Coronavirus

Compare the Market has released damning survey results about the state of family finances.

By Nancy Lapid - The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Omicron infection induces limited immune response Unvaccinated people infected with the Omicron variant are unlikely to develop immune responses that will protect them against other variants of the coronavirus, a new study suggests. Unlike antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines or infections with earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants, antibodies induced by the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants do not neutralize other versions of the virus, researchers found when they analyzed blood samples obtained after Omicron infection. People with Omicron "breakthrough" infections after three doses of the mRNA vaccines designed to neutralize earlier versions of the virus had high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the two Omicron variants, although the efficiency was lower than against previous SARS...

LONDON (Bywire News) - On Thursday, the government approved French firm Valneva's COVID-19 vaccine, making it the sixth available coronavirus shot in the nation. The UK's independent medicine regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that it was the first regulator globally to approve the vaccine. The regulator went on to add that it was the first, whole-virus inactivated COVID-19 shot to get approval. (Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; editing by Klaudia Fior)...

LONDON (Bywire News) - On Monday, official figures showed that in February, gross domestic product increased by 0.1% when compared to the previous month. This is lower than the 0.3% increase forecast that was expected by economists. The Office for National Statistics said that in February the British economy was 1.5% larger than two years prior, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.  (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by William Schomberg and Klaudia Fior)...

LONDON (Bywire News) - Never one to do things by halves, I’m currently recovering from COVID… for the third time. I was isolated for the best part of a week because I’m classed as CEV (clinically extremely vulnerable). Even before this, I was exhausted most of the time because of the first two infections.  It feels like every time I contract Covid, the recovery period gets longer. I’m coughing constantly. My body is tired.  Is this what life is going to be like from now on? Whenever I go to a social event — which most of my work is based around — I risk being infected. Then I lose a week, and my body takes another kicking.  Now the government, in all their wisdom, has decided to scrap free lateral flow tests in England, from April 1st.  Make no mistake, this is a government completely washing its hands of a highly infectious disease in order to placate its base, and with local elections just around the corner — the cynic in me thinks it couldn’t have been timed more perfectly. We are...

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth has postponed two scheduled virtual audiences on Thursday but will continue with light duties, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said as the 95-year-old British monarch recovers from COVID-19. The queen, who has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, tested positive for the disease on Sunday when she was said to be suffering from mild cold-like symptoms. While she has cancelled virtual engagements since then, she has continued to perform other official duties, such as speaking to Prime Minister Boris Johnson by phone on Wednesday, suggesting the world's current oldest and longest-reigning monarch was not seriously unwell. Buckingham Palace has said it would not give a running commentary on the condition of Elizabeth, who celebrated her 70th anniversary of becoming queen this month. "Her Majesty is continuing with light duties," a palace spokesman said, adding there were no other engagements planned this week.   (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by William...

LONDON - Britain will remove the legal requirement to self isolate following a positive COVID-19 test from Feb. 24, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. "We will remove all remaining domestic restrictions in law. From this Thursday, the 24th of February, we will end the legal requirement to self isolate following a positive test," Johnson told parliament. "Until April 1 we will still advise people who test positive to stay at home. But after that, we will encourage people with COVID-19 symptoms to exercise personal responsibility."   (Reporting by Alistair Smout, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; editing by William James)...

The Queen has tested positive for COVID-19 just at the time when the government is signalling the end of all restrictions. What’s the real truth behind her condition?

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth, the world's longest reigning monarch, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. Buckingham Palace tries to avoid releasing details about her health as it says medical matters are private. * COVID: "The Queen has today tested positive for COVID," Buckingham Palace said. "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week." "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines," the Palace said. * "I can't move" - Elizabeth on Feb. 16 quipped to members of the royal household that she could not move much as she carried out her first in-person engagement since her son Prince Charles tested positive for COVID-19, a few days after he had visited her. "Oh, I am here," the queen, supporting herself with a stick, chuckled as the outgoing and incoming defence services secretaries entered her room. When asked how she was, the queen responded: "Well, as you can see,...

By Peter Nicholls WINDSOR, England - Queen Elizabeth, the world's longest-reigning monarch, tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is experiencing mild symptoms but expects to continue light duties this week, Buckingham Palace said. The health of the 95-year-old queen, who has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, has been under the spotlight since she spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment and was advised by her doctors to rest. "The Queen has today tested positive for COVID," the Palace said. "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week." "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines," the Palace said. Charles, 73, the heir to the throne, earlier this month withdrew from an event after contracting COVID for a second time. A Palace source said he had met the queen days before. On Wednesday Elizabeth quipped to members of the roy...

LONDON -Queen Elizabeth, 95, has tested positive for COVID and is experiencing mild symptoms but expects to continue light duties this week, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday. "The queen has today tested positive for COVID," the Palace said. "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week." "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines," the Palace said. Charles, 73, the heir to the throne, earlier this month pulled out of an event after contracting coronavirus for a second time. A palace source said he had met the queen just days before. The health of the queen, the world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch, has been in the spotlight since she spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment and then was advised by her doctors to rest. Elizabeth on Wednesday quipped to members of the royal household that she could not move much as she carried out he...

LONDON - Britain wants to retain the capability to spot new coronavirus variants but it must stop spending so heavily on free testing as cases and fatalities fall, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday. Johnson will set out plans this week for the country to "live with COVID" amid suggestions that free coronavirus testing could be stopped, and some health studies halted. Asked by the BBC how the country would spot the arrival of new variants, Johnson said: "I want to make sure that we have capability to spot stuff and to snap back up as fast as we need to," he said. "We need resilience ... but for instance, on testing. We don't need to keep spending at a rate of 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) a month, which is what we were doing in January." ($1 = 0.7358 pounds)   (Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)...

LONDON - Britain on Friday reported 47,685 new cases of COVID-19 and 158 further deaths within 28 days of a positive test, government statistics showed. That compared with 51,899 cases and 183 deaths reported on Thursday.   (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, Editing by Paul Sandle)...

By Alistair Smout LONDON - English medical leaders on Friday urged Boris Johnson not to be too "gung-ho" with the nation's health when he moves to end all pandemic restrictions with his plan to live with COVID-19 next week. Having scrapped virtually all COVID-19 restrictions in England already, Johnson on Monday will set out plans to go further, indicating he wants to end the legal obligation for people who test positive to self-isolate. The government has also drawn up plans to end free lateral flow tests by the summer, and there is speculation over the future of major pandemic surveillance studies, such as the Office for National Statistics' Infection Survey. A survey of health leaders by the NHS Confederation found that nearly eight in 10 wanted the public to have access to free tests, while three quarters disagreed with the move to make self-isolation advisory rather than a legal requirement. They said that COVID could disrupt attempts to catch up with non-COVID treatments if it w...

By Joyce Zhou and Farah Master HONG KONG - Hong Kong parents rushed children as young as 3 years old to vaccination centres this week as the government lowered the age limit for the shots and the deaths of two toddlers exacerbated concerns in a city struggling to cope with a COVID-19 surge. The government approved children 3 and older to take China's Sinovac vaccine from Feb. 15, while those 5 and older can take the BioNTech shot. The measures come as the Chinese territory has recorded a 60-fold surge in infections since Feb. 1, overwhelming the global financial centre's hospitals and testing facilities. A 3-year-old and 4-year-old, both diagnosed with coronavirus, died in the past week. Authorities said they were "saddened" by the deaths and would offer assistance to the children's' families. At a vaccination centre in the northern New Territories district on Friday, long queues formed early in the morning, with parents and children braving wet and windy weather before being allowed...

LONDON - British retail sales volumes in January were 1.9% higher than in December and 9.1% above their level a year earlier, when non-essential shops were closed due to a COVID-19 lockdown, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday. Economists polled by had on average forecast a 1.0% monthly rise in retail sales for January and an annual increase in volumes of 8.7%.   (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Kate Holton)...

LONDON - The United Kingdom reported 51,899 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, leaving the seven-day tally down by 26.6% on the previous week. It reported 183 deaths of people who had tested positive for the disease within the previous 28 days. The seven-day total for deaths was down 25.6% on the week before.   (Reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by Alistair Smout)...

By Alistair Smout LONDON -Britain said on Wednesday it would offer COVID-19 vaccines to all 5-11 year olds, widening the rollout of vaccines in children in a decision that has been taken more slowly than in some other countries. Announcing the move, health minister Sajid Javid said he had accepted advice from experts who argued that vaccinating young children would help protect against future waves of the coronavirus. Britain has offered COVID-19 shots to vulnerable children, but has been slower than the likes of the United States, Canada, Ireland and Israel in making a broad offer of shots to all 5- to 11-year-olds. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said that shots for the cohort would help increase protection against severe illness in children should there be future waves of COVID-19. Javid said the government accepted the advice for England, and preparations for the rollout were under way within the National Health Service (NHS). "The NHS will prepare to ex...

LONDON - England's COVID-19 prevalence was 1 in 20 people in the week ending Feb. 12, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday, slightly lower than the 1 in 19 recorded the previous week.   (Reporting by Alistair Smout)...

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