On Sunday, UK death toll grew of 316 with 30,501 new Covid cases. However, hope comes from science. The Pfizer/BioNTech roll out is proceeding and the Oxford jab will be approved.
Covid, UK updates its death toll, hoping for the Oxford vaccine
AstraZeneca chief Pascal Soriot told he believed researchers had found the “winning formula” using two doses. He promised to publish the results as reports suggested the UK regulator could approve the jab within days.
The claim will come as some relief even as Canada became the latest country to recognise cases of the new highly contagious variant of Covid, which was first discovered in the UK and has since expanded to at least a dozen countries.
And Chancellor Rishi Sunak adored vaccination efforts so far, “There will be tough days and months ahead, but there are reasons to look ahead to a brighter future and what 2021 promises. The early roll-out of vaccines – and the incredible work of our scientists and NHS – means we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel with this pandemic.”
However, medical unions and Labour criticised the government’s handling of the programme. They said the government had not made enough progress in care homes.
Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, told the Sunday Mirror the Pfizer/BioNTech roll out was going to be “difficult” but added that it’s another case of the massive over-promise on something that just cannot be delivered. It’s constant.”
Labour shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth revealed that we were having a “race against time” to vaccinate enough people. He pressed the Government to avoid what he said were “the same mistakes again” in being “too slow” to guard care home residents.
On Christmas Eve, the Department of Health and Social Care said more than 600,000 people had accepted their first dose of a Covid vaccine, but the roll-out in care homes has been limited to seven areas.
It added more comprehensive care homes with 50 to 70 beds would be prioritised first. It means around 2,900 care homes of this size in England will take it.