Health & Wellbeing

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has partnered with bus, train and tram operators to ensure the region keeps moving with a safe transport network over the festive season.

But there will be changes to services across the Christmas and New Year period so those, such as key workers, who still need to travel are being advised to check timetables and plan ahead.

Safety is a top priority for public transport operators and there is extensive cleaning and social distancing measures in place. Everyone should be wearing a face covering on board and at stations and stops unless you are exempt.

Anne Shaw, director of Network Resilience for TfWM said: “Although many of us will be at home, off school or off work, there are many, including our key and emergency workers, who still need to use public transport over the festive season.

“So we have worked with our bus and tram operators to ensure that there are services running every day except Christmas Day for those who need them.

“But we would ask people to check timetables, plan their journeys in advance and allow plenty of time as services will be reduced – especially on bank holidays.

“We have all the information on services at West Midlands Network.co.uk where you can keep up to date with any disruption and the latest rules on social distancing.

“And, unless exempt, remember to wear a face covering for your whole journey.”

The West Midlands remains under tier 3 restrictions. Travel to work, education and to do essential shopping is allowed and public transport will remain operating safely to support those who need it.

As usual there will be no public transport services running on Christmas Day and the railways will remain closed on Boxing Day.

The region’s largest bus operator National Express will be running 155 services with a Sunday timetable on Boxing Day, while Diamond Buses are running 19 services. This is thanks in part to a subsidy from TfWM. Some services will stop early at about 7pm.

West Midlands Metro will also be operating a Sunday timetable on Boxing Day.

Further restrictions are likely to be introduced in England to control the new variant of Covid-19, the UK's chief scientific adviser has said. Sir Patrick Vallance said measures could "need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced". London and large swathes of south-east England were placed in the highest tier four restrictions over the weekend.

Sir Patrick also predicted there would be spike in cases after an "inevitable period of mixing" over Christmas. It comes as more than 40 countries including France, Spain, India and Hong Kong have banned UK flights because of concerns about the spread of the variant.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing, he said he believed the variant would help cases "spread more". Asked why tougher measures were not in place across the country following the introduction of the tier 4 level, Sir Patrick added: "The evidence on this virus is that it spreads easily. It's more transmissible. We absolutely need to make sure we have the right level of restrictions in place." But he said there was no reason to think the new variant is more dangerous than the existing strain.

"The transmission is increased. We can't say exactly by how much, but it is clearly substantially increased, so it is more transmissible. Which is why we see it growing so fast and spreading to so many areas."

The government scrapped plans to relax rules at Christmas in those areas subject to tier 4 rules. Some 17 million people in England and Wales affected are being told to stay at home, while non-essential shops and businesses have to close. But in other regions of England - in tiers 1 to 3 - Christmas mixing is being allowed on 25 December.

Sir Patrick said the variant of the virus had to be taken "incredibly seriously". He said: "It's really important to follow the rules carefully and make an assumption that you could be infectious.

"You could be the person spreading it to somebody else, and [you should] behave accordingly." He added: "The doubling time of this infection with a new variant is quite fast, it is more transmissible, it does require more action in order to keep it down and that's why tier 4 is important."

Federal health officials have said that India expects to begin vaccinating people against Covid-19 in January. The officials - who requested anonymity - said a few vaccine candidates were likely to get emergency-use authorisation from the drug regulator in the next few weeks.

Two companies have already applied for consideration, and six more are in various stages of clinical trials. The vaccination programme aims to reach 300 million people by early August.

India has recorded nearly 10 million Covid-19 cases, and more than 144,000 deaths from the disease so far. The vaccination roll-out plans are being made even as the contagion shows marked signs of a slowdown.

The Covishield vaccine made by Serum Institute of India, which has partnered with British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca; and Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have already applied for authorisation. The other candidates which are in different stages of trials to test safety and efficacy include:

·         ZyCov-Di, being developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus-Cadila

·         Vaccine being developed by Hyderabad-based Biological E, the first Indian private vaccine making company, in collaboration with MIT

·         HGCO19, India's first mRNA vaccine made by Pune-based Genova in collaboration with Seattle-based HDT Biotech Corporation, using bits of genetic code to cause an immune response

·         A nasal vaccine by Bharat BioTech

·         The Sputnik V vaccine candidate developed by Dr Reddy's Lab and Gamaleya National Centre in Russia

·         A second vaccine being developed by Serum Institute of India and American vaccine development company Novavax

Four of these eight vaccines were being developed indigenously, the officials said. The officials also disputed media reports that India had pre-booked millions of doses from a number of vaccine makers around the world, saying they were already satisfied with the stocks in the country. One official said the government was in "touch with a number of local and international vaccine makers, informing them about our requirements and finding out about their production capacities".

Two Indian vaccine makers - Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker, and Bharat Biotech - alone have the capacity of making 65 million doses a month, they added.

India also has a "good stockpile" of vaccines, which can be quickly "converted into vials" if the candidates get regulatory approvals, the officials added. Around 300 million Indians will be vaccinated between January and early August, officials said.

It will begin with an estimated 10 million health workers, followed by policemen, soldiers, municipal and other front line workers. The next groups eligible for vaccinations would include people above and below 50 years of age with underlying conditions and co-morbidities, officials said.

India already runs the world's biggest immunisation programme, inoculating more than 40 million newborns and pregnant women against 12 diseases every year. It also has a well-oiled electronic system to stock and track these vaccines. Officials said 154,000 of the country's 223,000 nurses and midwives engaged in this programme will be deployed to give Covid vaccines to people. It will be also inviting final year nursing students to volunteer.

Some 29,000 existing cold storage facilities would be used to stock the vaccines - nearly all vaccines need to be transported and distributed between 2C and 8C in what comprises the so-called cold chain. Officials said extreme cold storage chain facilities - up to -80C - are already available in a number of agricultural and animal husbandry research centres in Haryana, Karnataka and West Bengal, among other places.

There have been concerns about how India would monitor "adverse events" following immunisation after a controversy involving a vaccine volunteer who sued Serum Institute of India after reportedly falling sick following a trial jab.

An official said: "We will have to be transparent and address such adverse events. A standard operating procedure has been drawn up for that."

Group exercise instructors across the country are calling on the Government to lift the ban on indoor group exercise in tier three areas. They argue that not only are freelance instructors’ livelihoods at stake, but the health of the nation is at risk.

A petition started by Suzanne O’Hara, a fitness instructor based in Greater Manchester, has now gained over 17,000 signatures. The petition asks for group exercise classes to continue in tier three, noting that gyms and health clubs are allowed to remain open. EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, have now pledged their support to the campaign which they deem ‘critical to the nation’s health’.

Prior to the second national lockdown, group exercise classes were allowed to continue across all tiers. Group exercise instructors across the country were running COVID-19 secure classes, allowing many communities to access the many physical, mental, and social benefits in a safe environment.

These classes were able to continue due to guidance and support from EMD UK, who wrote the sector’s Return to Play guidelines. The guidelines define how group exercise classes can be run in a COVID-19 secure manner, including increased social distancing, reduced class numbers, and timetable changes to account for more cleaning and hygiene breaks. EMD UK’s Return to Play guidelines have been accessed by over 9,000 instructors across the country and were signed off for use by both Sport England and the Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. EMD UK was, therefore, ‘baffled’ when indoor group exercise classes were banned in tier three when they had previously been exempt from closure.

Sue Wilkie, Head of Instructor Development for EMD UK, said “Having proven that group exercise is a COVID-19 secure activity and with increased measures both before and after classes, it is baffling that the Government have decided to revoke indoor group exercise classes in tier three. Currently, over 40% of the English population is in a tier three area, which means many of the communities who enjoy group exercise classes cannot attend their classes. Additionally, thousands of group exercise instructors are now facing their hardest year yet, where some don’t know if they’ll have a business going into 2021 or how they will pay their next set of bills.”

According to Sport England’s Active Lives survey, group exercise is the third most popular activity in England, with only walking for transport and walking for leisure above it. Nearly five million people in England took part in group exercise classes every week prior to the pandemic, with eleven million taking part every month. With the activity predominantly attracting a female audience and one million more older adults taking up group exercise classes between 2016 and 2018, these two groups are being disproportionately affected by the ban of indoor group exercise in tier three.

Although there are options for instructors to stream their classes online, technology can be a barrier, especially for older adults. Instructor Wendy knows this first-hand: “At the moment I am unable to teach as the class are elderly so half of them do not have email or even a computer let alone Zoom. I have therefore lost all my income.” In a recent survey of group exercise instructors, EMD UK found that loss of participants was one of the main changes in their career. They cited that the loss was mainly from older adults who did not have the technology or knowledge to access an online platform. Instructors also noted that the number of celebrities who offered free classes during the pandemic had affected their class numbers and income.

Suzanne O’Hara, who started the petition online, said “I started the petition because I believe passionately that access to group fitness/studio-based classes is necessary for many peoples mental and physical health. I believe that we are able to create an environment safer than many other industries which have been allowed to remain open in tier 3 locations.

Our classes have changed drastically due to COVID-19 and even when open and running at full capacity the virus has meant our classes have to be altered and the service we are delivering is not the same. Our customers are understanding of this but with no classes at all is difficult for us to continue to motivate these customers to remain invested with us.

Tier 3 restrictions have meant we have been able to reopen at around 60% capacity, we are lucky that our work with under 18s has been able to continue but our adult classes are vital not only to our income but also to the environment we create within our business. Without our adult classes resuming we are not the same business we were before.

My concern is that many adults mental and physical health is deteriorating as a result of not having access to these classes. For many it was their only opportunity to socialise outside of their home and many are left frustrated that they can go shopping but aren't able to attend their classes with numerous Covid-secure measures in place. Business owners in our industry are often forgotten and many are self-employed. Our businesses rely on retention of our customer base and the longer we aren't allowed to offer our services the less likely it is we will retain those customers.”

In a recent joint statement from industry bodies, EMD UK, ukactive, CIMSPA, and Les Mills, Martin Franklin (Les Mills Europe CEO) said “The decision to exclude this key activity for the health and wellbeing of the highly qualified and skilled instructors and the passionate and committed class participants defies belief when this context is considered. The data is clear and shows that group exercise plays a fundamental part in the nations’ recovery from COVID-19, both physically and mentally. At Les Mills, we are dedicated to creating a fitter planet for all and this must represent accessible and inclusive exercise.”

With the petition reaching over the threshold of 10,000, the Government must now respond. 100,000 will trigger a Parliamentary discussion.

A man who had to "beg" to get an MRI scan because of the Covid-19 crisis has died of cancer, his family have said. Sherwin Hall, 27, from Leeds, first went to hospital on 23 March suffering leg pain but was misdiagnosed and sent away with a course of antibiotics.

After 13 visits in four weeks a scan on 26 May revealed a tumour in his pelvis and 30 small tumours on his lungs. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said it had maintained scanning for all "urgent interventions".

Mr Hall's wife LaTroya said had his cancer been found sooner "it is likely he would still be here today". Before his death, Mr Hall said he "kept begging" for a scan but was told services had been "slowed down because of the coronavirus".

In July, he featured in a special BBC programme Britain's Cancer Crisis. Mrs Hall, who is being supported by the Catch Up With Cancer Campaign, said she was "devastated" and had "lost the love of my life".

The campaign was launched by the parents of Macclesfield beautician Kelly Smith who died after her treatment for bowel cancer was stopped as a result of the pandemic. Mrs Hall said:

"It worries me that the government and NHS leaders continue to say cancer services are back to normal; our family's experience has been that, even now, this is simply not the case.

"Even if services were back at pre-pandemic levels, that is not enough. The cancer backlog also needs to be cleared." Cancer charity MacMillan said the backlog of cancer patients from the first lockdown was 50,000 while there might be twice that number as a result of the second lockdown.

A spokeswoman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Mr Hall's family at this very difficult time." She said the trust had maintained scanning for all "urgent interventions" throughout the pandemic and had operated in accordance with Nice guidelines.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said cancer diagnosis and treatment had "remained a priority" during the pandemic and said the government had given £3bn to tackle the impact of Covid.

People with a history of significant allergic reactions should not have the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid jab, regulators say. It came after two NHS workers had allergic reactions had their jabs.

The advice applies to those who have had reactions to medicines, food or vaccines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said. The two people had a reaction shortly after having the new jab, had treatment and are both fine now.

They are understood to have had an anaphylactoid reaction, which tends to involve a skin rash, breathlessness and sometimes a drop in blood pressure. This is not the same as anaphylaxis which can be fatal.

Both NHS workers have a history of serious allergies and carry adrenaline pens around with them.

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for the NHS in England, said both individuals were recovering well. He said this was "common with new vaccines", describing it as a precautionary measure.

Dr June Raine, head of the MHRA, said it was only right to take this step now that "we've had this experience". Reactions like this are uncommon, but do happen with other vaccines, including the annual flu jab.

Several thousand people were vaccinated on Tuesday in hospital clinics on the first day of the UK rollout of the new Covid jab.

Prof Peter Openshaw, an expert in immunology at Imperial College London, said: "The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that this monitoring system is working well."

NHS England and NHS Improvement have confirmed that Birmingham and Solihull Sustainability and Transformation Partnership’s (STPs) application to become an Integrated Care System (ICS) has been approved. The ICS will now move forward at pace, to enable it to deliver its full ambition by April 2022.

In an integrated care system, NHS organisations, in partnership with local councils and other partners, take collective responsibility for managing resources, delivering NHS care, and improving the health of the population they serve.

This is a crucial step for the Birmingham and Solihull system, recognising significant partnership working and collaboration over recent years across the NHS and local government. Whilst there is more work to do to create the ICS, it will bring about more improvements in health outcomes for local people, reducing health inequalities, promoting continuity of care, and making practical improvements to people’s lives, as well as creating more support, time and space for staff to collaborate and deliver their role more effectively, in a safe and compassionate way. The ICS will be able to do this by looking at the wider determinants of health and wellbeing, in a much more joined-up and unified way.

Paul Jennings, Birmingham and Solihull ICS Lead, said: “This is fantastic news; we are passionate about the difference that we can make by working together, to tackle the unacceptable health inequalities we have across the area. People living in Birmingham and Solihull don’t understand the boundaries or differences of our organisations, as they already expect us to be working together, and too often experience issues where we aren’t fully ‘joined up’. By working together, we can take big decisions around how and where care is delivered, to ensure we are making the most impact. By integrating how we make decisions together, holding  ourselves to account about how we offer and deliver care, we believe we are more likely to close the health and wellbeing, care, quality and financial gaps across our area. Ultimately, we want Birmingham and Solihull to be the best place to live and work.”

Dame Yve Buckland, who has recently been appointed as Chair of the ICS, said: “It’s a privilege to take on the role of Chair for the Birmingham and Solihull ICS. As ICS partners, we serve a large, diverse and vibrant region with incredible examples of innovative health and social care and many world-class services. However, there remain deep pockets of inequality and variation. As we emerge from the pandemic, focussing on integration has never been more important. We have an opportunity to close the gaps and create effective, holistic, person-centred pathways which support the citizens of Birmingham and Solihull to live healthier and happier lives.”

Rebecca Farmer, Director of Strategic Transformation (Birmingham and Solihull), NHS England and NHS Improvement added: “It is positive news that Birmingham and Solihull STP has been designated as an Integrated Care System. This will bring further health and care benefits to its population through joined-up working across the NHS, local authorities and other care giving organisations. The pandemic has accelerated this work and further integration will be critical to enable the system to address the underlying health inequalities and social and economic consequences of COVID for patients and the wider community across Birmingham and Solihull.”

The armed forces could help transport further stocks of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from Belgium to the UK, with vaccinations due to begin today.

Asked if a no-deal Brexit could delay supplies, James Cleverly said it was a "top priority" and the government would look to ensure supplies were available "in whatever circumstance".

Military personnel are already helping to construct vaccination centres. Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted all parts of the UK had vaccine doses.

Front-line health staff, those over 80, and care home workers will be first in line for the vaccine.

In England, 50 hospitals have been initially chosen to serve as hubs for administering it.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will also begin their vaccination programmes from hospitals today. The government announced a further 14,718 people had tested positive for the virus while a further 189 people had died within 28 days of a positive test - taking the total by that measure to 61,434.

The Ministry of Defence said 60 military planners are working with the government's vaccine task force, with a further 56 personnel helping to construct vaccination centres. Armed Forces minister James Heappey said around 13,500 military personnel were on "high readiness" - with more than 2,000 deployed so far to help with testing and the government's Covid response.

Refrigerated containers holding the vaccine doses, which need to be kept at -70C, have been arriving in the UK from Belgium, where it is made, and are being prepared to be moved from secure locations to the hospitals. Asked whether the armed forces would be used to help transport the vaccine to the UK, Mr Cleverly said: "Potentially - we are looking at non-commercial flight options."

In response to concerns a no-deal Brexit could cause delays in getting the vaccine into the UK, he said: "This is such an important product, it's probably perhaps the most important product, so we will look to ensure that those supplies are available in the UK in whatever circumstance."

Asked to confirm if this meant the armed forces would be used if needed, he said: "If we need to." It comes as talks between the UK and the EU continue in a bid to reach a post-Brexit trade deal.

Downing Street did not deny that RAF flights could be used to bring supplies of the vaccine over from other European countries if there were problems at ports caused by a no-deal Brexit. The prime minister's official spokesman would not comment on specific plans for "security reasons". But he said "the military will have a role to play in what's been an enormous logistical challenge and I'm sure they will continue to do so as we move forward".

About 800,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be available in the United Kingdom from next week.mSo far the government has ordered a total of 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate 20 million people, with two shots each, 21 days apart.

With limited quantities initially available, elderly people who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, as well as those who are being discharged after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the jab. Others over the age of 80 will be invited to attend the hospital to receive a jab, and care home providers will be able to book their staff into vaccination clinics.

Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from the virus.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers - which represents hospitals and other NHS trusts in England - said people over 80 should not be concerned if they did not receive a letter calling them to be vaccinated this month, as the "vast majority" of people would have to wait until next year.

Asked whether the Queen, who is 94, would receive the vaccination this week, the prime minister's official spokesman said it was a matter for Buckingham Palace. However, he added: "It is obviously a statement of fact that the Queen and Prince Philip are over 80 and are in a priority group."

Although care home residents and staff were placed at the top of the priority list agreed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), they are not getting the very first vaccinations. The government has explained this is because the chosen hospital hubs already have the facilities to store the vaccine at the required temperature of -70C. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government was doing everything it could to overcome "significant challenges" to ensure care home residents were vaccinated as soon as possible.

British technology company VST Enterprises has today confirmed it has developed the world’s first secure 5 In 1 digital health passport and wallet. V-Health Passport is a crucial ‘safe technology enabler’ in reviving global economies, home lives and helping Governments, business and industry to start returning to work and normality.

The cross border, cross corporation V-Health Passport can be used by international Governments, consumers and companies to authenticate a person’s true identity, their Covid test results and vaccinations. This ‘enabler’ allows them to prove their test and/or vaccination status. Uniquely the V-Health Passport has its own contact tracing capability using anonymised data, whilst also protecting citizen’s data and privacy with a concept in the vein of ‘self-sovereign identity’.

Manchester headquartered VSTE have innovated the V-Health Passport to be the most secure digital health passport and wallet in the world, but at the same time multi-functional and future proof to deal with all future pandemics ;

The V-Health Passport has 5 key ‘enabling’ features to its technology:

• Powered by the world’s most secure cyber security coding technology VCode® it is the world’s most secure ‘next generation’ code scanning technology using a closed loop system with end to end encryption and 2.2 Quintillion collision free codes (A VCode® can only exist once due to being encoded from a centralised system).

• V-Health Passport is a test agnostic system so it can record results from all global Covid testing manufacturers and protocols from PCR to rapid antigen and antibody testing. 

• V-Health Passport also has its own unique contact tracing capability ‘True Contact™’ built within the technology designed for travel, sports stadiums, venues, factories, offices and construction sites. 

• The ultra-secure platform can now also hold vaccination records of all the major vaccination manufacturers which will be crucial in a person validating they have been vaccinated, the vaccine type, batch, dosage and date.

• Uniquely V-Health Passport is the only health wallet and cross border platform in the world that is multi-functional and GDPR compliant. It allows acts like ‘self sovereign identity’, meaning a citizen’s personal data is protected and they choose what they want to share and with whom they want to interact or authorise.

But at the same time tech boss Louis-James Davis - CEO of VST Enterprises  warned of the potential dangers and reliance on using QR code scanning technology within any form of health passport for airline travel or entry into a venue or workplace which could lead to potential security breaches of personal data and information.

It follows the hack and breach earlier this year of the former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot whose Quantas airline boarding card was hacked and details revealed including his passport number, mobile phone number and Qantas airline messages referring to the former PM.

Louis-James Davis went on to state that both bar codes and QR codes - which represent first and second generation technology - are unsecure and vulnerable to hacking. 

“QR codes were originally developed as a scanning technology for close proximity car parts tracking, a world away from Identity and banking use cases and now digital health passports. It was then used to skip the input of websites in marketing and promotional purposes. They were simply never designed with security or privacy in mind… they are simply not fit for purpose and should not be used at all in any form for delivery of sensitive information, travel or event tickets or health passport. QR codes can be subject to a process called ‘Attagging or ‘cloning.’  Louis-James Davis said.

Davis also warned that the public will not tolerate breaches of their personal data and information along with their already existing and heightened concerns over privacy during the pandemic.  He continued;

“Attagging is where a ‘genuine QR code’ is replaced by a ‘cloned QR code’ which then redirects the person scanning that code to a similar website where personal data can be intercepted and breached.

“The problem is that serious that in India alone there are over 1 billion fraudulent financial transactions each day using QR codes. As the scanning user journey is the same, it is only tech savvy individuals that may notice the domain name has changed.”

As reported by a recent Forbes Magazine investigation, it is predicted that over 11 Million households in the US alone will scan a QR code this year and the majority of them, some 71% of people who have interacted with a QR code will not know if it is the start of a malicious hack. It is envisaged that over 5.3 Billion QR codes will be redeemed this year making it one of the fastest growing tech scanning interactions and also posing one of the greatest cyber threats.

QR codes can be cloned and redirected to other information points or websites. Often criminals and hackers will exploit this by putting a fake QR code over a genuine QR code. So a QR code for example on scanning would link to the genuine website at: www.similardomain.com  but a fake QR code can be made up printed off and placed over the genuine code to redirect to www.similar-domain.com at this point the member of the public is tricked into entering their personal information, private data and financial information. The rogue website looks and feels exactly like the genuine one and is made to mirror it precisely.

VCode which is the ultra-secure digital code which powers the V-Health Passport cannot be cloned. Even if it was printed off, or a photograph was taken and placed over a VCode® or V-Health Passport it simply won’t scan as it works on a call and response system of information between the code and web platform to verify location of the code, user ID and time and date and much more.” 

Louis-James Davis said; “We developed and built the V-Health Passport and health wallet to be the most secure technology on the planet that you could use as a health passport where you could combine your test status, vaccination record, boarding pass, airline ticket, music or sports ticket all in one app.

“With V-Health Passport we wanted to provide functionality and greater mobility to allow citizens to return to work, be fit to fly or return to the sports stadiums. But at the heart of the technology was the ability to protect and respect data privacy of the individual.

“The lack of engagement and interaction by the public with Government track and trace app/s over the pandemic was over privacy, security of data and the tracking of a person’s live location. This is why we have built a unique system in the vein of ‘Self Sovereign ID’ with the ethics of privacy & security by design. The V-Health Passport puts the citizen in control in a way which they share information with who, when and where.”

By having a technology health wallet which confirms your Covid test status and your vaccination record/s it then becomes a ‘safe technology enabler’ to assist Governments, companies, consumers and organisations to resume greater mobility and returning life back to normality. But critically this technology will help revive and restore economic prosperity.

V-Health Passport will help employers safely return their employees back to their offices, factories and warehouses. It will facilitate airlines to allow their passengers to be fit to fly and avoid the need for quarantine restrictions. At the same time it will ensure their airline ticket or boarding pass is secure and won’t be hacked.

V-Health Passport will allow sports fans to return to the stadiums at capacity and not at the current socially distanced crowd protocols of 2000 fans. It will help get the hospitality sector back on its feet welcoming customers back. Because of the way V-Health Passport™ is designed - based on interaction and incentive - the hospitality sector can engage with unique offerings and discounts to its customers. 

V-Health Passport will help the live music and entertainment sectors resume their concerts and performances in arenas, stadiums and theatres. They will be safe in the knowledge that fans have either been tested or vaccinated and can authenticate their status. 

A citizen will be able to share their health pass and confirm their Covid test status, or present their vaccination record. They will also be able to show their credit score, work permit or visa, scan their travel or event pass. 

At the heart of each interaction they will have peace of mind that their data and information is highly secure and ultimately, they control who sees what, who scans what, where and when. 

Relatives of people living in care homes in England will be able to visit over Christmas if they test negative for Covid-19, the government has said.

More than a million coronavirus tests will be sent to care homes over the next month to allow safe indoor visits. Visits will be able to happen across all tiers of coronavirus restrictions starting from today.

The health secretary said the move was possible due to "unprecedented strides" in testing technology and capacity.

Matt Hancock said: "The separation has been painful but has protected residents and staff from this deadly virus.

"I'm so pleased we are now able to help reunite families and more safely allow people to have meaningful contact with their loved ones by Christmas."

Strict restrictions have been placed on visits to care homes during the last eight months because of the pandemic.

In new guidance, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says the "default position" is that visits should be enabled to go ahead in all tiers - unless there is an outbreak in the care home.

It adds that hand holding and hugging may be possible if other infection control measures are followed. It stresses the importance of visitors minimising contact as much as possible and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect their loved ones.

More than a million quick-turnaround or "lateral flow" tests, which provide results in about 20 minutes without the need for a lab, are being sent out to England's 385 biggest care homes as part of the first phase of the rollout.

It is understood that all care homes will receive enough tests so they can provide visits by Christmas if safe to do so, with visits starting from today.

As well as the tests, an extra 46 million items of PPE will be sent to Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered care home providers.

The latest research* carried out by new Hypochlorous hand sanitiser Steril-eeze released today has revealed that worryingly, we are relaxing our hand hygiene, with 25% fewer people now hand sanitising up to five times a day than in lockdown one. Nearly a quarter of us cite the forthcoming vaccine as the reason for relaxing our hand hygiene, with a fifth saying they are less scared of the impact of the virus and some also blaming laziness and the impact of hand sanitiser on their skin, or ‘lockdown hands’.

Says Dr Sarah Jarvis, Medical Advisor to Steril-eeze, “Hand hygiene is so important. Always have a hand sanitiser with you for when you’re out and about and can’t access soap and water or if you need to sanitise a door handle or surface. Hand sanitisers that contain at least 60% alcohol are highly effective. However, if you find your skin is irritated and dry as a result of these, hand sanitiser containing 300 PPM (parts per million) hypochlorous acid can offer an effective alternative which is kinder to skin."

Steril-eeze is 99.99% effective against viruses and bacteria, contains 300 PPM hypochlorous acid, and it’s alcohol-free, non-sting, and doesn’t irritate or dry out skin, so it’s kind to hands.

Up to three households will be able to meet up during a five-day Christmas period of 23 to 27 December, leaders of the four UK nations have agreed.

People can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased. But a formed "Christmas bubble" must be "exclusive" and would not be able to visit pubs or restaurants together.

The leaders urged people to "think carefully about what they do" to keep the risk of increased transmission low. They added 2020 "cannot be a normal Christmas" but family and friends will be able to see each other in a "limited and cautious" way.

The measures will see travel restrictions across the four nations, and between tiers and levels, lifted to allow people to visit families in other parts of the UK. Anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December, but otherwise travel to and from bubbles should be done between the 23 and 27. People will not be able to get together with others from more than two other households, and once a bubble is formed, it must not be changed or be extended further.

The guidance says a bubble of three households would be able to stay overnight at each other's home but would not be able to visit hospitality, theatres or retail settings.

The leaders of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reached the agreement at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

In a joint statement, they said: "Even where it is within the rules, meeting with friends and family over Christmas will be a personal judgement for individuals to take, mindful of the risks to themselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable.

"Before deciding to come together over the festive period we urge the consideration of alternative approaches such as the use of technology or meeting outside."

Published guidance for England gives further details of the rules:

• People can continue to meet people outside their Christmas bubble outdoors according to the rules in the tier where they live
• Children under the age of 18 whose parents do not live together may be part of both parents' Christmas bubbles
• Existing support bubbles count as one household towards the three household limit
• People are allowed to form a different Christmas bubble from the people they live with normally - they can choose to stay with different people for this period
• If a care home resident is able to leave their home, they can form a bubble with one other household - but should not form a three-household bubble. However, visits out of care homes should only be considered for residents of working age because of the risks
• Students are considered to be part of the household to which they have returned

Scientists say a typical Christmas gathering at home is the type of environment where infections can spread.

The guidance also advises people to take precautions when meeting their Christmas bubble such as washing hands frequently and opening windows to clear potential virus particles.

In a video message from Downing Street, the prime minister described the agreement as a "special, time-limited dispensation", saying: "This year means Christmas will be different."

Boris Johnson said people must make a "personal judgment" about the risk of who they form a bubble with or if they visit elderly relatives., adding: "Many of us are longing to spend time with family and friends... And yet we can't afford to throw caution to the wind."

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was "not an instruction to travel, it's not an instruction to meet with other people. People should still use a sense of responsibility".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: "The virus is not going to be taking Christmas off, so although we want to give a little bit of flexibility for Christmas we are still urging people to be very cautious and to use this flexibility responsibly and only if you think it is necessary."

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster said she hoped people would have space to plan, adding: "We of course recognise how important Christmas time is for so many people."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill urged people to "be responsible", saying while they wanted to mark Christmas after such a "desperate" year the relaxations would increase opportunities for the virus to spread.

She added it was hoped that an alignment with rules in the Irish Republic could be achieved.

Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth calls for Covid-19 vaccines to be ‘distributed fairly’ amid fears that some parts of the world might be left behind in the dash for coronavirus immunity.

Mr Jugnauth calls upon world leaders to ensure that no countries miss out on the crucial vaccines once they are approved for use and for governments to continue coordination efforts the World Health Organisation.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequalities that exist amongst nations and this is nowhere more evident than in the area of having fair and equal access to safe, effective, and affordable COVID-19 vaccines,” said Mr Jugnauth. “Access is key to changing the course of the pandemic and help those countries experiencing catastrophic economic and fiscal impacts to move toward a resilient recovery.

“We call for global leadership and coordinated response to ensure that any approved vaccine is distributed equitably.”

Around 150 vaccines against Covid-19 are currently in development around the world but three have emerged as the front runners in the race for immunisation: Pfizer/BioNtech,

Oxford University/AstraZeneca and Moderna. Initial trials for all three have shown promising results but there is still a long way to go before they are given the green light.

Even with an accelerated timetable the first doses will not be available until the end of the year at the earliest and then only to a limited amount of people in countries who have placed orders for the vaccines. Widespread vaccination is unlikely to happen until the second half of 2021 and then the question is how will less wealthy nations fare in the race for the vaccine with experts predicting lower and middle-income countries might not get mass immunisation until 2022.

The island nation of Mauritius has already pre-ordered vaccines for 20 per cent of the population which will go to the country’s front-line staff and those most vulnerable to the virus. Mauritius has a population of around 1.3 million people, many living in densely populated areas, but due to an early lockdown and strict quarantine measures managed to reduce the impact of Covid-19 to just 478 cases and 10 deaths.

Speaking at the closing day of the fifth edition of Qatar Foundation’s WISH 2020 summit, Jugnauth told attendees how Mauritius contained the virus thanks to a multi-layered response including a strict regime of PCR testing, 14-day quarantine, isolation and treatment as part of the government’s containment strategy.

Even those it has a relatively ageing population with a high percentage of diabetes and cardiovascular morbidity, Mauritius scored a perfect 100 on the Oxford University Stringency Index that tracks government policy and action with regard to COVID-19.

“Considering our circumstances, our response has been heralded as one of the most efficient in the world as we managed to contain, in a matter of six weeks, the virus which reached our shores on the 18th of March,” said Mr Jugnauth.

However, he added that the unprecedented scope and magnitude of pandemic continued to pose challenges for Mauritius, particularly the “drying up of international visitor numbers, in terms of both business and tourism.”

To mitigate the impact, Jugnauth said his government is providing economic, income and job support to affected sectors of the economy.

“As a centrepiece of our own recovery policy, my Government is committed to injecting significant national resources which will total almost 30 per cent of the country’s GDP, to support and build the economic recovery of Mauritius,” he said.

One positive impact of the pandemic was that there was an increased interest from young people in following careers in medicine and public health as well as STEM subjects, he said.

“If one thing positive can come out from 2020 it is that adversity builds commitment, and hope brings resilience,’ he said. ‘This is a war that we, and specially our youth, will not forget and will grow from.”

WISH is Qatar Foundation’s global health initiative.

The impact of a new Covid vaccine will kick in significantly over summer and life should be back to normal by next winter, one of its creators has said.

Professor Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder, also raised hopes the jab could halve transmission of the virus, resulting in a "dramatic reduction in cases".

Last week, BioNTech and co-developers Pfizer said preliminary analysis showed their vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19. About 43,000 people took part in tests.

Prof Sahin said he expected further analysis to show the vaccine would reduce transmission between people as well as stop symptoms developing in someone who has had the vaccine.

"I'm very confident that transmission between people will be reduced by such a highly effective vaccine - maybe not 90% but maybe 50% - but we should not forget that even that could result in a dramatic reduction of the pandemic spread," he said.

The UK is expected to get 10 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine by the end of the year, with a further 30 million doses already ordered. The jab, which was trialled in six countries, is given in two doses, three weeks apart. Older residents and staff in care homes are likely to be prioritised, followed by health workers and the over-80s. People would then be ranked by age.

The UK government announced another 24,962 confirmed Covid cases on Sunday, as well as a further 168 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

After the announcement of the world's first effective vaccine came, Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, suggested life could be back to normal by spring.

"I am probably the first guy to say that, but I will say that with some confidence," he said.

However, Prof Sahin said it would take longer. If everything continued to go well, he said, the vaccine would begin to be delivered at the "end of this year, beginning of next year".

He said the goal was to deliver more than 300 million doses worldwide by next April, which "could allow us to only start to make an impact". He said the bigger impact would happen later, adding: "Summer will help us because the infection rate will go down in the summer and what is absolutely essential is that we get a high vaccination rate until or before autumn/winter next year."

Prof Sahin said it was essential that all immunisation programmes were completed before next autumn.

A new vaccine that protects against Covid-19 is nearly 95% effective, early data from US company Moderna shows. The results come hot on the heels of similar results from Pfizer, and add to growing confidence that vaccines can help end the pandemic. Both companies used a highly innovative and experimental approach to designing their vaccines.

Moderna says it is a "great day" and they plan to apply for approval to use the vaccine in the next few weeks. However, this is still early data and key questions remain unanswered.

The trial involved 30,000 people in the US with half being given two doses of the vaccine, four weeks apart. The rest had dummy injections. The analysis was based on the first 95 to develop Covid-19 symptoms. Only five of the Covid cases were in people given the vaccine, 90 were in those given the dummy treatment. The company says the vaccine is protecting 94.5% of people.

The data also shows there were 11 cases of severe Covid in the trial, but none happened in people who were immunised.

Dr Stephen Hoge, the company's president, said he "grinned ear to ear for a minute" when the results came in.

He said: "I don't think any of us really hoped that the vaccine would be 94% effective at preventing Covid-19 disease that was really a stunning realisation." That depends on where you are in the world and how old you are.

Moderna says it will apply to regulators in the US in the coming weeks. It expects to have 20 million doses available in the country. The company hopes to have up to one billion doses available for use around the world next year and is planning to seek approval in other countries too.

The UK has announced that, from spring, it will have five million doses of the Moderna vaccine, enough to vaccinate 2.5 million people. It has already outlined plans that prioritise the oldest people for immunisation.

There are hints it offers some protection in older age groups, who are most at risk of dying from Covid, but there is not full data.

No significant safety concerns have been reported, but nothing, including paracetamol, is 100% safe. Short lived fatigue, headache and pain were reported after the injection in some patients.

"These effects are what we would expect with a vaccine that is working and inducing a good immune response," said Prof Peter Openshaw, from Imperial College London.

Both vaccines use the same approach of injecting part of the virus's genetic code in order to provoke an immune response.

The preliminary data we have seen so far is very similar - around 90% protection for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and around 95% for Moderna's. However, both trials are still taking place and the final numbers could change.

Moderna's vaccine appears to be easier to store as it remains stable at minus 20C for up to six months and can be kept in a standard fridge for up to a month.

Pfizer's vaccine needs ultra-cold storage at around minus 75C, but it can be kept in the fridge for five days.

The Sputnik V vaccine, developed in Russia, has also released very early data which suggests it is 92% effective.