“Companies are working as fast as they can to protect everyone. Export restrictions do no one any good and we urge governments to avoid them,” Richard Torbett, head of the UK’s Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and Nathalie Moll, head of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, wrote in the Observer.
Technology
Lots of big investment firms, such as hedge funds, had bet on GameStop to lose a lot of value, meaning they borrowed shares in the company and then sold them, with a promise to buy them back at a later date. This is called “short selling” or “shorting” and the idea is to make money
But later on Friday evening, following talks with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that the UK and EU had “agreed on the principle that there should not be restrictions on the export of vaccines by companies where they are fulfilling contractual responsibilities”.
The two victims had previously worked together in a human resources department, local reports said, and had been involved in project affecting a company where the suspect had worked several years ago. Police said on Friday they had established a DNA link between the Wattwiller attack and the two murders in the south but the
Prof Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Germany has greater supplies of the Pfizer jab than the Oxford one, so its recommendations were made because it wanted to prioritise its larger supply for its elderly population.
Mr Johnson said he was not concerned by Germany’s recommendation, adding that the UK’s watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), had “made it very clear” that the AstraZeneca vaccine is “very good and efficacious” and gives a “high degree of protection after just one dose, and even more after two doses”.
Mum of two, Sheeba, is one of the early participants of a joint venture between English National Opera and Imperial College London to help those feeling the effects of long Covid. With great results, the pilot programme is now being extended to another 1,000 long Covid patients. The BBC’s David Sillito, a self proclaimed non-singer,
“I’m hopeful, but that’s the earliest that we can do it and it depends on lots of things going right, and… it also depends on us all now continuing to work together to drive down the incidence of the disease through the basic methods we’ve used throughout this pandemic,” he added.
As we reported on Tuesday, the UK is to introduce “hotel quarantine” for some people entering the country. Yesterday, the government hadn’t decided whether it would apply to all arrivals – or just those from “high risk” countries. Now, after a late night meeting, it seems it will apply only to “high risk” areas, including
“What I can tell you is that we truly did everything we could, and continue to do everything we can, to minimise loss of life and minimise suffering for what has been a very, very difficult stage, and a very, very difficult crisis for our country – and we will continue to do that.”
Rules for people entering the UK could get tighter later – with the government expected to enforce hotel quarantine in England for some arrivals. Currently, people arriving in the UK must test negative before setting off, and then self-isolate for 10 days on arrival. This can be reduced to five days in England after a
A sea shanty singer has become an internet star at the age of 82 with his recording of a song aimed at encouraging people to have the Covid vaccine. Martyn Waitt, from the Isle of Wight, wrote and recorded a version of The Wellerman with his granddaughter and posted it on TikTok, where it has
“The government should come to parliament and explain to the public, to teachers, support staff, parents, who are incredibly worried,” he said. “There are enormous pressures on parents at the moment, some of them are giving up their jobs or working part time, they are losing income because they have to stay at home to
Scientists have said there is a chance the South African variant may harm the effectiveness of current vaccines.
Trapped Chinese miners say thanks for medicine, call for sausages
A total of 4,076 Covid patients were on hospital ventilators as of Friday, according to government data.