COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 28th / 29th April 2021.

The UK added 2,445 cases today (higher than the last few days, but still lower than 2,729 this time last week) and now has reported a total of 4,414,242 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,360,719 tests yesterday.

The counter says 34,094,048 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 14,043,961 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,553 people were in hospital on Tuesday 27th (down from 1,915 a week earlier), with 208 using a ventilator yesterday, 28th April.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 22 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,502 losses of life in all settings.

According to ONS figures, up until Friday 16th April, 151,243 people had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Country / Losses of Life / Losses per 100,000 of the population:
Wales: 7,821 / 248.1 (roughly 1 in every 403)
Scotland: 10,039 / 183.8 (roughly 1 in every 544)
Northern Ireland: 2,941 / 155.3 (roughly 1 in every 645)
England: 129,394 / 229.9 (roughly 1 in every 435)

Rep. Of Ireland 248,326 (+469) cases and 4,899 (+3) losses of life.

There have now been a total of over one hundred and fifty million officially reported cases worldwide - 150,794,093. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,171,081. Already 128,239,456 people have recovered.

"India needs our support and solidarity.
I’m very grateful to France, Italy, Austria, Finland and Ireland for sending oxygen, medical equipment such as ventilators and COVID medication under our European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
We are in this together."
Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
(Ireland is sending 395 ventilators and at least 1 oxygen generator.)

COVID UK Briefing 28th April 2021 with Matt Hancock

Cases: 4,411,797 (+2,166)
Losses of life: 127,480 (+29)
In hospital: 1,634
Using a ventilator: 227

A couple of important points have come out today:

Northern Ireland First Minister and DUP Leader Arlene Foster is going to step down.

The Electoral Commission are going to investigate Boris' £200,000 Downing Street flat refurbishment.

The EU have approved the Brexit trade deal.
(Ahhhh. Now it makes sense. "Stooge, your work here is done. Move aside...." [you know I'm right].)

Transport Minister Grant Shapps confirmed earlier today on Sky telly that the UK will use an app. as an International COVID Passport.
"In terms of vaccine certification, I can confirm we are working on an NHS application, actually it will be the NHS app that is used for people when they book appointments with the NHS and so on, to be able to show you've had a vaccine, or you've had testing."
(I'm presuming there will also be a paper version for people who do not use a smartphone. Hold onto your NHS COVID vaccination card.)

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 26th / 27th April 2021.

The UK added 2,685 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,409,631 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,034,181 tests yesterday.

The counter says 33,843,580 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 13,201,811 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,608 people were in hospital on Sunday 25th (down from 1,973 a week earlier), with 227 using a ventilator yesterday, 26th April (down from 318 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 17 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,451 losses of life in all settings.
Up until Friday 9th April, 151,243 people in the UK had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Rep. Of Ireland 247,489 (+420) cases and 4,884 (+10) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 148,988,111 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,140,683. Already 126,694,173 people have recovered.

"A quarter of UK adults have received 2 doses of a COVID vaccine, giving them maximum protection against the virus.
This is a huge achievement made possible by the tireless work of so many across our country.
Please keep coming forward to get vaccinated when you are called."
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister. 

Public Health England and the University of Warwick have crunched some numbers regarding how many people we've saved so far by vaccinations:
"By the end of March 2021, it is estimated that 9,100 deaths were averted in individuals aged 80 years and older, 1,200 in individuals aged 70 to 79 and 100 in individuals aged 60 to 69 years giving a total of 10,400 deaths averted in individuals aged 60 years or older."
We've had another month on top of that now. Good stuff. 

Oliver's Kitchen sell cookware that is elegant and simple, easy to clean and use, and which will hopefully encourage the whole family to cook and enjoy food together. They have sent me a bundle to review - and I am genuinely incredibly happy with them, so I'm delighted to say I'll be giving the same away to my readers too! 

Oliver's Kitchen are a family business, and family cooking is their thing. The first thing that struck me was how elegantly attractive their products are, with shiny metal surfaces, black rubber trim and classic style - and all very well designed. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 24th / 25th April 2021.

The UK added 1,712 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,404,882 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,111,876 tests yesterday. 

The counter says 33,666,638 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 12,587,116 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 11 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,428 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 246,204 (+461) cases and 4,872 (+5) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 147,604,837 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,118,971. Already 125,145,819 people have recovered.

"We stand side by side with India in the shared fight against COVID-19. Vital medical equipment is on its way from the UK to India to help stop the tragic loss of life from the virus and we’ll continue to work closely with the Indian government during this difficult time."
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister.

The UK has now vaccinated over 50% of the entire population with at least 1 dose of a COVID vaccine. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd April 2021.

The UK added 2,678 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,401,109 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,111,876 tests yesterday.

The counter says 33,388,637 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 11,623,671 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 40 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,385 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 245,310 cases and 4,866 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 145,866,982 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,091,795. Already 123,749,976 people have recovered.

Today's surge testing bingo winners are in a targeted area of Bordesley and Highgate, Birmingham, because of South African variant cases.

The UK Government data shows 32 people have died from the rare blood clotting condition in the UK - this works out at 1 in every million people vaccinated. Every single one is a tragedy for their families, and it is awful any of them were lost.
Hopefully now we are aware of the blood clotting condition, and can share best treatments, it will become far less likely people will lose their lives to it.
The UK has saved 100,000 - 150,000 lives by vaccinating so far.
Each and every number is a person. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21st / 22nd April 2021.

The UK added 2,729 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,398,431 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,371,393 tests yesterday. (That's a higher number of positives, but a much higher number of tests, than we have been used to, so hopefully it's due to increased testing catching asymptomatic cases).

The counter says 33,257,651 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 11,192,601 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,915 people were in hospital on Tuesday 20th (down from 2,393 a week earlier), with 276 people using a ventilator yesterday, 21st April (down from 351 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 18 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,345 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 244,695 cases and 4,856 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 145,015,191 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,078,535. Already 123,095,371 people have recovered.

UK Data briefing chart 22 April 2021

"This Earth Day, I’m proud to say science is back."
US President Joe Biden

After employing Ms Allegra Stratton on 150k a year, and doing up their new briefing room to the tune of £2.6m (flags must be super expensive), the UK Government have decided they don't want US style briefings, and have scrapped the plan.
Honestly the money these people waste is truly beyond belief. 2.6m for a slightly more fancy corridor is an absolute joke. I don't believe they can have even got 3 quotes on that... 

EnChroma specialise in colour enhancing glasses for people with colour vision deficiency. I have 3 colour blind sons, and first discovered EnChroma's glasses a few years ago. I'm delighted to say they are now selling in the UK, and asked if we wanted to work with them on a review, and because I am very happy to endorse the glasses, I also have an affiliate link and a 10% Discount Code ... 

If you know nothing about colour blindness, then a few years ago I wrote a post explaining what causes red-green colour vision deficiency, who it's likely to affect, and why my sons' colour blindness is my fault genetically (sorry boys). I also covered some of the early signs I spotted, and pretty much everything else you might want to know about having a child who is colour blind. 

Being colour blind is incredibly common. It affects around 1 in 12 men (8%) and one 1 in 200 women (0.5%). That’s about 350 million people in the world right now. 

EnChroma are very clear. Their glasses don't offer a cure, they offer a specific type of colour enhancement, which will not work for everyone. Unfortunately they don't create glasses for people with the much rarer blue colour vision deficiency, this is only for red/green colour blind people. Of those, around 9 out of 10 people will be able to see a far larger range of colour. The switch may be instant, and a real "wow" moment, or it may take a little while for the wearer to get used to the glasses. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update and UK Briefing 19th / 20th April 2021.

The UK added 2,524 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,393,307 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,041,368 tests yesterday.

The counter says 33,032,120 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 10,425,790 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,973 people were in hospital on Sunday 18th, with 318 using a ventilator yesterday, 19th April.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 33 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,307 losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 9th April, 150,841 people in the UK had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Rep. Of Ireland 244,297 (+386) cases and 4,847 (+11) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 143,138,156 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,049,130. Already 121,551,001 people have recovered.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced details of further relaxation of restrictions. FROM MONDAY 26th April all parts of Scotland will move to Level 3:
- Hospitality venues such as cafés, pubs and restaurants can reopen, along with tourist accommodation.
- Non-essential retail outlets and close contact services such as beauty salons can also reopen, in addition to indoor attractions and public buildings such as galleries, museums and libraries.
- The remaining travel restrictions within Scotland will be lifted and travel within the UK will be permitted for any purpose.
- Shielding adults can return to the workplace, if they cannot work from home, while children who have been shielding can return to school
- Non-essential work inside people’s homes will be permitted, subject to mitigations
- Non-essential informal childcare will resume
- Driving lessons and tests can take place, while gyms and swimming pools can reopen for individual exercise
- The attendance limit for funerals and weddings (and related events such as receptions) will increase to 50
- Cafés, pubs and restaurants can resume full outdoor service, subject to local licensing, and serve food indoors without alcohol until 8pm
- Takeaways to resume normal service, with physical distancing and face masks in premises
It is expected that all of Scotland will move to Level 2 on Monday 17 May.
Rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) tests will be made available to anyone in Scotland and to those planning travel to the Scottish islands.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 17th / 18th April 2021.

The UK added 1,882 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,387,820 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 988,311 tests yesterday.

The counter says 32,849,223 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 9,930,846 people had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated. (It's been announced this afternoon that we have now vaccinated over 10 million people with their 2nd dose.)

2,186 people were in hospital on Thursday 15th, with 332 using a ventilator on Friday 16th.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 10 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,270 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 243,508 (+270) cases and 4,836 (+1) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 141,804,907 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,029,133. Already 120,344,234 people have recovered.