Oxford vaccine arrives at UK hospitals as push to protect vulnerable ramps up
Jordan Kelly-Linden
·53-min read
Assistant Technical Officer Lukasz Najdrowski unpacks doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine as they arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex - Gareth Fuller / PA
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter
Batches of the newly approved coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca have started arriving at hospitals ahead of the jab's rollout on Monday.
Some 530,000 doses of the vaccine will be available across the UK from Monday, with vulnerable groups already identified as the priority for immunisation.
One of the first hospitals to take delivery of a batch on Saturday was the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, part of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Dr George Findlay, chief medical officer and deputy chief executive at the trust, said the vaccination programme gave NHS staff "more confidence" coming into work.
As it can be kept at normal fridge temperature, he said this vaccine was "much easier" to administer when compared with the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which needs cold storage of around minus 70C.
Rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab began almost a month ago, with more than a million people having already received their first coronavirus jab.
Second doses of either vaccine will now take place within 12 weeks rather than the 21 days that was initially planned with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, following a change in guidance which aims to accelerate immunisation.
05:29 PM
Today's top stories
That's all from me this evening. Here's everything you need to know from today...
Batches of the newly approved coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca have started arriving at hospitals ahead of the jab's rollout.
The UK recorded 57,725 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, cases have topped 50,000 for five days running.
An additional 445 deaths within 28 days of positive test were also recorded today. This takes the country's total to 74,570.
"These numbers are a stark reminder that, as we leave 2020 behind, we are not yet out of the woods - transmission is very high and many lives are still tragically being lost," Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said in response to the numbers.
It comes as a top doctor warned of growing pressures on the UK's hospital system. Prof Andrew Goddard, told the BBC that the new variant was spreading across the UK and that NHS staff should brace for a difficult few months.
Meanwhile a union chief has accused ministers of having a "reckless" attitude towards dealing with the Covid crisis in schools.
The poorest and most crisis-hit countries on earth could remain "stuck" in pandemic crisis mode until at least 2023 unless more is done to provide aid and vaccines, a leading UN figure has warned.
Britons were among those present at a mass New Year's Eve rave in France that led to clashes with police enforcing lockdown rules, it was claimed today.
India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes just one day after the country approved the Covid vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Vietnam has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Hospitals under increased pressure as new UK cases surpass 50,000 for fifth day running
Hospitals across the country should expect the pressures of London to come their way, the president of the Royal College of Physicians has warned, as the number of new coronavirus cases surpasses 50,000 for the fifth day in a row.
Prof Andrew Goddard, told the BBC that the new variant was spreading across the UK and that NHS staff should brace for a difficult few months.
"All hospitals that haven't had the big pressures that they've had in the South East, London and south Wales should expect that it's going to come their way," he said.
The UK recorded 57,725 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, the fifth day in a row where infections had topped more than 50,000.
Professor Goddard said the current case figures are "fairly mild" compared to what is expected in a week's time and that healthcare workers are "really worried" about the coming months.
"There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in South Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country," he told BBC Breakfast.
05:14 PM
'We are not yet out of the woods', PHE director warns
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: "These numbers are a stark reminder that, as we leave 2020 behind, we are not yet out of the woods - transmission is very high and many lives are still tragically being lost.
"It is more important now than ever that we don't waste the huge sacrifices we all made last year - we must continue keeping our distance from others, washing our hands and wearing a mask to help stop the spread of the virus."
The UK recorded 57,725 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, the fifth day in a row where infections had topped more than 50,000.
05:13 PM
France tightens curfew
Millions in France faced tightened curfew restrictions Saturday to combat a high rate of coronavirus cases, as police booked hundreds of New Year revellers for flouting anti-Covid measures at an illegal rave in the country.
The French government, facing the threat of a new wave of Covid-19 infections, extended a nighttime curfew by two hours in parts of the country to help combat the virus.
The curfew will start at 6 pm, rather than 8pm in most regions of the country. Paris has, for now, been spared the additional restriction.
The curfew restrictions came as an illegal rave in northwestern France ended on Saturday after more than two days of partying that saw clashes with police.
People dance during a party near a disused hangar in Lieuron about 40km (around 24 miles) on south of Rennes - JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
04:48 PM
Italian nurse proposes to girlfriend in full PPE
A male nurse in Italy has proposed to his girlfriend with the big question scrawled on the back of his head-to-toe protective clothing.
In the post, which had received over 600 "likes" by Saturday, Giuseppe Pungente shared a photo of himself in a corridor of the respiratory ward of the Ostuni hospital in Puglia, his back turned to the camera.
"Carmeli, do you want to marry me?" was the message written on the back of Mr Pungente's gown, with a "Yes" and "No" underneath.
In his New Year's post, Mr Pungente wrote that, as a nurse "in the front line in the fight against the virus" who had recovered himself from Covid-19, "I've developed the idea that real life is made of small and simple things...."
"Such as close friends, birth family and the one of the future, together with you, Carmen Pinto."
The sixteenth message below his photograph was Ms Pinto responding "YESSSSSSSSS" followed by seven heart emojis.
Mr Pungente contracted Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic in March, and in recent days was vaccinated, La Repubblica daily reported.
Italy has been battered by the deadly virus but in recent days the situation seems to have improved slightly.
New infections fell on Saturday from 22,211 to 11,831. While 364 more people died from the virus, a drop compared to Friday’s total of 462
04:35 PM
Turkey's daily coronavirus death toll falls to 202
The daily number of deaths in Turkey due to coronavirus dipped to 202 in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to 21,295 on the second day of a four-day new year lockdown.
The number of new Covid-19 cases fell to 11,180 over the same period from 12,203 a day earlier, bringing Turkey's total cases to 2,232,035 since the outbreak struck early last year.
The lockdown will be lifted at 5 a.m. local time on Jan. 4, though Ankara has also imposed weekday curfews.
04:20 PM
Coronavirus world news - in pictures
Staff members pose for a photo at a vaccine production base of the Beijing Biological Products Institute.
"The Covid-19 vaccines will be provided free of charge to all Chinese people," said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, after the country authorised its self-made vaccine.
Staff members pose for a photo at a vaccine production base of the Beijing Biological Products Institute - Zhang Yuwei / Xinhua News Agency / eyevine
A member of the L-Street Brownies makes his way back to shore with a hat on and a mask during the annual polar bear plunge at the M Street beach in South Boston, Massachusetts.
The polar plunge on New Year's day dates back over 100 years in Boston, but many people, mainly members of the L-Street Brownies, take daily swims 365 days a year into the ocean.
A member of the L-Street Brownies makes his way back to shore with a hat on and a mask during the annual polar bear plunge at the M Street beach in South Boston, Massachusetts - JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP
A medical worker wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) walks into the Covid-19 cases management zone at the emergency department of Yangon General Hospital, Yangon, Myanmar.
A medical worker wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) walks into the COVID-19 cases management zone at the emergency department of Yangon General Hospital, Yangon, Myanmar - LYNN BO BO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
People enjoy the new year's day at the Jomo Kenyatta International Public Beach in Mombasa, Kenya.
People enjoy the new year's day at the Jomo Kenyatta International Public Beach in Mombasa, Kenya - AFP
03:39 PM
UK reports 57,725 new cases and 445 deaths
A further 57,725 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK in the last 24 hours, Government data shows.
The newly confirmed total takes the UK's total up to 2,599,789 and marks a five day streak where daily cases have surpassed 50,000.
An additional 445 within 28 days of positive test were also recorded today. This takes the country's total to 74,570.
03:29 PM
Increased socialising over Christmas, not new variant, driving new cases in Ireland, official says
Increased socialising around Christmas - and not a new Covid-19 variant - has driven Ireland's rapid transformation from having the lowest infection rate in the European Union to the fastest rate of deterioration, health officials said.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin said on Wednesday the highly infectious new variant discovered in neighbouring Britain was spreading in Ireland at a rate that has surpassed the most pessimistic models available to the government.
Ireland's top virologist, Cillian De Gascun, said late on Friday laboratories had found 16 instances of the variant from a sample of 169 positive cases.
Philip Nolan, the head of Ireland's Covid-19 modelling group, said on Saturday he believed the variant represented between 5 per cent and 17 per cent of the current prevalence.
"Right now we believe the UK variant is here at a relatively low level, even with that small sample," Nolan told national broadcaster RTE.
"We saw an even more intense level of socialisation and viral transmission over Christmas than we might have expected and that's what's leading us to the really precarious position we're in now."
Nolan said cases could peak anywhere between 3,000 to 6,000 a day and Ireland was set to report more than 3,000 cases on Saturday, a near doubling of its daily record.
That will partly be due to a backlog of positive tests, but Nolan said the surge suggests the number of people infected by someone with Covid-19 - the so-called reproduction number - may have risen as high as 1.8 or 2.0.
03:22 PM
Schools should stay closed with classes delivered remotely for start of spring term, say teaching unions
Teachers in England's Liverpool were given priority in testing for the coronavirus on Saturday (January 2) ahead of schools reopening for the spring term.
But primary schools in the capital London will remain shut to counter the rapid spread of a much more infectious variant of the coronavirus.
The spring term will begin on Monday (January 4).
One teacher said she thought the entire country should adopt the same approach when it comes to keeping schools open or closed.
'We know the worst is yet to come as hospitals try to cope with the intensifying storm'
A 32-year-old trainee paediatrician from a North London hospital shares their experience:
As happened in the first wave, our two inpatient wards and many of our more junior staff have been seconded to help with the influx of adult patients suffering from Covid 19. We are left with a handful of temporary beds available for children aged up to 16 years old.
As a result, we have introduced a ‘treat and transfer’ procedure, where a child comes into Accident & Emergency and receives immediate treatment before transfer to another hospital that has beds.
Treat and transfer comes with additional patient safety risks that we do our best to mitigate, but ultimately this approach is usually a last resort when faced with winter bed pressures – it is now, yet again, our “new normal”.
However, sadly we know the worst is still to come as we are yet to reach the peak of this second wave.
Government and individuals have dual responsibility to stop virus spread, says top doctor
Dr Stephen Webb has said that it is not just down to the Government to take action on Covid-19, hospitals also need the support of the public to help stem the spread of the deadly virus.
Speaking to Times Radio, the president-elect of the UK's Intensive Care Society said:
"I think that the the key thing to remember is that our response to the coronavirus pandemic is twofold.
"There has to be a personal response and there has to be a governmental response.
"The response from the NHS, as we've already heard, has been that everyone is redoubling their efforts to try and provide safe care in difficult circumstances, despite being stretched by the volume and the surge of patients that are coming in.
"The second response is that we all need need to have is a degree of personal responsibility to follow the rules, the hands face space pressure guidance, which is out there, so that we reduce the impact and the spread of the virus to our friends, family, and and vulnerable people.
"I think as that's particularly important as we see the new variants spreading rapidly, which we know is more transmissible more infectious and can affect younger people."
02:44 PM
'Government not doing enough', says NHS campaigner
The founder of Every Doctor, a campaign to protect the NHS and its workers, has claimed that the UK Government is not doing enough to fight the current wave of infections.
Dr Julia Grace Patterson told Times Radio, that MPs need to take decisive action now before it is too late.
"There's a very high staff to patient ratio in intensive care units because the patients require a lot of careful attention. And at the moment, places are so busy that that normal staff to patient ratio is having to be reduced."
She recounted the story of one nurse at Royal London Hospital. Due to the high volume of critically ill patients they are "having to look after three Intensive Care Unit patients".
Which Dr Patterson described as a "real stretch" before adding that the kinds of pressures witnessed in top London is only the tip of the iceberg.
"The worry is that if this is happening in an extremely well run organised hospital where there are very experienced trained staff who had a very big burden of disease during the first wave, then what on earth is going to happen in other places of the UK," she said.
"Things look extremely serious, and we cannot understand why politicians are back in Westminster enacting policy right now to lock things down because it's simply going to get worse," she said.
"Sadly, we're running out of time."
02:36 PM
Worst is yet to come, top doctor warns
The true spread of Christmas infections has yet to come to light and, given the pressures they already face, the situation in UK hospitals will only get worse before they get better, Dr Stephen Webb added.
Speaking to Times Radio, the president-elect of the UK's Intensive Care Society said: "I think that it's fair to say that we have probably not yet reached the peak of of infections.
"I mean we've all seen the graphs, and the numbers are going up inexorably at the moment.
"I don't think we've fully had the effect of Christmas come through yet.
"I think that there may be there may well be continuing rises and continuing pressures on emergency departments wards on intensive care suicide on intensive care units.
"They're already opening more beds they're already having to dilute the ratios in which they care for patients.
"Patients are still being cared for and safe care is being delivered, but it is being delivered because of the redoubling of everybody's efforts.
"So I think that things could get worse before they get better. And I'm extremely concerned."
02:28 PM
Top doctor describes 'terrible situation' faced by UK's intensive care units
A top doctor has described the worsening situation faced by intensive care units across the country.
Dr Stephen Webb of the UK's Intensive care Society told Times Radio that "the NHS as a whole is at risk of being overwhelmed."
"We are still in control, we're still coping, but just about. Things are not yet out of control," he said.
"We do need to be extremely careful with oxygen suplies we do need to control the flow of patients into the hospital, and it is in nobody's interest in patients to be treated in the back of an ambulance.
"This is a terrible situation.
"We know that staff, up and down the country are under extreme pressure trying to deal with this pandemic at the moment"
02:20 PM
WATCH: Clashes with police at illegal rave attended by over 2,500 people in France
02:12 PM
Welsh beauty spots 'busy' despite lockdown rules
Beauty spots have been "disappointingly busy over the last few days" despite restrictions on essential travel, officials have warned.
Snowdonia park warden Arwel Morris stressed that people should not be driving to visit places, given the current Covid situation.
On Saturday, police stopped people from Milton Keynes attempting to walk up Snowdon in breach of Covid rules.
"We have dealt with people from London, Birmingham… numerous people from north Wales travelling to beauty spots," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
"We try and enforce the fact that exercise should begin and end at home, meaning people should not try and drive to a location where they plan to exercise.
"And this has been really difficult over the last few days," he added.
02:06 PM
Wales reports 2,764 new cases and 70 deaths
There have been a further 2,764 cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 151,300, PA reports.
Public Health Wales reported another 70 deaths, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 3,564.
01:59 PM
Number of heart attack patients admitted to intensive care plunges during second Covid wave
The number of people admitted to intensive care with heart attacks has plunged during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.
A report published by the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (Icnarc) showed that heart attack admissions have fallen since the start of the year and are running below the levels seen in previous years.
Admissions fell during the first lockdown in April before rising slightly over the summer and then falling steadily again since August.
Doctors have previously said that people may be ignoring the signs of heart attacks and not seeking treatment either because they fear catching the virus or because they do not want to burden the NHS.
The number of people admitted because of self harm or drug use has also fallen since the summer.
Spurs condemn trio for breaching Covid rules with Christmas gathering
Tottenham Hotspur trio Erik Lamela, Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilón and West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini held a Christmas gathering in breach of the coronavirus rules, it has emerged.
A photograph has been circulated on social media showing the quartet and some of their friends and family breaking coronavirus laws and Premier League rules.
Lamela, Lo Celso and Reguilón were facing disciplinary action from Spurs, who said in a statement: “We are extremely disappointed and strongly condemn this image showing some of our players with family and friends together at Christmas particularly as we know the sacrifices everybody around the country made to stay safe over the festive period.
“The rules are clear, there are no exceptions, and we regularly remind all our players and staff about the latest protocols and their responsibilities to adhere and set an example. The matter will be dealt with internally.”
A photograph on social media shows the quartet and some of their friends and family breaking coronavirus laws and Premier League rules - Twitter
01:46 PM
Five Indian cricket players in quarantine after Melbourne dinner date
Five Indian cricket players currently touring Australia were self-isolating on Saturday after dining inside a Melbourne restaurant put them in potential breach of strict Covid-19 health measures.
The players - Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini - are being kept away from the rest of the Indian and Australian squads ahead of the third Test starting in Sydney on Thursday.
The Australian state of Victoria, which contains Melbourne, is currently working to stem a cluster of virus cases tied to a wider outbreak in neighbouring New South Wales.
In response authorities now require all restaurant-goers to dine outdoors and maintain social distancing.
The cricketing quintet were filmed inside the restaurant by a fan, who then posted the clip on Twitter.
Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant among five Indian players in isolation as the BCCI, Cricket Australia probe breach of protocol pic.twitter.com/s3N5L790mH
Britain will allow mixing of Covid-19 vaccines on rare occasions
Britain will allow people to be given shots of different Covid-19 vaccines on rare occasions, despite a lack of evidence about the extent of immunity offered by mixing doses.
In a departure from other strategies globally, the government said people could be given a mix-and-match of two Covid-19 shots, for example if the same vaccine dose was out of stock, according to guidelines published on New Year's Eve.
"(If) the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule," according to the guidelines.
Mary Ramsay, head of immunisations at Public Health England, said this would only happen on extremely rare occasions, and that the government was not recommending the mixing of vaccines, which require at least two doses given several weeks apart.
"Every effort should be made to give them the same vaccine, but where this is not possible it is better to give a second dose of another vaccine than not at all," she said.
Britain has been at the forefront of approving the new coronavirus vaccines, becoming the first country to give emergency authorisation to the Pfizer/BioNTech and the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford vaccines last month.
Both vaccines are meant to be administered as two shots, given several weeks apart, but they were not designed to be mixed together.
12:54 PM
Afternoon update
Here's your top headlines of the day so far:
The daily number of new Covid cases in the UK topped 50,000 for four days in a row yesterday.
It comes as a top doctor warned of growing pressures on the UK's hospital system. Prof Andrew Goddard, told the BBC that the new variant was spreading across the UK and that NHS staff should brace for a difficult few months.
Meanwhile a union chief has accused ministers of having a "reckless" attitude towards dealing with the Covid crisis in schools.
America's top disease control expert has questioned Britain's plan to delay giving follow-up shots of Covid vaccines in order to focus on a greater roll-out of first doses.
The Head of Immunisations at Public Health England Dr Mary Ramsay has also warned against mixing vaccines. “We do not recommend mixing the Covid-19 vaccines" she said, adding that "If your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the Astrazeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa."
French police have finally shut down a huge party in northwestern France that had been underway since New Year's Eve in defiance of a curfew and coronavirus restrictions on large gatherings.
The governors of Tokyo and three other Japanese prefectures urged the government on Saturday to declare a state of emergency following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes just one day after the country approved the Covid vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Vietnam has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, the health ministry said on Saturday.
12:42 PM
Top US medical chief questions British plans for vaccine roll-out
America's top disease control expert has questioned Britain's plan to delay giving follow-up shots of Covid vaccines in order to focus on a greater roll-out of first doses.
Dr Anthony Fauci said he would "not be in favour" of the newly announced British strategy, which sanctions a time lag of up to 12 weeks between an initial dose of the vaccine and a follow-up shot.
British health chiefs believe the move will allow them to give more people the initial dose, conferring greater overall protection. But some critics say the vaccine has only been reliably tested with a time lag of around three weeks.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, Dr Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared to side with the critics of the plan, saying America had no plans to follow Britain’s lead.
“I would not be in favour of that,” he said. “We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, prepares to receive his first dose of the new Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health - POOL / REUTERS
12:32 PM
One in four test positive in parts of London
Up to one in four Covid-19 tests conducted in some London boroughs were positive in the week before Christmas, suggesting the virus remains "out of control" in some of the worst-hit areas.
According to the latest data, in the week to Christmas Day, 61 of 149 English local authorities (40.9 per cent) saw their highest positivity rate - the percentage of tests that are positive - since June.
The 20 worst-affected areas are in London, the East and South East, where the new variant of coronavirus has taken a foothold.
It has prompted concerns the virus is continuing to spread rapidly even in areas under the strictest lockdowns and that the number of positive tests underestimates the true case rate.
Poorer countries risk getting 'stuck' in Covid crisis until 2023
The poorest and most crisis-hit countries on earth could remain "stuck" in pandemic crisis mode until at least 2023 unless more is done to provide aid and vaccines, a leading UN figure has warned.
That means that the devastating knock-on effects of Covid-19 - including the risk of famine in a number of countries - will also be prolonged and intensified, said UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock.
Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: "Suppose the better-off world gradually comes out of this challenge... how do we make sure that the very poorest countries, where humanitarian agencies work, don't just get stuck?
"That's going to be one of the big challenges for 2021, and 2022, and 2023."
At the moment, Mr Lowcock said, the actions of the richer world risks prolonging the crisis, rather than ending it.
He spoke to Jennifer Rigby. Read more.
12:20 PM
Netherlands to vaccinate emergency care workers 'as soon as possible'
The Netherlands will start vaccinating 30,000 emergency care workers as soon as possible, the health ministry said on Saturday, as the government comes under fire for lagging other European Union countries in launching immunisations.
The government had previously said its national vaccination campaign would start on Jan. 8, the latest date for any EU country.
The first doses were planned to go to healthcare personnel in homes for the elderly, home care nurses and people working in care homes for the disabled, rather than emergency care workers as well.
However, it was still unclear when these workers would get vaccinated. The ministry said it would give more details on Monday.
Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, unions and hospitals have been pushing for front-line carers to get vaccinated rapidly.
"The concerning situation in urgent care is partly driven by coronavirus related sick leave by care workers," the health ministry said in a statement.
12:09 PM
Covid-19 data reveals true strain on England hospitals
NHS England's latest data on the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 paints a stark picture.
As of Dec 29, twenty-three hospital trusts had more than a third of their core bedbase occupied by Covid-19 patients, according to analysis carried out by the Health Service Journal.
Three trusts (North Middlesex in north London, as well as Medway and Dartford and Gravesham in Kent) reported that more than half of general and acute beds were currently being occupied by coronavirus patients.
Meanwhile several trusts saw a jump of up to 10 per cent last week, as the number of severely ill coronavirus patients continues to rise.
The data concerns the status of adult general and acute beds, which make up the large majority of the acute bedbase. It does not include intensive care units, which are already under huge pressure in London, the south east and the east of England.
It comes as the daily number of new Covid cases in the UK topped 50,000 for four days in a row on Friday.
Doctors have repeatedly warn that the worryingly high number of coronavirus cases is already putting severe strain on hospitals’ ability to treat other patients.
11:55 AM
UAE reports record number of Covid-19 cases for fourth consecutive day
The United Arab Emirates has recorded its fourth straight record number of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, reporting 1,963 cases on Saturday.
The new cases recorded in the last 24 hours brings the Gulf country's total recorded cases to 211,641. The UAE also reported three new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from Covid-19 to 674.
The UAE reported 1,856 new cases on new year's day and more than 1,700 on Dec. 30 and 31.
Saudi Arabia, which has the highest number of recorded Covid-19 cases among the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, reported 137 new cases on Jan. 1. It has recorded 362,878 cases in total.
11:48 AM
Why have security measures been ramped up outside London hospitals?
Here's your answer: Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president Doctors’ Association, has addressed growing concerns over increased security outside London hospitals following a surge in abuse experienced by doctors on the front line.
We’ve had a few questions at @TheDA_UK about why there is suddenly security outside some London hospitals.
This. This is why.
There are sick and dying patients in that hospital. Abusing NHS staff at the end of their shift spent trying to save lives is just shameful 😔 https://t.co/R5UxCr1lPL
Head of Immunisations warns against mixing vaccine doses
Head of Immunisations at Public Health England Dr Mary Ramsay says “We do not recommend mixing the COVID-19 vaccines" adding that "If your first dose is the Pfizer vaccine you should not be given the Astrazeneca vaccine for your second dose and vice versa"
Greece will tighten Covid restrictions for a week from Sunday, closing hair salons, bookstores and some other shops that had been allowed to reopen in the run-up to Christmas, the government has announced.
While most shops remained closed during December, there was a seasonal easing of curbs that provided a little relief for some hard-hit retail businesses.
The more stringent rules will come into force on 3 January, and a night-time curfew will start at 9pm- an hour earlier than before.
In a televised statement, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the measures were aimed at helping schools reopen on 11 January.
Greece, which started the first vaccinations against the coronavirus last week, has reported 139,447 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,881 related deaths.
11:11 AM
Medics warn of coronavirus 'catastrophe' in Lebanon
Lebanon's hospitals are being overwhelmed by coronavirus cases, medics warned on Saturday.
Lebanon, with a population of around six million, has recorded 183,888 coronavirus cases, including 1,466 deaths, since February.
On Thursday, it hit a daily record of more than 3,500 new cases.
In what he termed a "catastrophic" situation, Sleiman Haroun, head of the Syndicate of Private Hospitals, said "the 50 private hospitals in the country receiving patients with Covid-19 are now almost full".
They have a total of 850 beds, including 300 in intensive care units, Haroun said.
"Patients are now waiting in line... waiting for a bed to be free," he told AFP.
After imposing tight restrictions in November to combat the spread of the pandemic, the government relaxed rules.
Ahead of the December holidays, the government pushed back a nighttime curfew to 3:00 am and allowed nightclubs and bars to reopen.
This prompted criticism from health professionals who warned bed occupancy in intensive care units was running critically low.
10:57 AM
Kent ICU bed occupancy hits 137%
Kent hospitals are struggling to cope with an influx of critically ill coronavirus patients. On New Year's day, bed occupancy levels in intensive care reached 137 per cent forcing doctors to transfer patients to other hospitals across the country.
Eleven hospitals across the Kent and Surrey regions are failing to meet nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in intensive care, raising concerns for patient safety, the Independent has reported.
It is thought the region is aiming to transfer more than 20 patients to other hospitals across England in the coming days to try and relieve the pressure.
Kent patients are going as far as Bristol and Leeds, more than 230 miles away. It emerged earlier this week that some patients had already been sent to hospitals in Portsmouth and Southampton.
10:49 AM
British partygoers present at mass rave in France that turned violent
Britons were among those present at a mass New Year's Eve rave in France that led to clashes with police enforcing lockdown rules, it was claimed today.
More than 2,500 partygoers gathered to attend an illegal rave at a warehouse in Lieuron in Brittany, which went ahead on New Year's Eve in defiance of a nationwide 8pm curfew.
When police tried to intervene, they "faced fierce hostility from many partygoers", who set one of their cars on fire and threw bottles and stones, according to the local prefecture. The party continued throughout the night and all of Friday, with music only being finally switched off on Saturday morning, when a few hundred revellers had yet to depart.
A DJ plays music during the party in a disused hangar in Lieuron - AFP
10:45 AM
Vaccine firms hit back at ministers over shortage claims
Drug firms have hit back at Government claims of a Covid vaccine shortage as they insisted that millions of doses have been delivered to the NHS.
The health service is currently carrying out 250,000 vaccinations per week but needs to inoculate two million per week if the Government is to reach its target of easing restrictions by Easter.
Boris Johnson has said supply of the jabs is the "limiting factor", while the UK's four chief medical officers have warned that "vaccine shortage is a reality that cannot be wished away".
Both Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the two firms manufacturing vaccines, took issue with the Government's claims on Friday, insisting that there was no problem with supply.
India officially approves AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine
India’s information and broadcasting minister, Prakash Javadekar, has confirmed reports that the country on Friday approved the Covid vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Javadekar said at least three more vaccines were waiting in line to be approved, stating: “India is perhaps the only country where at least four vaccines are getting ready.”
“One was approved yesterday for emergency use, Serum’s Covishield.” he said, referring to the fact that the shot is being made locally by the Serum Institute of India.
India has reported more than 10 million Covid cases, though its rate of infection has fallen significantly from a mid-September peak.
10:25 AM
French police shut down huge party defying Covid-19 restrictions
French police shut down on Saturday a huge party in northwestern France that had been underway since New Year's Eve in defiance of a curfew and coronavirus restrictions on large gatherings.
About 2,500 people had attended the rave party in an unused warehouse in Lieuron, near Rennes, and some clashed with police on Saturday, police said.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that party-goers were issued with fines as they left the site and organisers were being identified and would be prosecuted.
The Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture said on Twitter 450 fines had been handed out for attending an illegal party, breaking curfew and not wearing masks. Local health authorities urged party-goers to self-isolate for seven days.
With the highest number of Covid-19 cases in western Europe, France is stepping up coronavirus restrictions, imposing an earlier curfew in 15 northeastern and southeastern departments from Saturday, starting at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.
France has already had two national lockdowns since the outbreak started and the latest was eased in mid-December, but restaurants and bars are off limits for now and it is not clear when they might re-open,
10:18 AM
Tokyo governors call on Japanese government to declare state of emergency
The governors of Tokyo and three other Japanese prefectures urged the government on Saturday to declare a state of emergency following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters at a briefing after meeting the governors that the government would need to hear from experts before deciding on whether to make an emergency declaration.
New Covid-19 infections in Tokyo hit a record 1,337 on Dec. 31, and on Friday numbered 783. A nationwide record was also set on Dec. 31 with 4,520 new cases.
10:14 AM
'Why take the chance?', WHO expert warns against gambling on Covid
Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and the World Health Organization's Covid-19 technical lead, has issued a stark warning on Twitter after a London intensive care doctor highlighted the dire situation on his ward:
#COVID19 is not “just” a risk for older people#SARSCoV2 can infect & kill all ages & we are only beginning to understand the longer term effects #LongCovid
Why take the chance? Protect yourself, protect your loved ones.
Debate rages over wisdom of Britain's new 'single jab' Covid vaccine strategy
Scientists across the world were locked in fierce debate on Friday over the wisdom or otherwise of the UK switching to a single dose strategy for Covid-19 vaccines.
White coats were flapping on social media after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published its rationale for the move on Thursday night.
“The advice … is aimed at maximising protection in the population”, said the JVCI.
“Given the high level of protection afforded by the first dose, models suggest that initially vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number of people with two doses”.
The move to prioritise first jabs of the vaccines was initially proposed by former prime minister Tony Blair. There is little doubt it is an innovation, though some prefer the word gamble.
Covid and the care home: my father’s grim reality on the ground
Gradually losing a father to dementia is made doubly worse by the lack of contact, and my family is powerless to change anything right now, writes Jasper Fulcher:
I remember the first time my father looked at me with total helplessness. The sharp, self-assured eyes I had grown up with were gone and instead I saw a dark resignation. He was slouched in a chair, his bandaged arms limp at his side, the whistle of hearing-aid feedback filling the air.
In my hands was a handwritten note I had pressed to the glass partition that separated us. I was clumsily trying to explain, for what seemed like the hundredth time, what he was doing here and how long he would need to stay. My 78-year-old father, William, was only weeks into what, at least initially, was supposed to be a short stint of respite care in a residential home.
This past year, his dementia had without doubt deteriorated. The pressure on my mother to care for him in their small bungalow on the south coast was too much. So when, after a fall in August, my father was admitted to hospital, a move into a home seemed like the best (and only) choice to improve a grim situation.
None of us liked the idea, but he needed more help than my mother could give him on her own; she never imagined for a moment that he would be in there forever, or that Christmas Day would be spent trying to communicate through glass.
Read more.
09:39 AM
Russia reports 26,301 new coronavirus cases, 447 deaths
Russia on Saturday reported 26,301 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 5,452 in Moscow, pushing the national tally to 3,212,637.
Authorities said 447 people had died in the past 24 hours, taking the official death toll to 58,002.
09:33 AM
Doubts cast over the ability of schools to roll out mass testing
Asked about the rollout of mass testing in secondary schools, Dr Mary Bousted said the preparations were "equally chaotic".
Test supplies are due to be delivered to schools on Monday, and Dr Bousted said a secondary school with 1,000 pupils will need approximately 21 trained volunteers to carry it out.
She told BBC Breakfast: "We don't think it's the job of schools to be doing this, they have a job to do and that's educating children.
"We believe this should be a public health organised event, we think that just as the Government at the beginning of the pandemic got a million volunteers to help with the health service, we think the Government should be advertising for volunteers and it should be public health leading this because it's a public health duty to do that.
"Schools are going to find this incredibly difficult to get this up and running in time and to do it as well as public health would be doing it because they're the health professionals."
09:26 AM
UK faces 'really dangerous situation' if all schools do not close, union warns
National Education Union joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted explained why her union was calling for schools to close for the first two weeks of term.
She told BBC Breakfast: "It will be helpful with two weeks' Christmas break where there was mixing over Christmas and unfortunately that has raised levels of infection, but you would hope that for a month where there largely has been less mixing, viral levels will go down in the community and they will go down in schools.
"If they haven't, then we're in a really dangerous situation."
Dr Bousted said she hoped schools could implement new measures to help reduce the spread of the virus, with the additional two weeks as well as setting up testing in secondary schools, which she called to be extended to primary schools.
She continued: "Education is really, really important... but you're not going to get that education if this virus gets out of control in the community because schools will have to close then for a longer period of time."
09:20 AM
Bangkok imposes partial lockdown to combat virus
Bangkok's ban on alcohol sales in bars, nightclubs and restaurant alcohol sales began today today, as the country brought in a raft of new restrictions aimed at curbing rising coronavirus cases.
Thailand initially appeared to have escaped the worst of the virus, registering just under 4,000 total cases in November, despite being the second country to detect an infection in January.
But an outbreak last month at a massive seafood market has spiralled into a resurgence, with infections now detected in 53 of the kingdom's 77 provinces. By Saturday the caseload had jumped to over 7,300.
In Bangkok, where more than 2,600 active cases have been detected, city authorities acted swiftly and announced a partial lockdown to go into effect Saturday.
Bars and nightclubs, boxing stadiums, cockfighting rings and massage parlours - as well as beauty salons and gyms - will be among a slew of businesses affected.
The capital also announced yesterday that public schools will be closed for two weeks, while more than a dozen virus checkpoints were set up Saturday across the city.
"We don't want to use extreme measures like a lockdown and putting up a curfew, but we need a stronger medicine to prevent the new surge," said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand's Covid-19 taskforce.
09:10 AM
Vaccine chair defends plans to delay second dose
Deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), Professor Anthony Harnden, has defended Government plans to delay the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from three weeks to 12 weeks after the first jab.
Prof Harnden told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that patients he had dealt with accepted the move, stating: "When it was explained to them that the vaccine offers 90 per cent protection for one dose, and the priority was to get as many people vaccinated in the elderly and vulnerable community as possible, they understood.
"I think the country is all in this together.
"And, I think we really, really want to pull together to try and do the best strategy possible."
Government figures suggest the number of doctors and nurses rose last year but the Prime Minister said he wanted to go further in the coming 12 months.
A Downing Street spokesman said that Mr Johnson is set to call on those looking for a job or a career change to consider frontline public sector roles in 2021.
More than one million jobs are thought to have been lost as a result of restrictions brought in to control the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Johnson said: "We have the very best public servants and I feel an enormous sense of admiration when I think about the care, fortitude and determination with which our doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and prison workers have faced up to the challenges of the pandemic.
"There is light at the end of the Covid tunnel - the vaccine provides increasing hope of returning to normality by Easter and I am determined that we build back better from the pandemic and take advantage of the opportunities that are ahead."
08:35 AM
Teachers union to hold emergency meeting to address school 'chaos'
The National Education Union's joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted has said her union will be holding an emergency meeting today to discuss the "chaos which is engulfing our schools".
Outlining some of the issues, she told BBC Breakfast: "[Teachers] being told at half-past five on Twitter that the school would close next week having spent the whole Christmas preparing for the school to be open, and for safety, teachers now having to completely, over this weekend, change their teaching plans - they were going to be teaching in person, now they're going to be providing remote learning online.
"And just the Government's inability to even read the data on different boroughs in London and work out that some of the boroughs they were proposing to close schools had lower infection rates, much lower infection rates than other boroughs where they were preparing to keep them open.
"It seems to me just to be inexplicable that the Government is getting this so badly wrong."
08:05 AM
Hospital conditions 'unbearable', says nurse
A nurse has described the "unbearable" conditions in their hospital as Covid-19 patient numbers continue to rise.
The nurse, who works at the Whittington Hospital in north London, described patients being left in corridors, some spending up to three hours in ambulances because of a lack of beds and one being left without oxygen when their cylinder ran out.
The nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the PA news agency: "I'm worried about patient safety because if these little things are happening now when we're short and it's busy, it's only going to get worse. I don't know what else will happen - it worries me."
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals is at record levels in many areas of England - including London, the South West and the Midlands - with admissions rising above the levels seen during the first wave.
Ministers have 'reckless' attitude to crisis in schools, says union chief
Ministers have a "reckless" attitude towards dealing with the Covid crisis in schools, a union chief has said.
The National Education Union's joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted was commenting after the Government was accused of a U-turn regarding the closure of schools in London.
Dr Bousted told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What the Government should be doing is what the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are doing.
"You don't get this chaos in the other countries of the United Kingdom.
"And does the Government really believe that somehow Covid in England is different than the other countries of the UK?
"I find the Government's recklessness in this regard, both with educational professionals' health, but also with community health, and the questions increasingly around children's health, inexplicable."
India holds drills ahead of mass inoculation drive
India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world's biggest coronavirus vaccination programmes as the drug regulator prepared to approve the first vaccine.
A government panel on Friday recommended emergency use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot and the first injections could be given in the coming week after the Drugs Control Authority of India gives final approval.
India, which has the world's second highest number of pandemic cases - more than 10.2 million - has set an ambitious target of inoculating 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-2021.
Serum Institute of India has already stockpiled tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield ready for the campaign and 96,000 health workers have been trained.
The drills saw 25 health workers receive dummy vaccines at each of the centres to be used across the country in a test run ahead of the launch.
Indian workers are seen during preparations at a model Covid-19 vaccination centre in New Delhi - RAJAT GUPTA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
06:55 AM
Thailand eyes tougher measures amid second wave
Thai health authorities on Saturday recommended tougher restrictions on businesses and people's movement in 28 provinces, including the capital Bangkok, as the number of new coronavirus cases rises.
The measures, which need final approval from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, include suspending some businesses and crowded activities that pose infection risks to the public, while recommending people in these provinces work from home and avoid unnecessary travel out of their province.
Authorities in Bangkok had earlier ordered the closing down of schools for two weeks and the temporary closure of daycare centres, gyms, bars and massage shops.
Thailand on Saturday confirmed 216 new coronavirus cases and one new death.
A man prays to a Buddha statue to mark the start of New Year 2021 amid a new wave of coronavirus at the Marble Temple, in Bangkok - RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
06:40 AM
Antidepressant use at record high as crisis hits mental health
Antidepressant use has hit an at all-time high as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on the nation's mental health.
With counselling services moving online, experts believe millions of people may have missed out on early intervention, meaning they face more "severe" mental health issues later down the line.
Doctors have said online help is inappropriate for some patients, while others may have been reluctant to seek face-to-face help or put extra pressure on health services.
It has led to more than six million people being prescribed antidepressants in the three months leading up to September – the highest figure on record. Calls to mental health helplines have also gone up, analysis by The Guardian found.
Vietnam reports first case of new coronavirus variant
Vietnam has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, the health ministry said on Saturday.
The variant was detected in a 44-year-old woman returning to Vietnam from Britain, who was quarantined upon arrival and was confirmed positive for the virus on Dec. 24, the ministry said in a statement.
The variant includes a genetic mutation that, in theory, could result in the virus spreading more easily between people.
Countries around the world have cut off travel links to Britain to stop the spread of the new variant, which scientists have said is 40-70 per cent more transmissible than the original virus.
Vietnam is still operating repatriation flights to bring its citizens stuck in the UK home amid the pandemic.
People gather on a street during New Year's Eve celebrations amid coronavirus pandemic in Hanoi - Reuters
04:29 AM
News in brief from around the world
Only about half of the Americans who volunteered to test vaccines got the real thing. Now experts debate whether all volunteers should.
Israel says it has vaccinated 1 million people as it rolls out one of the world's earliest and most rapid inoculation campaigns.
US police in Wisconsin say they've arrested a hospital employee suspected of intentionally spoiling Covid-19 vaccines.
Authorities in Belgium say a 27th elderly person has died in an outbreak at a nursing home from a super-spreading St. Nick party last month.
Turkey's health minister says the country has identified 15 people who carry a highly contagious coronavirus variant that was discovered in the United Kingdom.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine at a large vaccination centre open by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center - AFP
03:05 AM
Tokyo to request new emergency declaration as cases climb
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will request the central government to declare a new state of emergency over a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is set to meet Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Saturday afternoon to make the request, Nikkei said, citing multiple sources.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has resisted calls to reinstate a state of emergency, which the government instituted in April during an earlier wave of the pandemic.
New infections in Tokyo hit a record 1,337 on Dec 31.
People offer prayers on the first day of the new year at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo - Reuters
02:35 AM
South Korea extends social distancing in Seoul region
South Korea will extend unprecedented social distancing rules in Seoul and neighbouring areas until Jan. 17, a health official said on Saturday, including a ban on gatherings larger than four people.
Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing that the measures were necessary to reduce a prolonged surge in infections that has led to a spike in deaths.
The country reported 824 new cases as of midnight on Friday, down from 1,029 a day before.
City centre remains empty on New Years Day due to pandemic restrictions in Seoul - Anadolu
02:32 AM
Australian state makes masks mandatory as cluster grows
Australia's most populous state of New South Wales on Saturday made masks compulsory and imposed new mobility restrictions as its virus cluster expanded by seven while neighbouring Victoria recorded 10 new locally acquired cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced reductions to gym classes, banned dancing and singing at night clubs while restricting numbers at weddings, funerals and places of worship.
However, the five-day Cricket test match between Australia and India, scheduled to begin on Thursday, will go ahead with attendance at 50 per cent capacity, she said.
NSW, which has close to 200 active cases, would levy a A$200 (£$114) fine for not wearing a mask with the rule being enforced from Monday.
Victoria, which now has 29 active cases, this week made masks mandatory across the state while limiting gatherings and shutting its border to NSW, prompting lengthy delays at border checkpoints on New Year's Day.
02:26 AM
Call to increase US vaccination rate as cases reach 20m
US Senator Mitt Romney on Friday urged the US government to immediately enlist veterinarians, combat medics and others in an all-out national campaign to administer vaccinations and slow a surging rise in Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths.
The Utah Republican called for greater action as the Trump administration fell far short of its goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans with a first of two required doses by the end of 2020.
As of Friday an estimated 2.8 million vaccine doses have actually been given, mostly to front-line healthcare workers as well as staff and residents of nursing facilities.
"That comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable," Romney said in a statement.
The US has lost more than 345,000 lives and infections reached another sober milestone on Friday, surpassing 20 million confirmed cases. The number of hospitalised patients exceeded 125,000, setting a daily record once more.
Teaching unions on Friday night demanded the closure of every school in the country after Gavin Williamson caved in to pressure to shut all primaries in London.
Retired doctors and nurses desperate to help with the UK's mass vaccination drive have been kept out by bureaucracy and seen their offers of assistance ignored.
Civil servants have spent more than £10m on private sector contracts as part of the race to get Britain vaccinated against Covid - including paying £25,000 a month for a single expert on regulation.
Amanda Holden, 53, looked sensational as she showed off her latest outfit to host Heart FM despite "not being able to find a top" as she opted for just a bra and jacket
The arrival of the US M1A1 Abrams tanks in Ukraine was hailed as a turning point in the war. Coming in at roughly $10 million a unit, the Nato stalwart was supposed to provide the armoured fist that would punch through the Russian lines. But tactics evolve quickly in warfare, and Russia’s use of surveillance and hunter-killer drones has led to heavy casualties for Ukraine’s tank fleets. This is alarming for NATO. If Russia has found critical vulnerabilities in our armour, our borders are beginni
The moment was filmed by a Pollok resident who was left disgusted after spotting the vermin from her kitchen window in the Templeland Road area of Glasgow.
Following the latest Channel tragedy on Tuesday when five people, including a seven-year-old girl, died, one local French mayor squarely blamed Britain.
Leo Varadkar left his job as Irish prime minister last month with compliments being lavished on him from all directions — especially the White House — for his triumph over Brexit Britain in forcing the retention of an open land border on Northern Ireland.
Prince William made a surprise visit to a school in the West Midlands today, where he issued a 14-word update on his wife, Kate Middleton, amid her cancer treatment
Vida was treated by vets for lacerations which saw its coat soaked in blood but Quaker was in an equine hospital with its future "not looking good", sources said
A man gave his dying dog a chocolate bar – a treat dogs love but that is toxic to them – as a final gesture of love before she was put to sleep on April 23.Footage recorded by Miller Hurtado Toro shows his dog Sharon enjoying the tasty sweet before she was injected with euthanizing drugsToro told Storyful that Sharon was 12 years old and had been fighting the tick-borne canine disease ehrlichiosis for two years.“We tried to take her to find more treatments, but they saw that she had lung cancer, with metastases in her lungs and liver that were making her weak from just lying down,” Toro said.“The day before yesterday, she could not get up again, and that is when I made the decision,” he explained.Toro said he had often denied Sharon a taste of chocolate as the candy is notably bad for dogs’ health, but that he thought she should try it as her final treat.“No dog should leave without first trying chocolate,” Toro said. Credit: Miller Hurtado Toro via Storyful
Callum Laing, 40, was diagnosed with a stage 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour, after he had been suffering from intense headaches - but surgeons in Edinburgh have made a surprising discovery.
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