20 things that happened w/b 27th December #coronavirus
• EU launches mass vaccination programme
• Boxing Day footfall two-thirds lower than normal
• 999 calls in London exceeding spring peak
• South Africa passes 1 million cases
• British skiers flee Swiss quarantine
• more hospital beds occupied than in April
• first NHS patient has second jab
• NHS faces unprecedented pressure
• Essex declares major health incident
• Oxford vaccine approved & set for mass roll-out
• many more areas raised to tier 3 or tier 4
• only the Scilly Isles in tier 1 (nobody in tier 2)
• secondary school term to start two weeks late
• second doses to be delayed (from 2 to 12 weeks)
• "Covid loves a crowd" - stay home on NYE
• new variant raises R by 0.4-0.7
• police break up New Year parties
• 'nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS
• all London schools to remain closed
• India approves Oxford vaccine
Worldwide deaths: 1,750,000 → 1,830,000 Worldwide cases: 80,000,000 → 84,000,000 UK deaths: 70,405 → 74,570 UK cases: 2,256,005 → 2,599,789 Vaccinations: 963,208 → 1,296,432 FTSE: down 1% (6502 → 6460)
20 things that happened w/b 20th December #coronavirus
• 17 million Britons enter tier 4 lockdown
• daily cases at record high
• Dover/Eurotunnel closed to accompanied freight
• 40 countries ban travel from the UK
• supermarkets say no short term shortages
• Joe Biden vaccinated on live TV
• new variant is 'everywhere' in UK
• 3000 lorries now stuck in Kent
• first cases in Antarctica
• France reopens border for those who test -ve
• calls to use single vaccine dose, not two
• tough restrictions on arrivals from SA
• 2% of Londoners have the virus
• schools may need to close in January
• Trump blocks coronavirus stimulus package
• no Christmas gatherings for 43% of England
• Queen's broadcast - "you are not alone"
• SE England & East Anglia → tier 4
• mainland Scotland & NI back into lockdown
• new variant detected across Europe
Worldwide deaths: 1,680,000 → 1,750,000 Worldwide cases: 76,000,000 → 80,000,000 UK deaths: 67,075 → 70,405 UK cases: 2,004,219 → 2,256,005 Vaccinations: 650,714 → 963,208 FTSE: down ½% (6529 → 6502)
20 things that happened w/b 13th December #coronavirus
• think carefully about Christmas risk (NHS)
• legal battle over closure of Greenwich schools
• London, most of Essex & some of Herts → tier 3
• new virus variant may be causing faster spread
• month-long lockdowns in Germany/Netherlands
• pressure to review 5-day Christmas bubbles
• redundancies hit a record high
• 130,000 vaccinated in first week
• Wales advises smaller Xmas bubbles
• Scotland advises shorter Xmas bubbles
• PM advises a merry little Christmas
• 11,000 missing +ve tests in Wales
• furlough scheme extended by a month
• French president tests positive
• tier 3 spreads across SE England
• schools overwhelmed by new testing plans
• 90% of hospital beds are full
• new virus variant 70% more transmissible
• tier 4 lockdown in London & SE England
• elsewhere Christmas restricted to one day
Worldwide deaths: 1,600,000 → 1,680,000 Worldwide cases: 71,300,000 → 76,000,000 UK deaths: 64,026 → 67,075 UK cases: 1,830,956 → 2,004,219 Vaccinations: 650,714 FTSE: down ¼% (6546 → 6529)
20 things that happened w/b 6th December #coronavirus
• overcrowded Nottingham Xmas market closes
• vaccine rollout 'a marathon not a sprint'
• Trump's chief lawyer admitted to hospital
• stay-at-home order in California
• cases rising in Wales (not rest of UK)
• record grocery sales in November
• first NHS patient receives vaccine
• world watches Margaret Keenan, 90, get her jab
• Oxford vaccine is safe and effective
• calls for London to enter tier 3
• a few patients allergic to Pfizer vaccine
• record daily death toll in US
• economic rebound slows further
• NHS waiting lists 100× longer than normal
• Canary Isles back on quarantine list
• France introduces curfew after 8pm
• self-isolation reduced from 14 to 10 days
• vaccine not a short-term solution (WHO)
• 5-day Xmas break a mistake, experts say
• highest restrictions eased in Scotland
Worldwide deaths: 1,520,000 → 1,600,000 Worldwide cases: 66,100,000 → 71,300,000 UK deaths: 61,014 → 64,026 UK cases: 1,705,971 → 1,830,956 FTSE: down 0.06% (6550 → 6546)
Sunday, November 29, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 29th November #coronavirus
• new tier system will end on 2nd February (PM)
• "risk of a third wave in the new year"
• Santa's grottos can open if Covid-secure
• 4 weeks of lockdown has cut cases by a third
• shops can open 24h a day (except Sundays)
• Lewis Hamilton tests positive
• Arcadia in administration; Debenhams to close
• no plans for 'vaccine passport'
• 55 Tory MPs vote against tiered system
• Lockdown 2 ends, tiers return
• Pfizer vaccine authorised in UK
• PM "sure and certain" of normal life by spring
• students testing negative start travelling home
• first vaccine doses arrive in UK
• quarantine lifted for 'high value' travellers
• pubs in Wales barred from selling alcohol
• small crowds return to football matches
• tests for care home visitors ineffective
• Russia begins vaccinations
• Sir Keir self-isolates again
Worldwide deaths: 1,450,000 → 1,520,000 Worldwide cases: 61,800,000 → 66,100,000 UK deaths: 58,030 → 61,014 UK cases: 1,605,172 → 1,705,971 FTSE: up 3% (6387 → 6550)
20 things that happened w/b 22nd November #coronavirus
• strengthened tiers will follow Lockdown 2
• borrowing 'cannot go on indefinitely'
• Oxford vaccine 70% effective
• daily tests offered in lieu of self-isolation
• 'Covid Winter Plan' published
• gyms and all retail to reopen next week
• fans to be allowed at outdoor sport
• UK Christmas: 3 households can mix for 5 days
• ...but be careful, say national leaders
• Russian vaccine "up to 95% effective"
• economy to shrink 11% this year
• economic emergency "only just begun"
• 99% of England placed in top two tiers
• only Cornwall, Scillies and IoW in tier 1
• MPs angered by blanket restrictions
• R dips below 1
• Northern Ireland goes back into lockdown
• Black Friday sales significantly down
• vaccine rollout minister appointed
• free vitamin D for 2½m
Worldwide deaths: 1,380,000 → 1,450,000 Worldwide cases: 57,800,000 → 61,800,000 UK deaths: 54,626 → 58,030 UK cases: 1,493,383 → 1,605,172 FTSE: up ¼% (6351 → 6367)
20 things that happened w/b 15th November #coronavirus
• 'normal life back next winter' thanks to vaccine
• Test & Trace tell PM to self-isolate
• testing capacity will double in 2021
• US vaccine 95% effective (UK hasn't bought any)
• PM working from home, 'feeling great'
• tier system may need strengthening
• political will to 'save Christmas'
• 11 areas in Scotland raised to tier 4
• PPE contracts: £10bn awarded without tendering
• Hull has UK's highest rate of infection
• head of Test & Trace now self-isolating
• Oxford vaccine showing good results
• New York closes schools
• rescue package for UK sport
• Brexit talks suspended after +ve test
• NI relaxes lockdown... for one week
• infection rates levelling off
• UK setting up vaccine hubs
• R still (just) above 1
• curfew introduced in California
Worldwide deaths: 1,310,000 → 1,380,000 Worldwide cases: 53,700,000 → 57,800,000 UK deaths: 51,766 → 54,626 UK cases: 1,344,356 → 1,493,383 FTSE: up ½% (6316 → 6351)
20 things that happened w/b 8th November #coronavirus
• scaled-back & distanced Remembrance Sunday
• Manchester hospitals suspend non-urgent care
• Wales ends its 17-day firebreak
• Biden's team planning ahead for the pandemic
• Pfizer vaccine 90% successful in trials
• "life could return to normal by Spring"
• "several more hurdles for vaccine" (PM)
• record number of redundancies this summer
• Wales cancels next summer's exams
• 'lockdown' is the word of the year
• testing operation to get students home for Xmas
• UK death toll passes 50,000
• economy out of recession (still down on March)
• surge in infections in Sweden
• long waits for hospital operations
• Yorkshire Ripper dies in prison from virus
• Dominic Cummings departs Number 10
• R decreasing but still above 1
• Divali goes digital
• Britons warned not to become complacent
Worldwide deaths: 1,250,000 → 1,310,000 Worldwide cases: 49,600,000 → 53,700,000 UK deaths: 48,888 → 51,766 UK cases: 1,171,441 → 1,344,356 FTSE: up 7% (5910 → 6316)
20 things that happened w/b 1st November #coronavirus
• Test and Trace app set threshold too high
• England lockdown 'may last more than 4 weeks'
• Prince William contracted virus in April
• increased help for the self-employed
• lockdown a 'medical and moral' responsibility (PM)
• everyone in Liverpool to be tested
• UK death rate 10% higher than usual
• shops extend hours/pubs offload beer
• US election - outcome unclear
• M&S suffers first annual loss
• 38 MPs vote against lockdown 2
• Lockdown for four weeks across England
• furlough scheme extended until March
• new rapid test misses half of cases
• Danish mink hosted virus mutation
• Denmark/Sweden/Germany → quarantine list
• infection rate may be stabilising
• UK bans visitors from Denmark
• St Paul's Cathedral gets £2m culture grant
• Joe Biden announced as US president
Worldwide deaths: 1,180,000 → 1,250,000 Worldwide cases: 45,800,000 → 49,600,000 UK deaths: 46,555 → 48,888 UK cases: 1,011,660 → 1,171,441 FTSE: up 6% (5577 → 5910)
Sunday, October 25, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 25th October #coronavirus
• Spain introduces night-time curfew
• Wales anticipates another firebreak in January
• row about free school meal vouchers, again
• Nottinghamshire → tier 3
• Tory MPs call for roadmap out of lockdown
• study says antibodies decline rapidly
• sharp rise in deaths across Europe
• Staffordshire → tier 2
• 'too early to say what Christmas rules will be'
• Heathrow no longer Europe's busiest airport
• 2/3 of businesses at risk of insolvency
• second national lockdown in France
• 100,000 catching virus every day
• E Yorks → tier 2, W Yorks → tier 3
• Melbourne emerges from four month lockdown
• ½ million in England had virus last week
• Govt trying to avoid blanket measures
• cases now well above worst-case scenario
• 4 week lockdown across England from next week
• furlough scheme extended by a month
Worldwide deaths: 1,150,000 → 1,190,000 Worldwide cases: 42,400,000 → 45,800,000 UK deaths: 44,745 → 46,555 UK cases: 854,010 → 1,011,660 FTSE: down 5% (5860 → 5577)
20 things that happened w/b 18th October #coronavirus
• police allowed access to test and trace data
• Manchester still refusing to join tier 3
• Italy tightens the rules
• 2½ week "firebreak" lockdown in Wales
• high level restrictions for 6 weeks in Ireland
• 'tsunami' of new infections in Belgium
• Heathrow - tests for those flying to Hong Kong
• tier 3 imposed on Greater Manchester
• ..."a game of poker with people's lives”
• Melania Trump still has lingering cough
• South Yorkshire is next into tier 3
• Chancellor offers extra aid for tier 2
• Scots told to prepare for 'digital Christmas'
• Stoke, Coventry and Slough → tier 2
• Test and Trace needs to improve (PM)
• Scotland to introduce 5-tier system
• PM hopes families can celebrate Xmas together
• Warrington → tier 3
• Polish president tests positive
• yet another (small) anti-lockdown protest
Worldwide deaths: 1,110,000 → 1,150,000 Worldwide cases: 39,500,000 → 42,400,000 UK deaths: 43,579 → 44,745 UK cases: 705,428 → 854,010 FTSE: down 1% (5919 → 5860)
20 things that happened w/b 11th October #coronavirus
• second national lockdown possible
• Trump claims he's now immune
• three Nightingale hospitals on standby
• 3-tier lockdown restrictions introduced
• Liverpool placed in 'Very High' tier - pubs closed
• scientists warn measures are insufficient
• unemployment at 3 year high
• confirmed case of reinfection in Nevada
• Sir Keir proposes 3 week circuit breaker
• PM defends regional restrictions
• NI closes schools for 2 weeks (& pubs for 4)
• Wales bans visitors from tiers 2 & 3
• London, Essex and York move to tier 2
• Italy joins the quarantine list
• masks required in Scottish workplaces
• Manchester holds out against joining tier 3
• R is between 1.3 and 1.5
• fast turnaround tests due in a few weeks (PM)
• month-long curfew in nine French cities
• Israel eases second lockdown
Worldwide deaths: 1,070,000 → 1,110,000 Worldwide cases: 37,000,000 → 39,500,000 UK deaths: 42,760 → 43,579 UK cases: 590,844 → 705,428 FTSE: down 2% (6016 → 5919)
20 things that happened w/b 4th October #coronavirus
• London Marathon for elite runners only
• Cineworld to close all cinemas
• "bumpy through to Christmas" (PM)
• numerous other White House staff test positive
• Trump briefly leaves hospital for a motorcade
• 15841 cases uncounted (& not followed up)
• Trump 'feeling really good' - leaves hospital
• PM looks ahead to a post-Covid UK
• hospital admissions jump by 25%
• shortage of tests across the NHS
• intensive care filling up in Paris
• pubs to close for 2 weeks in central Scotland
• new 3-tier restrictions expected on Monday
• getting Covid "a blessing from God" (Trump)
• cafes/bars in Brussels closed for a month
• economy still 9% below pre-pandemic levels
• cases have 'increased rapidly' (ONS)
• new Job Support Scheme will pay 2/3 of wages
• delayed honours list recognises care workers
• Northern mayors say govt support insufficient
Worldwide deaths: 1,030,000 → 1,070,000 Worldwide cases: 34,700,000 → 37,000,000 UK deaths: 42,317 → 42,760 UK cases: 480,017 → 590,844 FTSE: up 2% (5902 → 6016)
Sunday, September 27, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 27th September #coronavirus
• three more Welsh counties face lockdown
• cases at 40 UK universities
• ban on socialising in pubs in the NE
• WHO develops quick low-cost test
• calls to end 10pm pub curfew
• global deaths pass 1 million
• PM misquotes new NE restrictions
• four more Welsh counties face lockdown
• students won't face Christmas quarantine
• Speaker demands greater Parliamentary say
• PM calls for "collective forbearance"
• growth in cases could be slowing
• new restrictions in Merseyside
• Poland and Turkey added to quarantine list
• SNP MP broke self-isolation rules
• President Trump tests positive
• "everyone got a bit, kind of complacent" (PM)
• President Trump taken to hospital
• latest Bond film postponed again, to April
• conflicting reports on Trump's health
Worldwide deaths: 990,000 → 1,030,000 Worldwide cases: 32,700,000 → 34,700,000 UK deaths: 41,971 → 42,317 UK cases: 429,277 → 480,017 FTSE: up 1% (5842 → 5902)
20 things that happened w/b 20th September #coronavirus
• Singapore issues Bluetooth tracking devices
• 20% of UK population under local restrictions
• 'last chance saloon' before a 2nd lockdown
• if no action, 50000 daily cases by mid-October
• four more Welsh counties locked down
• UK virus alert level rises from 3 to 4
• pubs & restaurants must close by 10pm
• "if you can work from home you should do so"
• "we've reached a perilous turning point" (PM)
• new rules are "for perhaps six months"
• household visits banned in Scotland
• daily cases continue to rise rapidly
• NHS COVID-19 app (finally) launches
• Chancellor announces new Job Support Scheme
• only 28% of tests turned round in 24 hours
• virus spreading in university accommodation
• tighter lockdowns in Cardiff, Swansea & Leeds
• Tesco limits sales of toilet roll & pasta
• R number rises to 1.2-1.5
• 2m deaths worldwide 'not impossible' (WHO)
Worldwide deaths: 950,000 → 990,000 Worldwide cases: 30,600,000 → 32,700,000 UK deaths: 41,759 → 41,971 UK cases: 390,358 → 429,277 FTSE: down 3% (6007 → 5842)
20 things that happened w/b 13th September #coronavirus
• care homes warned of rise in infections
• 2nd lockdown in Israel leads to resignations
• UK tests being sent abroad for analysis
• Rule of Six comes into effect
• Labour leader self-isolating
• no tests available in top 10 hotspot areas
• unemployment up, redundancies accelerating
• Home Secretary attempts to define 'mingling'
• entire Irish cabinet self-isolates
• inflation tumbles to 0.2%
• Rhondda goes into isolation/lockdown
• 'very serious situation in Europe' (WHO)
• new restrictions across NE England
• test demand 'significantly outstripping' capacity
• national 'circuit break' restrictions discussed
• London's New Year fireworks cancelled
• new restrictions across NW England
• UK now seeing "inevitable" second wave (PM)
• everyday interactions need to be "dialled back"
• PM plans hefty fines for breaking self-isolation
Worldwide deaths: 920,000 → 950,000 Worldwide cases: 28,600,000 → 30,600,000 UK deaths: 41,623 → 41,759 UK cases: 365,174 → 390,358 FTSE: down ½% (6032 → 6007)
20 things that happened w/b 6th September #coronavirus
• "the economy needs to have people back at work"
• sudden spike in UK cases (2988 is highest since May)
• India overtakes Brazil to be 2nd-worst hit
• Health Secretary wags finger at young people
• seven Greek islands added to quarantine list
• tests unavailable (or ridiculously far away)
• sudden rise in cases "a great concern"
• lockdown cuts off Caerphilly
• the arts are at a "point of no return"
• many people requesting tests "inappropriately'
• social gatherings over 6 to be banned
• new rules "for no longer than we have to"
• PM suggests mass daily testing by the spring
• Portugal back on quarantine list
• masks mandatory in shops in Wales
• test and trace app coming on 24th September
• R now between 1 and 1.2 (or higher)
• restrictions on socialising in Birmingham
• daily cases have doubled since this time last week
• looks very much like a second wave...
Worldwide deaths: 875,000 → 920,000 Worldwide cases: 26,700,000 → 28,600,000 UK deaths: 41,549 → 41,623 UK cases: 344,164 → 365,174 FTSE: up 4% (5799 → 6032)
Sunday, August 30, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 30th August #coronavirus
• concerns over students returning to universities
• Notting Hill Carnival goes digital
• several cases on flight from Greek island
• Eat Out To Help Out scheme ends
• calls to delay next year's exams
• concern over increase in cases in Scotland
• back to school... back to work?
• visiting restrictions imposed in Glasgow
• Hong Kong starts mass testing
• 40% of UK deaths were in care homes
• retreat on easing Manchester lockdown
• shortage of Track & Trace tests
• US expects vaccine at start of November
• Eng/Wales/Scot/NI quarantine lists diverge
• Batman (actor) tests +ve during filming
• Eat Out To Help Out used 100m times
• testing at airports wouldn't help (PM)
• civil servants should return to the office
• anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne
• tougher lockdown measures in Bolton
Worldwide deaths: 840,000 → 875,000 Worldwide cases: 24,800,000 → 26,700,000 UK deaths: 41,498 → 41,549 UK cases: 332,752 → 344,164 FTSE: down 3% (5963 → 5799)
20 things that happened w/b 23rd August #coronavirus
• campaign to persuade parents that school is 'safe'
• increased fines for organisers of mass gatherings
• Tesco add 16000 home delivery jobs
• Scottish high schools to require face coverings
• 1st confirmed case of patient being re-infected
• 1st known UK case was on 21st February
• England follows Scotland on masks in schools
• millions of workers may not return to the office
• Usain Bolt tests positive
• 1 in 4 jobs to go at Gatwick Airport
• low paid to get £13 a day to self-isolate
• Jamaica and Switzerland join quarantine list
• outbreak at Norfolk poultry factory
• Paris makes masks mandatory
• highest number of new cases for 2 months
• Pret to cut quarter of its workforce
• restrictions eased in parts of NW England
• risk to children is 'vanishingly small'
• up to 85,000 deaths in worst case winter scenario
• virus badly affecting several Pacific islands
Worldwide deaths: 800,000 → 840,000 Worldwide cases: 23,000,000 → 24,800,000 UK deaths: 41,423 → 41,498 UK cases: 324,601 → 332,752 FTSE: down 1% (6001 → 5963)
20 things that happened w/b 16th August #coronavirus
• shielding ends in Wales
• Public Health England to be replaced
• New Zealand delays election
• Ryanair cuts flights
• A levels, belatedly, to match teacher assessment
• MP's wife to head PHE replacement
• M&S to lose 7000 jobs
• masks compulsory in French workplaces
• NI at risk of 'a slippery and treacherous slope'
• Florida death toll passes 10,000
• ONS to test 150,000 people a fortnight
• GCSEs match teacher assessment
• fewer test results ready in 24 hours
• Portugal off the quarantine list, Croatia on
• government debt exceeds 100% of GDP
• ban on socialising in Blackburn/Oldham/Pendle
• R value may have risen above 1
• eviction ban extended for another month
• pandemic "could be over in two years" (WHO)
• virus "will be with us forever" (SAGE)
Worldwide deaths: 770,000 → 800,000 Worldwide cases: 21,300,000 → 23,000,000 UK deaths: 41,361 → 41,423 UK cases: 317,379 → 324,601 FTSE: down 1% (6090 → 6001)
20 things that happened w/b 9th August #coronavirus
• "moral duty" to reopen schools (PM)
• Brazil passes 100,000 deaths
• soft play reopens in Wales
• 'suppress, suppress, suppress' (WHO)
• contact tracing team to be reduced by 6000
• retail sales rise, employment falls
• Russia registers first vaccine
• 10m Ate Out To Help Out last week
• 4 cases in NZ (after 100 days with none)
• France "going the wrong way"
• UK in recession after 20% quarterly fall
• Govt reduces deaths total by 5400*
• 13% of Londoners have antibodies (6% nationally)
• examless A-level awards prove unsatisfactory
• outbreak at Northampton sandwich factory
• France added to UK's quarantine list
• tourists in France scramble home
• UK cases levelling off (ONS)
• bowling alleys, casinos and theatres re-open
• South Africa eases lockdown
Worldwide deaths: 720,000 → 770,000 Worldwide cases: 19,500,000 → 21,300,000 UK deaths: 46,566 → 41,361* UK cases: 309,763 → 317,379 FTSE: up 1% (6032 → 6090)
20 things that happened w/b 2nd August #coronavirus
• Melbourne under curfew
• employers now contributing to furlough
• PM considers response to second-wave scenarios
• opening schools in September "a priority"
• virus now 'extraordinarily widespread' in US
• 90 minute tests for hospitals and care homes
• Eat Out to Help Out scheme begins
• test and trace not yet good enough for autumn
• exam-less grades for Scottish pupils
• localised lockdown in Aberdeen
• UK 'underestimated virus threat from Europe'
• cases rising in France, Spain and Greece
• Govt has bought 50m unusable NHS masks
• downturn less bad than feared (Bank of England)
• Belgium added to UK quarantine list
• India is the third country to pass 2m cases
• stricter lockdown measures in Preston
• masks required in museums, churches, etc
• ¾m care home test kits recalled
• redundancies up fivefold
Worldwide deaths: 680,000 → 720,000 Worldwide cases: 17,700,000 → 19,500,000 UK deaths: 46,193 → 46,566 UK cases: 303,952 → 309,763 FTSE: up 2% (5897 → 6032)
Sunday, July 26, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 26th July #coronavirus
• tourist industry hit by Spain→UK quarantine
• Westminster Abbey announces redundancies
• masks mandatory on public transport in Wales
• health strategy to tackle obesity
• pet cat tests positive
• UK economy might not recover until 2024
• "signs of a second wave in Europe" (PM)
• Belgium re-tightens social restrictions
• Govt refuses to loosen Spanish quarantine
• "Young people must do more" (WHO)
• Barclays want their staff back in the office
• self-isolation increased from 7 to 10 days
• lockdown solidarity 'starting to fray'
• England has Europe's highest % of excess deaths
• Trump suggests delaying Presidential election
• home visits suddenly banned in NW England
• PM postpones further easing of lockdown
• "we need to pull back a bit" (CMO)
• to reopen schools, pubs may have to close
• shielding ends
Worldwide deaths: 640,000 → 680,000 Worldwide cases: 15,800,000 → 17,700,000 UK deaths: 45,738 → 46,193 UK cases: 298,681 → 303,952 FTSE: down 4% (6123 → 5897)
20 things that happened w/b 19th July #coronavirus
• "we will not need another national lockdown" (PM)
• outbreak at Test and Trace centre in Lanark
• Govt signs deal for 90m vaccine doses
• France: masks compulsory in confined public spaces
• Oxford Uni vaccine trial results promising
• EU signs off on €750bn recovery plan
• it won't be over by Christmas, experts warn
• 25% of Delhi's population have had the virus
• Trump predicts pandemic will get worse
• masks compulsory in public in Melbourne
• handshakes are “probably out forever”
• visits to care homes allowed again
• shielding ends in Scotland
• first coronavirus death in Uganda
• 30m will be offered a flu vaccine this winter
• face coverings now compulsory in shops
• retail sales bounced back in June
• "We could have done things differently" (PM)
• indoor gyms, pools and leisure centres reopen
• Spain suddenly added to UK quarantine list
Worldwide deaths: 600,000 → 640,000 Worldwide cases: 14,100,000 → 15,800,000 UK deaths: 45,233 → 45,738 UK cases: 294,066 → 298,681 FTSE: down 3% (6290 → 6123)
20 things that happened w/b 12th July #coronavirus
• Trump finally seen wearing mask in public
• outbreak on Herefordshire farm - 200 in isolation
• mixed messaging on masks
• seven National Trust houses reopen
• immunity from virus may be short-lived
• "countries headed in the wrong direction" (WHO)
• face coverings to be compulsory in shops
• California reimposes indoor restrictions
• winter wave "could be much worse"
• Blackburn could be another Leicester
• PM promises an independent enquiry, later
• Oxford vaccine trial progressing well
• 650,000 jobs lost during lockdown, so far
• Leicester lockdown to be eased
• "anyone may use public transport" (PM)
• "hoping for the best but planning for the worst"
• in future, local not national restrictions
• "significant normality" by Christmas, maybe
• daily deaths data halted for statistical reasons
• 150 new virus clusters in Spain
Worldwide deaths: 560,000 → 600,000 Worldwide cases: 12,600,000 → 14,100,000 UK deaths: 44,798 → 45,273 UK cases: 288,953 → 294,066 FTSE: up 3% (6095 → 6290)
20 things that happened w/b 5th July #coronavirus
• job centre staff will be doubled
• clap to celebrate the NHS's 72nd birthday
• £1.5bn emergency funding for the arts
• Wales ends 5 mile travel limit
• Northern Ireland reopens beauty salons
• Scotland opens beer gardens and pavement cafes
• 80% of those testing positive have no symptoms (ONS)
• Trump pushes US schools to reopen
• Brazil's President Bolsonaro tests positive
• £30bn budget stimulus for jobs and the economy
• 'Eat Out To Help Out' (50% off in August)
• stamp duty cut with immediate effect
• Chancellor's plans 'not value for money'
• virus may spread by airborne transmission (WHO)
• reopening date set for pools, gyms and nail bars
• UK relaxes quarantine from 75 countries
• ONS estimate - one in 3,900 have the virus
• PM considering mandatory face masks in shops
• Belgium places Leicester on its red zone list
• cases accelerating in several US states
Worldwide deaths: 530,000 → 560,000 Worldwide cases: 11,100,000 → 12,600,000 UK deaths: 44,198 → 44,798 UK cases: 284,900 → 288,953 FTSE: down 1% (6157 → 6095)
Sunday, June 28, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 28th June #coronavirus
• global cases pass 10m, global deaths pass ½m
• non-essential shops open in Scotland
• "the worst is yet to come" (WHO)
• virus spike sees Leicester locked down
• Broadway to stay dark until January 2021
• infrastructure programme to boost the economy
• planning laws loosened
• UK death rate returns to normal
• 'expect more Leicesters'
• thousands of job losses announced
• EU borders reopened to 15 'safe' countries
• two Southampton theatres to close permanently
• face coverings must be worn in Scottish shops
• number of UK cases falls 10% after reclassification*
• England lifts quarantine from 'low risk' countries
• "grab a drink and raise a glass" (HM Treasury)
• "let's not blow it" (PM)
• hairdressers and pubs reopen
• many rush to drink and/or eat out
• nine Melbourne tower blocks totally locked down
Worldwide deaths: 495,000 → 530,000 Worldwide cases: 9,900,000 → 11,100,000 UK deaths: 43,514 → 44,198 UK cases: 310,250 → 284,900* FTSE: down 0.03% (6159 → 6157)
20 things that happened w/b 21st June #coronavirus
• outbreak at Anglesey chicken plant
• pandemic is far from over (WHO)
• face coverings mandatory on transport in Scotland
• non-essential shops reopen in Wales
• shielding to end in July
• major easing of lockdown from 4th July
• social distancing reduced to "one metre plus"
• pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers to open
• social distancing legislation becomes 'guidance'
• daily news conferences end
• number of cases accelerating in the US
• many UK councils fear bankruptcy
• "too much mingling could set the UK back" (PM)
• 1 in 14 care home residents have died
• WHO warns of resurgence in (Eastern) Europe
• heatwave crowds - major incident at Bournemouth
• Texas and Florida roll back reopenings
• 'air corridors' to boost European travel
• "most SAGE evidence is ignored or politicised"
• cases soaring in Delhi
Worldwide deaths: 460,000 → 495,000 Worldwide cases: 8,700,000 → 9,900,000 UK deaths: 42,589 → 43,514 UK cases: 303,110 → 310,250 FTSE: down 2% (6292 → 6159)
20 things that happened w/b 14th June #coronavirus
• Govt to review 2m distancing rule
• German holidaymakers return to the Canaries
• face coverings mandatory on public transport
• shoppers rush back to the high street
• Isle of Man scraps social distancing
• school meal vouchers extended through summer
• Dexamethasone cuts death risk for seriously ill
• Royal Ascot goes ahead behind closed doors
• hospitals in Delhi overwhelmed
• NHS tracing app will be ready “for the winter”
• Premier League returns (with a nil nil draw)
• Bank of England pumps £100bn into economy
• test & trace app switched to Google/Apple model
• contact tracers fail to reach 25% who test +ve
• UK alert level lowered from 4 to 3
• UK debt now exceeds size of economy
• £1bn of funding for educational catch-up
• Brazil second country to exceed a million cases
• road traffic back at 75% of normal
• enormous hints that 2m will become 1m
Worldwide deaths: 430,000 → 460,000 Worldwide cases: 7,700,000 → 8,700,000 UK deaths: 41,662 → 42,589 UK cases: 294,375 → 303,110 FTSE: up 3% (6105 → 6292)
20 things that happened w/b 7th June #coronavirus
• places of worship to reopen for private prayer
• mass gatherings at anti-racism protests
• daily death toll in Scotland hits zero
• quarantine begins for incoming travellers
• some dentists reopen
• New Zealand declares itself virus-free
• Govt drops plans to fully reopen primary schools
• 9m UK workers covered by furlough scheme
• Test and Trace system 'not fit for purpose'
• NHS waiting list growing fast
• virus could hit UK economy hardest
• 'support bubbles' for single adult households
• earlier lockdown would have halved death toll
• calls to cut 2m rule to 1m
• UK economy shrank by 20% in April
• approximately 1 in 1700 Britons infected (ONS)
• deprived areas hit twice as hard (ONS)
• Brazil's death toll now exceeds the UK
• Trooping the Colour cancelled
• fresh outbreak at Beijing food market
Worldwide deaths: 400,000 → 430,000 Worldwide cases: 6,800,000 → 7,700,000 UK deaths: 40,465 → 41,662 UK cases: 284,868 → 294,375 FTSE: down 6% (6484 → 6105)
Sunday, May 31, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 31st May #coronavirus
• 200,000 daily testing target exceeded, allegedly
• sunny weekend = lockdown breaking down early
• 2.2m 'shielding' can leave the house again
• lockdown eased despite alert level remaining high
• schools reopen, but turn-out mixed
• racing at Newcastle kickstarts sport's return
• Spain reports no virus deaths today (UK still 100+)
• Govt criticised over use of testing data
• Parliament votes to abandon remote voting
• Business Secretary develops symptoms (but tests -ve)
• 14 day quarantine a 'killer blow' for travel sector
• record profits for teleconferencing company Zoom
• UK hosts virtual vaccine summit
• face coverings to be mandatory on public transport
• 40% of global deaths are now in Latin America
• WHO now encourages use of face coverings
• IoW MP apologises for going to barbecue
• regional R may be greater than 1
• do not assemble to join a protest (Gov)
• weekend press conferences discontinued
Worldwide deaths: 370,000 → 400,000 Worldwide cases: 6,000,000 → 6,800,000 UK deaths: 38,376 → 40,465 UK cases: 272,826 → 284,868 FTSE: up 7% (6076 → 6484)
20 things that happened w/b 24th May #coronavirus
• Cummings "followed instincts of every parent" (PM)
• Step 2 begins 1st June - schools to reopen
• Even the Daily Mail attacks Dominic Cummings
• Dominic explains his motives, but without apology
• Step 2: outdoor markets/car showrooms can reopen
• non-essential shops can reopen on 15th June
• polls show government support in decline
• Remdesivir shortens recovery time 'by four days'
• South America showing rapid increase in cases
• New Zealand now has no hospital cases
• Track and Trace launches in England and Scotland
• ... but won't be fully operational until end of June
• Durham police say Dominic Cummings broke the law
• from Monday, groups of 6 allowed to meet outdoors
• ...but groups of 8 in Scotland, from Thursday
• 10th (and final?) Clap For Carers
• Premier League to restart in three weeks
• too early to ease lockdown, say scientists
• Trump plans to withdraw the US from the WHO
• sport can resume behind closed doors from Monday
Worldwide deaths: 340,000 → 370,000 Worldwide cases: 5,300,000 → 6,000,000 UK deaths: 36,675 → 38,376 UK cases: 257,154 → 272,826 FTSE: up 1% (5993 → 6076)
20 things that happened w/b 17th May #coronavirus
• reopening schools in doubt over safety concerns
• most of Europe past virus peak
• hospitals in São Paulo overwhelmed
• loss of taste/smell added to UK symptoms list
• food industry seeks 'pickers who are stickers'
• tests now available to anyone with symptoms
• death toll in Brazil overtakes UK
• Trump is taking hydroxychloroquine
• inflation tumbled to 0.8% in April
• contact tracing to begin in June
• track and trace app delayed until June
• 17% of Londoners may have had virus
• Scotland to start easing lockdown next week
• UK buys 10m antibody tests
• global death toll accelerating
• 14 day quarantine for those entering the UK
• UK borrowing at record high
• Dominic Cummings broke quarantine while infected
• ...this was abhorrent behaviour/perfectly OK
• (and may also have driven to Barnard Castle)
Worldwide deaths: 310,000 → 340,000 Worldwide cases: 4,600,000 → 5,300,000 UK deaths: 34,466 → 36,675 UK cases: 240,161 → 257,154 FTSE: up 3% (5799 → 5993)
20 things that happened w/b 10th May #coronavirus
• Stay Alert - Control The Virus - Save Lives
• PM announces conditional plan to ease lockdown
• nation tries to unravel what little has changed
• PM tries to clarify what he said yesterday
• rules now different in England to Wales/Scotland
• furlough scheme to continue for four more months
• death rate in care homes now falling
• after seven weeks, lockdown eases marginally
• England nudged back to work/golf courses reopen
• public urged to avoid public transport
• New Zealand back to (new) normal
• every country in Africa now affected
• UK economy shrank 2% in first quarter
• Govt approves Roche antibody test
• 0.27% of the population currently infected (ONS)
• coronavirus may never go away (UN)
• unions say June too early to be reopening schools
• plan to test all care home staff and residents
• anti-lockdown protesters gather in Hyde Park
• football restarts in the German Bundesliga
Worldwide deaths: 280,000 → 310,000 Worldwide cases: 4,000,000 → 4,600,000 UK deaths: 31,587 → 34,466 UK cases: 215,260 → 240,161 FTSE: down 2% (5935 → 5799)
20 things that happened w/b 3rd May #coronavirus
• focus turns to how and when to reopen what
• contact tracing app to be trialled on IoW
• Govt misses testing target again
• Italy starts to ease lockdown
• Govt paying almost a quarter of workers' wages
• privacy concerns about new contact tracing app
• UK now has Europe's highest death total
• lead epidemiologist resigns over lockdown affair
• Germany reopens shops (masks compulsory)
• "It's time to reopen business" (Trump)
• PM hints lockdown could be eased from Monday
• newspapers widely leak next week's announcement
• PM urges caution ahead of lockdown announcement
• PPE gowns from Turkey are unusable
• VE Day anniversary commemorations under lockdown
• Wales to allow exercise more than once a day
• US unemployment rate rises to 15%
• 14-day quarantine proposed for air passengers
• Govt announces £2bn for walking and cycling
• garden centres can reopen next week
Worldwide deaths: 240,000 → 280,000 Worldwide cases: 3,400,000 → 4,000,000 UK deaths: 28,131 → 31,587 UK cases: 182,260 → 215,260 FTSE: up 3% (5763 → 5935)
Sunday, April 26, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 26th April #coronavirus
• 3-10% of UK population may have been infected
• Birmingham's Nightingale hospital still empty
• NZ has successfully ended community transmission
• PM returns to work after 3 weeks
• "this is the moment of maximum risk" (PM)
• Small firms to get 100% govt-backed loans
• highest weekly death total since records began
• Germany may have eased lockdown too early
• testing to be extended to care homes
• PM's fiancee gives birth to son
• half global workforce in financial peril (UN)
• UK daily deaths figure now includes care homes
• record falls in CO2 emissions
• PM returns to daily press conference after 5 wks
• "we are now past the peak" (PM)
• Trump suggests virus originated in Chinese lab
• Govt unexpectedly hits 100000 daily tests target
• nobody's caught it twice, South Korea confirms
• death rates higher in poorer areas
• adults in Spain allowed outside again
Worldwide deaths: 200,000 → 240,000 Worldwide cases: 2,900,000 → 3,400,000 UK deaths: 20,319 → 28,131 UK cases: 148,377 → 182,260 FTSE: up 0.2% (5752 → 5763)
20 things that happened w/b 19th April #coronavirus
• "PM skipped five COBRA meetings" (Sunday Times)
• 6½m jobs at risk if lockdown continues
• delivery of PPE from Turkey delayed
• no plans to reopen schools any time soon
• Italy finally seeing fall in number of cases
• US oil prices turn negative
• weekly UK death total hits 20-year high
• Parliament returns, mostly virtually
• Germany eases lockdown; Spain extends it
• row over inadequate government preparations
• UK testing regime not up to speed
• Trump suspends immigration to the US
• "don't expect a return to normal life this year"
• over half of European deaths are in care homes
• Oxford University starts vaccine trial
• Trump muses on injecting disinfectant
• testing extended to all essential workers
• virus test website swiftly overwhelmed
• 'no evidence' recovery confers immunity
• road traffic levels rising again
Worldwide deaths: 155,000 → 200,000 Worldwide cases: 2,300,000 → 2,900,000 UK deaths: 15,464 → 20,319 UK cases: 114,217 → 148,377 FTSE: down ½% (5786 → 5752)
20 things that happened w//b 12th April #coronavirus
• Queen offers Easter message of hope
• PM discharged and recuperating at Chequers
• UK may have Europe's highest death toll
• Spain starts to loosen restrictions
• no plans to lessen UK lockdown this week
• concerns over high death tolls in care homes
• forecast: UK economy to slump 35% by June
• forecast: UK unemployment to rise by 2m
• Trump suspends US funding for the WHO
• 99 year-old army veteran raises £25m for NHS
• UK "probably" reaching the peak of its epidemic
• "only a vaccine will end social distancing"
• UK lockdown will last at least three more weeks
• so far, Nightingale hospitals barely used
• Trump plans to reopen the US "in three stages"
• London Mayor calls for compulsory masks
• Romanians fly in to help pick British fruit
• NHS staff running out of protective gowns
• WHO warns antibody tests still unreliable
• Japan hit by fresh wave of infections
Worldwide deaths: 110,000 → 155,000 Worldwide cases: 1,750,000 → 2,300,000 UK deaths: 9875 → 15464 UK cases: 78,991 → 114,217 FTSE: down 1% (5842 → 5786)
20 things that happened w/b 5th April #coronavirus
• sunny parks raise lockdown fears
• Queen broadcasts to the nation
• "We will succeed... we will meet again"(HM)
• PM admitted to hospital 'for tests'
• Several 5G masts vandalised
• PM taken into intensive care
• Dominic Raab takes control
• China records no new deaths
• Paris bans outdoor exercise
• first patients enter NHS Nightingale
• £750m support for UK charities
• PM 'improving and sitting up in bed'
• "the worst recession in almost a century" (IMF)
• too early to lift UK lockdown
• PM out of intensive care
• warm, sunny Easter weekend begins
• EU agrees €500bn rescue package
• lack of PPE putting NHS staff at risk
• PM "able to do short walks"
• USA death tally overtakes Italy
Worldwide deaths: 60,000 → 110,000 Worldwide cases: 1,150,000 → 1,750,000 UK deaths: 4313 → 9875 UK cases: 41903 → 78991 FTSE: up 8% (5415 → 5842)
Sunday, March 29, 2020
20 things that happened w/b 29th March #coronavirus
• strict measures could last 'a significant period'
• all parts of UK 'on emergency footing'
• Italy and Spain have most global deaths
• Dominic Cummings tests positive
• £75m fund to fly home Britons abroad
• Forces policing lockdown inconsistently
• UK testing regime criticised
• contactless payment limit rises to £45
• Glasgow climate summit postponed
• Wimbledon cancelled
• Government sets target of 100000 tests per day
• known cases worldwide top 1 million
• World Bank sets up $1.9bn emergency fund
• weekly round of applause for NHS
• New York tells citizens to wear masks
• NHS Nightingale Hospital opens
• Spain now has more cases than Italy
• PM remains in self-isolation
• 'Stay at home' campaign as temperatures rise
• "There will be a lot of death, unfortunately" (Trump)
Worldwide deaths: 30,000 → 60,000 Worldwide cases: 650,000 → 1,150,000 UK deaths: 1019 → 4313 UK cases: 17089 → 41903 FTSE: down 2% (5499 → 5415)
20 things that happened w/b 22nd March #coronavirus
• "don't visit your mother on Mothers Day" (PM)
• (nation goes to parks and the seaside instead)
• 1½m most vulnerable told to isolate for 12 weeks
• Global economy will suffer for years to come (OECD)
• UK goes into lockdown for at least 3 weeks
• public gatherings of more than two people banned
• "one form of exercise a day" permitted
• Summer Olympics postponed until 2021
• daily Govt press conference goes virtual
• launch of NHS Volunteers
• 4000 bed hospital established at ExCel
• situation worsening in Spain and New York
• Prince Charles tests positive
• unemployment skyrockets in USA
• government to pay 80% of self-employed income
• South Korea starting to ease restrictions
• nation applauds the NHS at 8pm
• PM and Health Secretary test positive
• testing to be rolled out to frontline NHS staff
• USA now has more cases than any other country
Worldwide deaths: 13,000 → 30,000 Worldwide cases: 300,000 → 650,000 UK deaths: 233 → 1019 UK cases: 5018 → 17089 FTSE: up 6% (5191 → 5499)
20 things that happened w/b 15th March #coronavirus
• many countries introduce lockdown measures
• now more cases outside China then within
• without action, 8m Britons could be hospitalised
• "stop non-essential contact with others" (PM)
• "stop all non-essential travel" (PM)
• "avoid pubs, clubs and other venues" (PM)
• stay home for 14 days if member of household is ill
• £330bn financial rescue package announced
• foreigners abroad scramble to get home
• Euro 2020 and Eurovision delayed until 2021
• schools close until further notice/exams cancelled
• London transport services slimmed down
• interest rates cut from 0.25% to 0.1%
• "we can turn the tide within 12 weeks" (PM)
• health service in Italy overwhelmed
• government to pay 80% of employees' wages
• pubs, cinemas and restaurants forced to close
• social distancing required "at least most of a year"
• "be responsible when you shop" (Gov)
• NHS buys up private hospital capacity
Worldwide deaths: 5500 → 13000 Worldwide cases: 150,000 → 300,000 UK deaths: 21 → 233 UK cases: 1140 → 5018 FTSE: down 3% (5366 → 5191)
20 things that happened w/b 8th March #coronavirus
• "highly likely" virus will spread in a “significant way”
• worldwide recession anticipated
• country-wide quarantine in Italy
• new cases start to decline in China
• WHO says COVID-19 outbreak now a pandemic
• UK Health Minister diagnosed with virus
• Budget: £12bn stimulus in response to virus
• interest rates cut from 0.75% to 0.25%
• Trump suspends Europe → USA travel for 30 days
• UK strategy moves from 'containment' to 'delay'
• "Many more families are going to lose loved ones" (PM)
• schools/universities closed in many countries (not UK)
• panic buying of toilet roll/pasta/tinned food/etc
• continuous cough + fever = self-isolate for 7 days
• UK strategy is to "build up herd immunity"
• local elections postponed for 1 year
• professional football suspended until April 3
• London Marathon postponed until October
• several European countries close borders to visitors
• Spain and US declare state of emergency
Worldwide deaths: 3500 → 5500 Worldwide cases: 103,000 → 150,000 UK deaths: 2 → 21 UK cases: 206 → 1140 FTSE: down 17% (6463 → 5366)
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