a Sky News investigation has found. Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that local councils used unregulated accommodation to house vulnerable children – even though these settings were not subject to inspection or regulation by Ofsted. Between January 2019 and December
Sen. Ted Cruz and his family flew to Cancun, Mexico, he confirmed in a statement to CNN, as a winter disaster in his home state left millions without power or water. Cruz, a Texas Republican, said in the statement he flew down for a night because his daughters “asked to take a trip with friends.”
Sir Keir Starmer has set out his vision for a post-coronavirus Britain, declaring: “We can’t return to business as usual.” The Labour leader said the COVID-19 crisis had exposed the UK’s “fragilities” and must prompt a bout of national soul-searching, declaring now was a “moment to think again about the country we want to be”.
Internal plans in Whitehall suggest a rapid reopening of the economy in the weeks after pupils return to classrooms on 8 March, Sky News understands. Whitehall officials have drawn up a timetable to help work out internal plans to roll out the government’s planned mass COVID testing regime. This suggests a desire to reopen rapidly
CNN’s Brianna Keilar dissects former President Donald Trump’s scathing statement about Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), someone Trump praised many times in the past while president. #BriannaKeilar #CNNNewsroom #News
Boris Johnson has said he will be focusing on data and not dates when it comes to the easing of England’s coronavirus lockdown. The prime minister said Professor Dame Angela McLean was “absolutely right” to tell a committee of MPs earlier that the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions should hinge upon “data, not dates”. Latest coronavirus
The NHS is likely to remain under pressure for at least another six weeks, according to a top health executive. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts in England, is calling on the prime minister to be cautious with the easing of restrictions. In a letter to Boris Johnson, he said
A phased return of pupils to classrooms in Scotland will begin on Monday, the first minister has announced. Nicola Sturgeon revealed the news in a statement to the Scottish parliament this afternoon, as she said the country’s lockdown would continue until at least the beginning of March. “The core stay at home requirement will remain
Over the next week the government and its advisers will be assessing a host of COVID-19 data to come up with a plan for easing lockdown restrictions. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his roadmap out of lockdown on 22 February and is hoping to include the earliest possible dates for reopening different sectors
Boris Johnson has said his plan for lifting England’s coronavirus lockdown is for there to be “cautious but irreversible” progress in easing restrictions. “We’ve got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious but irreversible,” the prime minister said on his plan for easing COVID-19 measures. “I think
CNN’s Boris Sanchez reports some of those close to former President Donald Trump say he is concerned over facing criminal charges stemming from the January 6 US capitol insurrection on top of other criminal and civil investigations. #Trump #CNN #News
CNN’s senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports on a batch of similar troubling mutations in coronavirus samples circulating in the United States. They’ve not only drawn attention to them; they’ve come up with a better shorthand for referring to them. They’ve named them after birds. The mutations all affect the same stretch of the spike