UK Today in Coronavirus
Boris Johnson pledged that vaccines will be going 24/7 as soon as can be done in a bid to meet the 2 million a week vaccine innoculations required to meet the 15 million vaccines goal by the middle of February. For now he says the problem lies with vaccine supply rather than lack of facilities/staff to administer the vaccine. AstraZeneca, one of the vaccine manufacturers, has asked for its key workers to be vaccinated as next priority to prevent slowing of production from ill workers, the company itself is hoping to create 2 million vaccines per week by the middle of February.
Some vaccination appointment letters have not reached the elderly in the North-East of England due to a mailing issue, discovered after lack of appointments at a mass vaccination center. Such problems could hamper efforts to reach the Middle of February goal.
Already there is conflict over the delay of the 2nd dose of the vaccine, which was taken in a bid to give out a faster 1st dose of the vaccine to everyone in the most vulnerable groups on a committed target, Labour peer Baroness Dame Joan Bakewell has threatened to take the government to court over delays of the 2nd dose.
From Saturday COVID restrictions are being further tightened in Scotland, with new rules including click and collect services being limited to essential items; customers no longer being allowed to pick up takeaways from inside the establishment, but must instead do so through a door or hatch; drinking alcohol outside in Level 4 areas will be banned; new statutory guidance on working from home; working within homes limited to essential upkeep, maintenance/functioning of the home; people can only leave home for essential purposes and cannot stay out for other purposes afterwards.
There are rumours that such rules seen above may possibly be introduced to the England lockdown as well at some point in the future if needed. Business in Scotland meanwhile have expressed concern on the further limitation of click-and-collect services which is a lifeline to many businesses, such changes may lead to business collapses.
The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has further pressured Boris Johnson to tighten lockdown rules in England to further reduce new cases. Boris Johnson has said that the latest lockdown is starting to show signs of some effect, but has not ruled out tougher restrictions. The Labour Leader was questioned why house viewings are still allowed and why nurseries (which were excluded from school closures) are still open.
It was also announced by a Minister – Chloe Smith – that the Government is working on making the upcoming local elections “COVID-Secure” so that they would not need to be delayed again. Labour have though put forth concerns that going ahead with elections could force people to choose between protecting their health or exercising their right to vote, undermining the process.
New NHS guidance will allow care homes to take COVID patients straight from hospitals in another move to help free up space. This means COVID patients of care homes can be brought back within 90-days of a positive test or onset of symptoms without needing to take a 2nd test 48-hours prior to discharge. Such patients will still need a 14-day isolation period and have had no new symptoms or exposure. The chair of the National Care Association has though expressed concern that social care settings may not have staffing available to meet the new policy and also expressed it should be up to the provider on when to take them.
Another new variant of the Coronavirus found in Brazil is causing renewed concern, and that the UK will be taking steps to keep it out of the country. So far there is no evidence the strain is more contagious (although it does share similarities with the strains in England and South Africa) or deadly but further research is required.
Finally new rules for those returning from abroad requiring to have got a negative coronavirus test 48-hours priour to arriving back will now come into effect from Monday (18th) instead of Friday.
Latest BREXIT Impacts
Supermarket chains say they do not have enough time to implement what it calls unworkable rules that are now required for Northern Ireland after having left the bloc and have called on the government to intervene. They have warned of disruptions to the food supplies to stores in NI. As it stands the companies have until the 31st March to fully comply with the new rules, but the chains say this is not enough time.
The problems relate to a new customs border that now runs down the Irish Sea that requires custom declarations and health certificates on animal-based food products moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland despite both being within the United Kingdom, it came as part of the BREXIT Deal to prevent a hard-border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
It has even been warned that some British-based business have even stopped sending goods to Northern Ireland altogether, which had been previously warned about, due to the increased paperwork and expense. Many lorries also keep being turned back for having the incorrect documents.
EFSA Approves Mealworms for Human Consumption
The European Food Safety Agency has approved the first ever insect for human consumption, the mealworm. You may know of such an insect from I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Mealworms are the larval form of the Mealworm Beetle. They are commonly eaten in Asian countries, especially Southeast Asia. Over here meanwhile they are more commonly used as pet/garden feed for reptiles, fish and birds, and they can also be used as fishing bait.
But now with them having been approved by the EFSA, and after the ratification by the European Commission (which is expected), those living in the European Union may begin to see manufacturers marketing them as food for humans to eat as well. Soon consumers may see them being used in pasta, curries, and biscuits among other varieties, they can even just be dried, salted and bagged similar to crisps. The high protein content in mealworms can also be beneficial for human health.
The EFSA is likely to keep reviewing other insects for human consumption and so others may join the mealworm in the near future. It is though believed it will take a while for many to come around to the idea of consuming insect food, due to social and cultural attitudes around bugs.
Donald Trump Impeached (Again)
Donald Trump has once again been impeached making him the first ever US President in history to be impeached twice, the president was first impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of congress related to foreign election interference and disruption of the following inquiry into it, but he was later acquitted by the Senate due to it being Republican controlled.
This time Donald Trump has been impeached for incitement of insurrection related to the US Capitol breach and violence on the 6th January. This does not mean Trump has been removed from office, only the Senate can do that after a trial via a two-thirds majority, but the trial will not be started and completed until Trump has already left office, but it may still be possible for him to be convicted of the impeachment charges anyway, although there is some debate over the constitutional legality of holding one after he has left office, if Trump is still convicted then another vote can be held to bar Trump running for office again, this would only require a simply majority after a succesful conviction.
There is a strong likelihood that Donald Trump will be acquitted again by the Senate, although some hope with Donald Trump out of the picture Republican senators may decide to turn on him in an attempt to seperate him from the GOP, an acquittal will require all Democrat senators to vote to acquit as well as at least 17 Republican senators.
But even if Donald Trump isn’t convicted on the impeachment charges he continues to face other investigations that have sprung off of the now-completed Special Counsel investigation into Russian election interference, obstruction of justice and possible Trump-Russia collusion.
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