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

The UK added 20,479 cases today (up from 11,625 a week earlier: 7,673 two weeks earlier) and now has reported a total of 4,775,301 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,095,973 tests yesterday.

The counter says 44,581,771 people (84.6% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 32,721,762 people (62.1%) had received 2 doses.

1,585 people were in hospital on Sunday 27th (up from 1,378 a week earlier: 1,136 two weeks earlier), with 297 using a ventilator yesterday, 28th June (up from 227 a week earlier: 188 two weeks earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 23 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,126 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 271,589 cases and 4,989 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 182,333,954 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,948,238. Already 166,874,107 people have recovered.

"New analysis suggests the vaccination programme has prevented between 6.4 and 7.9 million infections and 26,000 and 28,000 deaths in England alone."
Public Health England.
Yes - really. Excellent stuff. 

If you follow me on Instagram then you may have noticed that we were sent a gorgeous Loungefly Star Wars Lands Naboo Backpack for my 11 year old to review. This is a full size backpack, which will fit an A4 folder and writing pad, and it's also incredibly good to look at... 

My 11 year old is off to high school in September, so he needs a cool bag that will carry his schoolwork, plus the books, pencil cases and other essentials any secondary pupil needs. He also needs it to be reliable and strong, and fairly weatherproof (this is Manchester).

Loungefly have a huge range of bags and backpacks featuring Disney characters, including all-time popular favourite here - Star Wars. 

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

The UK added 14,876 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,732,434 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,068,088 tests yesterday.

The counter says 44,314,799 people (84.1% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 32,460,191 people (61.6%) had received 2 doses.

1,505 people were in hospital on Thursday 24th June, with 259 using a ventilator.

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 128,100 losses of life in all settings.

Nation: Cases in the last 7 days / Rate per 100,000 population
Wales: 1,642  / 52.1
Scotland: 12,530 / 229.3
Northern Ireland: 1,178 / 62.2
England: 67,252 / 119.5

Rep. Of Ireland 271,260 (+340) cases and 4,989 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 181,732,183 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,936,217. Already 166,239,200 people have recovered.

"Half of adults under 30 have already received the NHS COVID Vaccine — that is more than 4.2 million people aged 18 to 29 in just three weeks!
Thank you to everyone involved in the vaccine rollout. Thank You NHS."
NHS England

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 25th June 2021.

The UK added 15,810 today and now has reported a total of 4,699,868 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,068,088 tests yesterday.

The counter says 43,877,861 people (83.3% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 32,085,916 people (60.9%) had received 2 doses.

1,485 people were in hospital on Wednesday 23rd, with 259 using a ventilator yesterday, 24th June.

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 128,066 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 270,477 (+380) cases and 4,989 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 180,910,091 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,919,082. Already 165,531,010 people have recovered.

"The R range for England is 1.2 to 1.4 and the growth rate range for England is +3% to +5% per day as of 25 June 2021."
What this means is that, although cases are going up, the rate in which they're going up is staying fairly steady. It could be worse.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd / 24th June 2021.

The UK added 16,703 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,684,572 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,150,834 tests yesterday.

The counter says 43,656,327 people (82.9%) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 31,908,103 people (60.6%) had received 2 doses and will be fully vaccinated from 2 weeks after their 2nd dose.

1,533 people were in hospital on Tuesday 22nd, with 246 using a ventilator yesterday, 23rd June.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 21 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,048 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 270,097 (+304) cases and 4,989 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 180,555,472 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,911,136. Already 165,251,093 people have recovered.

"The COVID19 situation in Africa is worrisome. Both the number of cases & deaths are almost 40% higher than the week before.
Vaccines donated next year will be too late for those who are dying, infected, or at risk today. VaccinEquity - if not now, when?"
Dr Tedros, Head of WHO, reminding us that fortune often depends entirely on where you were born.
In Europe 25% of people are fully vaccinated and 14% are partly vaccinated.
In Africa 1% of people are fully vaccinated and 2% partly vaccinated.
Most of the cases sequenced from Congo (DRC) and Uganda over the last month have been Delta Variant. 

20 Dreams is a really unique card game, so when I was contacted by the developer and asked if I wanted to review, I was very excited to accept. Suitable for 2-6 players, you have to tell a story using picture cards, but also have an Emotion Card, which you keep to yourself, and have to convey through the story for the other players to guess.

Before I even played, I really liked the fact you are showing your emotions. It might sound a bit twee, but everyone is just expected to hide our emotions a lot of the time. It can be incredibly frustrating, and make it hard to actually let our feelings out when we want to. Playing 20 Dreams you are letting go and behaving freely. It's a rare thing these days. 

20 Dreams is a card-based game, and it's entirely plastic-free (yeeay!). Everything is stored in a really neat little box with a magnetic closure. I love it when games pack away so small, because they're better for storage and ideal for visiting and travelling. You could pop 20 Dreams in any bag. 

UK COVID Briefing 23rd June 2021 - NOT with Boris...

UK Cases: 4,667,870 (+16,135)
Losses of Life: 128,027 (+19)
In Hospital: 1,508 (Monday 21st June)
Using a Ventilator: 227 (Monday 21st June)
At least 1 vaccine dose: 43,448,680 (82.5% of UK adults)
Two vaccine doses: 31,740,115 (60.3% of UK adults)

3 out of every 5 UK adults have now had both doses of a COVID vaccine.

Some extra surge testing Bingo winners today, and they're over the border from me, in Yorkshire. From 24 June, all adults living in these areas should take a PCR test:
Wakefield North, South & East
Pontefract North & South

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

The UK added 11,625 cases today (up from 7,673 a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 4,651,988 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,019,739 tests yesterday.

There's an I.T. issue, so England's vaccination figures haven't been updated today: At least 43,148,843 people in the UK (81.9% of adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 31,489,240 people (59.8% of adults) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,378 people were in hospital on Sunday 20th (up from 1,136 a week earlier), with 227 using a ventilator yesterday, Monday 21st June (up from 188 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 27 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,008 losses of life in all settings.

Nation / Cases last 7 days / Cases total
Wales 1,091 / 215,380
Scotland 7,302 / 257,742
Northern Ireland 928 / 125,084
England 53,242 / 4,053,782

Rep. Of Ireland 269,321 cases and 4,979 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 179,693,775 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,891,246. Already 164,383,401 people have recovered.

Couple of deliberate mistakes in the post on Sunday - well done to everyone who spotted that it was in fact Ascot, not Cheltenham, which took place last weekend (can't think why I had Cheltenham on my mind...) and the young maskless person asked to sit at the back of a theme park ride was apparently a young lady. (Apologies if that was you!)
I blame it all on the kids, and father's day, and the weather probably. 

Aqua Perfecta are well known and respected for their water filtration, but they also make air purifiers, and we've been sent the freestanding air purifier, the PerfectAir Sense, to review. I've had a full 5 weeks to get to know my air filter. We've tested it properly and seen performance under different conditions. We've tried it in different rooms and positions, and at different times of the day and night... I love a proper review, so it's really a pleasure to have that luxury. 

Air purifiers filter out airborne particles such as pollen and pollutants, and they also actively clean the air, killing many different bacteria, and viruses - including the Coronavirus. The PerfectAir Sense is recommended for rooms up to 50m2, and the average UK home has rooms around 25m2, so this purifier would also do the trick for smaller offices. (The full technical specs are at the bottom of this post.)

EDIT: 19/07/21 - after using the Air Purifier during the recent UK heatwave, I have to add that this is brilliant for cooling too. I'll explain more below.

I also have a 10% Discount Code on all Air Purification from AquaPerfecta for all of my readers: thebrickcastle10

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

The UK added 9,284 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,630,040 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,034,415 tests yesterday.

The counter says 42,964,013 people (81.6% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 31,340,507 people (59.5% of UK adults) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,316 people were in hospital on Thursday 17th, with 210 people using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 6 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 127,976 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 269,048 (+288) cases and 4,941 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 179,127,503 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,879,122. Already 163,675,395 people have recovered.

"Fantastic news that over 700,000 jabs were booked on Friday, when we opened vaccinations up to ages 18-20.
It’s great to see young people stepping up and playing their part in the national effort.
When you get the call, get the jab."
Matt Hancock, UK Health Secretary.
(Young people have been stepping up and playing their part since March 2020 Matt, and I for one appreciate how hard its been for them, so choose your words more carefully - but hurrah on the vaccination bookings!)