Day: April 21, 2020

    The UK faces tough coronavirus curbs until 2021 amid claims Boris Johnson's personal battle with the disease has made him tentative about lifting lockdown. Tories have suggested the PM is frightened of taking chances with the deadly virus after his own close call, despite fears the economic havoc might prove even more damaging to public health. The pressure is intensifying on ministers to plot a way out of the crisis, but divisions have emerged between cautious 'doves' and hawks who believe the NHS has capacity and would prefer to loosen the draconian social distancing measures earlier. The PM has intervened from his recuperation at Chequers to snuff out speculation about an imminent easing, with Downing Street making clear his priority is avoiding a second peak in...

    There is a risk of a cancer epidemic following the response to Covid-19, an academic has warned. It follows new research which has found that the efforts to tackle coronavirus are significantly affecting the treatment and care of patients with cancer. The research, published in the European Journal of Cancer, highlights how the repurposing of health systems and implementation of social distancing measures, including national lockdowns, have had negative effects on patients with cancer. There have also been delays in urgent referrals and patients having their cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, postponed, or surgery being delayed. The research was conducted collaboratively by the Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Split, Croatia, and King’s College L...

    The number of people who have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK has reached 17,337, up from 16,509 in 24 hours. The difference between the Department of Health's daily hospital death tolls shows an increase of 828 fatalities, the first rise in figures since Saturday when 888 hospital deaths were reported. Although comparing the figures shows a jump of 828 deaths, the Department of Health suggested the toll had jumped by 823. At the Downing Street press briefing on Tuesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the daily death toll was up by 852. It is currently unclear why the figures vary. The death toll had dropped to 596 on Sunday, and 449 on Monday, the lowest rise for two weeks, before spiking again on Tuesday. Officials said 129,...

    U.S President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed on the need for a coordinated international response to the coronavirus pandemic, including through the G7, Downing Street said in a statement on Tuesday. The pair also discussed trade during a telephone conversation. The leaders committed to continue working together to strengthen our bilateral relationship, including by signing a free trade agreement as soon as possible, a Downing Street spokeswoman said. Britain left the European Union earlier this year and a deal with the United States is a key priority for Johnson's administration.