Tier 3 lockdown restrictions will be enough to control coronavirus spread as Tier 4 ditched, Matt Hancock - The Sun

TIER 4 plans have been abandoned by ministers because new beefed up local lockdowns will be enough to control spiralling Covid cases, Matt Hancock confirmed today.

The Health Secretary warned the fresh rules will be "lighter" than the national shutdown - but tougher than the system in place before.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

New beefed up coronavirus tiered lockdowns will be announced todayCredit: AFP or licensors

Matt Hancock promised there would be no Tier 4 lockdownCredit: London News Pictures

Areas with the worst infection rates won't be forced into a draconian Tier 4 - like in Scotland - which pushed areas into measures akin to full lockdown.

Speaking ahead of Boris Johnson's statement this afternoon where he will lay out plans for beefed up local measures, Mr Hancock promised the lockdown will end next Thursday.

Mr Hancock told the BBC: "The number of cases is now starting to fall across the whole of England, so we do think we can replace the lockdown with a tiered system.

"But the tiered system, whilst lighter than lockdown, will have to be stronger than previous tiers that were in place."

Crucially the highest level of lockdown - Tier 3 - will have to have even tougher rules in place to push case numbers down.

Mr Hancock stressed that the previous shutdowns, which put huge swathes of the North of England were in "very high" Covid alert level, were not enough.

"We saw that the previous Tier 3 rules could essentially get cases flat not bring them down."

It comes as:

But in a blow to hospitality businesses, pubs and restaurants will only be able to operate a click and collect service - with no seating inside in the toughest rules.

LEVELLED UP TIERS

Most of the country is expected to return to the most stringent Tier 3 or high risk Tier 2.

Areas living under Tier 2 will have to follow rules that were previously in place in the highest Covid level - meaning pubs will only be able to serve booze alongside a “substantial meal”.

And punters will only be able to dine indoors with people they live with.

Most areas of the country are expected to be in Tier 2 or Tier 3Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Mass testing will be rolled out in Tier 3 areas to push cases downCredit: PA:Press Association

Tier 3 rules will be even tougher than beforeCredit: London News Pictures

The hated 10pm curfew will finally be ditched by ministers and replaced with demands to take last orders - and a final closing time of 11pm, giving Brits a chance to finish their drinks before being forced onto the street.

Mr Johnson summoned his Cabinet for a rare Sunday meeting last night to sign off new, toughened measures for England.

In a huge boost for retailers, all shops will be allowed to open in the crucial run-up to Christmas — regardless of their local lockdown measures.

The Sun has learnt that gyms will also be able to open across the country.

The tiers each area will be placed in will be announced on Thursday.

CHRISTMAS JOY

The tougher new tiers comes with a slice of good news for families, after the four nations signed off a plan to let people across the UK gather for Christmas.

It is understood up to three households will be able to come together for a turkey dinner indoors, subject to final agreement with the devolved nations.

There are also hopes that these “festive bubbles” will be able to go out for Christmas meals together — as long as they do not mingle with other households.

The ban on household mixing in Tiers 2 and 3 will likely be lifted for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day through to the delayed Boxing Day Bank Holiday on December 28.

And in Tier 1, the “Rule of Six” is set to be suspended to allow bigger groups to celebrate.

TEST THEM ALL

Mr Johnson is due to tell MPs the increase in new Covid cases in England is “flattening off” after the nationwide lockdown measures.

But he will warn: “We are not out of the woods yet.”

Mr Hancock said this morning that Tier 3 combined with mass testing in Liverpool meant new coronavirus cases started to fall "quite remarkably".

Areas placed into the toughest Tier will be armed with mass testing capabilities with 15-minute rapid-result coronavirus tests, Mr Hancock said this morning.

Results from the Oxford/ AstraZenaca vaccine show "up to 90%" effectivenessCredit: PA:Press Association

Brits' lives could start to get back to normal around Easter with a jabCredit: AFP or licensors

EASTER BREAK

Mr Hancock also talked up the possibility of Brits' lives starting to get back to normal by Easter after the Oxford AstraZenaca vaccine announced it had "up to 90 per cent" effectiveness.

He said: “It is subject to that regulatory approval and I really stress that because the medicines regulator, it's called the MHRA, is independent, they're rigorous, they're one of the best regulators in the world.

"They will be very, very careful to ensure that they look at all the data to make sure that this is safe.

"Subject to that approval, we hope to be able to start vaccinating next month."

Most jabs will start being rolled out in January to March, he said.

“And we hope that sometime after Easter things will be able to start to get back to normal."

Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality CEO, fears govt's Covid-19 tier system post Dec 2 won't be enough to save pubs and restaurants

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2020-11-23 12:46:00Z
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Oxford’s AstraZeneca Covid vaccine will ‘hail beginning of the end of the pandemic’, experts say - The Sun

OXFORD'S coronavirus vaccine will "hail the beginning of the end of the pandemic", experts have claimed.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab - which is cheaper and easier to store than Pfizer and Moderna's has been found to be up to 90 per cent effective.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Experts have praised the development in the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus jab trialCredit: PA:Press Association

Britain has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the jab - which is expected to cost just £2 a time and can be stored at standard temperatures - with four million ready to be rolled out as soon as it gets regulatory approval.

Late-stage findings, published today, showed the vaccine is 90 per cent effective when it's first given as a half dose, then followed by a full dose a month later.

It’s not clear why, but the team think it could be that a smaller dose may be a better way of kicking the immune system into action.

The effectiveness drops to 62 per cent when given as two full doses at least one month apart, to give a combined average efficacy of 70 per cent - which experts say is more than most flu jabs.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would now assess if the 90 per cent effectiveness dosing regime could be used.

He told BBC Breakfast: "I'm really very pleased, I really welcome these figures - this data that shows that the vaccine in the right dosage can be up to 90 per cent effective.

"If this all goes well in the next couple of weeks, then we are looking at the potential of starting the vaccination programme next month for this Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as well as the Pfizer vaccine.

"But in all cases the bulk of the rollout will be in the new year. We are looking with high confidence now that after Easter things can really start to get back to normal", he added.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, department of paediatrics at the University of Oxford, hailed today as "a very exciting day".

He said: "We have a vaccine for the world, because we've got a vaccine which is highly effective - it prevents severe disease and hospitalisation."

Matt Hancock this morning said he was pleased with the Oxford results Credit: London News Pictures

'Significant impact'

Prof Pollard said the team had managed to develop a vaccine that would be "accessible everywhere".

"I think this is an incredibly exciting moment for human health", he added.

While offerings from Pfizer and Moderna are slightly more effective at 95 per cent, experts have this morning hailed the development and have claimed that it could "mark the end of the pandemic".

Professor Azra Ghani, Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London said the results from Oxford/AstraZeneca are "highly encouraging".

She said a particular strength of the vaccine is that it can be stored in a fridge unlike other offerings that have to be stored at -70C - which creates huge logistical problems.

We can clearly see the end of tunnel now

Prof Peter HorbyUniversity of Oxford

"This means that it can be distributed around the world using existing delivery mechanisms.

"This could therefore have a truly significant impact across the globe and enable an end to the Covid-19 pandemic", she said.

While a full safety data for the jab has not yet been published, preliminary data, published today, shows that overall the vaccine is 70.4 per cent effective - which is more than most flu jabs, experts say.

But tests showed the jab was 90 per cent effective in preventing Covid when it was administered as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month apart.

Professor Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford said an important thing to note is that the vaccine prevents infection - and not just disease.

He said: "We can clearly see the end of tunnel now. There were no Covid hospitalisations or deaths in people who got the Oxford vaccine.

"The vaccine could reduce the spread of the virus as well as protect the vulnerable from severe disease."

A volunteer is seen receiving the Oxford coronavirus vaccine Credit: PA:Press Association

'Life saving vaccine'

The vaccine - called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 - uses a harmless, weakened version of a common virus which causes a cold in chimpanzees.

Unlike the Pfizer vaccine - which has been found to be 95 per cent effective - the Oxford jab can be stored at more standard fridge temperatures.

Prof Pollard added: "These findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives.

"Excitingly, we've found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90 per cent effective and, if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply."

Experts said the vaccine 'is effective' and will 'save many lives'Credit: AFP or licensors

Prof Pollard said that it was important to begin mass vaccinations as soon as possible.

While experts have hailed the news as "exciting" one has stated that we should "be a little cautious about the findings".

Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton said the results from the trials are "intriguing".

He said "These are provisional results that have not been peer-reviewed and the study is ongoing, so as with the other recent announcements from Pfizer and Moderna, we should be a little cautious about these findings.

"It’s not yet fully clear why a half dose and then a full dose was potentially more protective but if the final results continue to show this pattern of around 90 per cent effectiveness, this would allow greater vaccine supply not just in the UK but also globally."

'Stay vigilant'

Dr Head added that phase 2 trial results showed a protective effect in older populations which he said is important for high-income populations where elderly groups have been particularly badly affected by Covid-19.

He added: "Oxford have previously confirmed that there would be some level of distribution to low-and-middle-income countries so this may also be good news around the subject of equitable access to vaccine development with a product that is much easier to store and distribute.

"The pandemic is everyone’s problem at least until the vast majority of the globe is vaccinated, not just the rich countries.”

Brits are now nearly at the end of a four week lockdown and are expected to go back into tiers when the shut down ends on December 2.

Further relaxations could also been seen over the Christmas period.

While vaccine developments are exciting, experts have warned that we need to continue to be "vigilant" against the virus.

Dr Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds said:"Whilst we are all eagerly awaiting the full data, including efficacy across age groups, vulnerable patients and whether infection is prevented compared to severe symptoms, we can all be encouraged by yet another leap forward in the strategy to deal with this pandemic.

“Nevertheless, whilst this prepares us for the next potential wave of infection, we must remain vigilant and resilient during the ongoing crisis."

Oxford Vaccine Group Director, Professor Andrew Pollard, explains why there are two figures for coronavirus jab effectiveness

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2020-11-23 11:28:00Z
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Covid in Scotland: Scottish ministers to consider Christmas plans - BBC News

Reuters

A plan to allow some household mixing "for a small number of days" over Christmas is being considered by the Scottish government.

It is understood that the four UK nations have agreed in principle to ease restrictions over the festive period.

However, the Scottish government said no final agreement has been reached and discussions are ongoing.

Health experts have warned the move to relax the rules is not without risks.

The Cabinet Office said ministers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had endorsed a "shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days".

• Seven things that may be different this Christmas
• What are the Covid regulations where you live?

The BBC understands that one option under consideration is that three households could be allowed to meet up for five days over the festive period.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.

Any announcement is also expected to include rules on travelling between nations.

PA Media

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at Edinburgh University, told BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland that people should make their own decisions about what they feel comfortable doing.

She said: "At the moment we still have levels of infection in the community across the UK that are higher than we would wish.

"If we come together with people from different households at the time of year when the windows are closed, physical distancing is difficult, it is an opportunity for the virus to spread, so this is really really tough."

Professor Bauld added: "It is up to us to decide, even if government says 'OK, you can get together indoors with other people', let's all make our own risk assessment about the people we care about and ourselves and say how are we going to apply that to our own personal circumstances."

'Trade-off'

Jillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, told Good Morning Scotland she was against restrictions being eased "simply because it's Christmas".

She added: "It certainly sounds as if that it's a trade-off - that you behave now, keep transmission low, then we might be able to do something over Christmas that resembles something familiar to us.

"The best Christmas present we can give to people is to keep them safe - it really is the bottom line.

"The best way to keep safe is to try and avoid the risk as much as possible and if you must meet family, which most of us are longing to do, try to do it outdoors if you possibly can - and fingers crossed we get a dry and less windy and wet Christmas time."

Last month John Keenan, the bishop of Paisley, called for a Christmas "truce" - a 24-hour lifting of restrictions - to give people a "moment of joy in the midst of so much despair".

Reacting to news of the four-nations discussions, he told BBC Scotland he was glad politicians were considering some way of accommodating Christmas during the pandemic.

But he admitted he was "conflicted".

"The thought of my mum - who's a widow - being on her own all through Christmas day is an awful thought for me," he said.

"On the other hand the thought that I might go there and pass on a virus to her is equally awful so I think we're all conflicted about it. "

• LEVELS: What are the restrictions in your area?
• NUMBERS: Five key figures to watch out for
• LOCKDOWN: Six months that changed our lives
• CASES: Where are the latest cases in Scotland?
• WHO? The people who have died with Covid-19

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2020-11-23 10:44:00Z
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Covid in Scotland: Scottish ministers to consider Christmas plans - BBC News

Reuters

A plan to allow some household mixing "for a small number of days" over Christmas is being considered by the Scottish government.

It is understood that the four UK nations have agreed in principle to ease restrictions over the festive period.

However, the Scottish government said no final agreement has been reached and discussions are ongoing.

Health experts have warned the move to relax the rules is not without risks.

The Cabinet Office said ministers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had endorsed a "shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days".

• Seven things that may be different this Christmas
• What are the Covid regulations where you live?

The BBC understands that one option under consideration is that three households could be allowed to meet up for five days over the festive period.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been hoping to announce arrangements for the Christmas period on Monday, but this has been delayed until at least Tuesday to allow the Scottish and Welsh cabinets to agree the plans.

Any announcement is also expected to include rules on travelling between nations.

PA Media

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at Edinburgh University, told BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland that people should make their own decisions about what they feel comfortable doing.

She said: "At the moment we still have levels of infection in the community across the UK that are higher than we would wish.

"If we come together with people from different households at the time of year when the windows are closed, physical distancing is difficult, it is an opportunity for the virus to spread, so this is really really tough."

Professor Bauld added: "It is up to us to decide, even if government says 'OK, you can get together indoors with other people', let's all make our own risk assessment about the people we care about and ourselves and say how are we going to apply that to our own personal circumstances."

'Trade-off'

Jillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, told Good Morning Scotland she was against restrictions being eased "simply because it's Christmas".

She added: "It certainly sounds as if that it's a trade-off - that you behave now, keep transmission low, then we might be able to do something over Christmas that resembles something familiar to us.

"The best Christmas present we can give to people is to keep them safe - it really is the bottom line.

"The best way to keep safe is to try and avoid the risk as much as possible and if you must meet family, which most of us are longing to do, try to do it outdoors if you possibly can - and fingers crossed we get a dry and less windy and wet Christmas time."

• LEVELS: What are the restrictions in your area?
• NUMBERS: Five key figures to watch out for
• LOCKDOWN: Six months that changed our lives
• CASES: Where are the latest cases in Scotland?
• WHO? The people who have died with Covid-19

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2020-11-23 09:45:00Z
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AstraZeneca and Oxford university say vaccine shows high efficacy - Financial Times

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford university and AstraZeneca has exceeded regulatory requirements for effectiveness in phase 3 trials, giving another boost to hopes that the disease can be defeated.

The vaccine will be submitted for approval “immediately” after Oxford and AstraZeneca said two different dosing regimens showed different levels of effectiveness in trials in the UK and Brazil.

When the vaccine was given as a half dose, followed by a full one at least one month later, efficacy — a measure of how a vaccine prevents infection or severe disease in trials — was 90 per cent. When the jab was given as two full doses at least one month apart, efficacy was 62 per cent. The average efficacy was 70 per cent.

The results were better than the 50 per cent efficacy sought by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

Andrew Pollard, chief investigator of the trial at Oxford, said: “These findings show that we have an effective vaccine that will save many lives.”

The difference in efficacy between the two Oxford vaccine doses was unexpected. The scientists speculate that the lower first dose may have primed the immune system in a way that made it more receptive to the second jab, but more research will be needed to confirm this.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca jab became the great hope of British science and during the summer was regarded worldwide as the leader in the Covid-19 vaccine race, as its clinical trials proceeded first in the UK and then across the world. AstraZeneca planned to enrol up to 60,000 trial participants globally, more than any other vaccine candidate.

But Oxford fell behind Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech when its trial was halted following the illness of one participant — an adverse event that was not said to be caused by the vaccine. In the UK and Brazil, the trial resumed after a few days but in the US the delay lasted several weeks; US trial data were not included in the interim analysis published on Monday.

Matt Hancock, the UK’s health secretary, said vaccinations could start next month, with the bulk of the rollout taking place after January, subject to regulatory approval. The UK has secured 100m doses of the jab.

Better than expected results from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — showing efficacy close to 95 per cent — spurred widespread optimism and market rallies, though their vaccines are sold at profit, and much of their projected supply for next year has been secured by richer nations. By contrast, AstraZeneca, along with Johnson & Johnson, has said it will sell its inoculation at cost to the world during the pandemic. J&J trials are ongoing.

The jab is priced at about $3 to $4 a dose, supply deals suggest, a fraction of the price of other vaccines. AstraZeneca has agreed to sell it at cost to developing nations in perpetuity. The vaccine can be stored long-term at normal fridge temperature, between 2C and 8C. Others require a storage temperature as low as -70C. AstraZeneca is targeting the manufacture of up to 3bn doses next year. Depending on regulatory approval, different dosing regimens could mean more doses are available.

“This vaccine is more suitable for rollout in poorer countries because it only requires refrigeration,” said Ellen ‘t Hoen, the director of Medicines Law & Policy, a research group. “They had the foresight to work with vaccine producers in developing countries early on [such as India’s Serum Institute] and those producers will be able to provide the vaccine as soon as the regulators give the green light.”

AstraZeneca has received approximately 3.2bn orders of its jab, data by Airfinity shows.

Suerie Moon, the co-director of the Global Health Centre at Geneva’s Graduate Institute, said a key trait of the vaccine was that it was “funded, developed and licensed with global access as a central objective”.

Prof Pollard told a news briefing on Monday morning: “We have a vaccine for the world.”

Additional reporting by Harry Dempsey in London

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2020-11-23 07:42:00Z
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Covid-19: Oxford University vaccine shows 70% protection - BBC News

Oxford University/John Cairns

The coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford stops 70% of people developing Covid symptoms, a large-scale trial shows.

It is both a triumph and a disappointment after vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna showed 95% protection.

However, the Oxford jab is far cheaper, and is easier to store and get to every corner of the world than the other two.

So it will still play a significant role in tackling the pandemic, if it is approved by regulators.

There is also intriguing data that suggests perfecting the dose could increase protection up to 90%.

The Oxford researchers have performed the normally decade-long process of developing a vaccine in around 10 months.

"The announcement today takes us another step closer to the time when we can use vaccines to bring an end to the devastation caused by [the virus]," said the vaccine's architect Prof Sarah Gilbert.

The UK government has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, enough to immunise 50 million people.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast we would be "something closer to normal" by the summer but "until we can get that vaccine rolled out, we all need to look after each other".

What did the trial show?

More than 20,000 volunteers were involved, half in the UK, the rest in Brazil.

There were 30 cases of Covid in people who had two doses of the vaccine and 101 cases in people who received a dummy injection.

The researchers said it works out at 70% protection.

When volunteers were given two "high" doses the protection was 62%, but this rose to 90% when people were given a "low" dose followed by a high one. It's not clear why there is a difference.

"We're really pleased with these results," Prof Andrew Pollard, the trial's lead investigator, told the BBC.

He said the 90% effectiveness data was "intriguing" and would mean "we would have a lot more doses to distribute."

There were also lower levels of asymptomatic infection in the low followed by high dose group which "means we might be able to halt the virus in its tracks," Prof Pollard said.

When will I get it?

In the UK there are four million doses ready to go, with another 96 million to be delivered.

But nothing can happen until the vaccine has been approved by regulators who will assess the vaccine's safety, effectiveness, and that it is manufactured to high standard. This process will happen in the coming weeks.

However, the UK is ready to press the go button on an unprecedented mass immunisation campaign that dwarfs either the annual flu or childhood vaccination programmes.

Care home residents and staff will be first in the queue, followed by healthcare workers and the over-80s. The plan is to then work the way down the age groups.

How does it work?

The vaccine is a genetically modified common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees.

It has been altered to stop it causing an infection in people and to carry the blueprints for part of the coronavirus, known as the spike protein.

Once these blueprints are inside the body they start the producing the coronavirus' spike protein, which the immune system recognizes as a threat and tries to squash it.

AFP

When the immune system comes into contact with the virus for real, it now knows what to do.

Are the results disappointing?

After Pfizer and Moderna both produced vaccines delivering 95% protection from Covid-19, a figure of 70% is relatively disappointing.

However, anything above 50% would have been considered a triumph just a month ago.

This vaccine can also be stored at fridge temperature, which means it can be distributed to every corner of the world, unlike the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which need to be stored at much colder temperatures.

Oxford's manufacturing partner, AstraZeneca, is preparing to make three billion doses worldwide.

What difference will this make to my life?

A vaccine is what we've spent the year waiting for and what lockdowns have bought time for.

However, producing enough vaccine and then immunising tens of millions of people in the UK, and billions around the world, is still a gargantuan feat.

Life will not return to normal tomorrow. but the situation could dramatically as those most at risk are protected.

The deaths in the first wave were heavily concentrated in the over-80s and those in care homes. Protect those and this situation looks dramatically different.

Follow James on Twitter"

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2020-11-23 07:23:00Z
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