V-DAY TURNING POINT IN BATTLE
Jabs drive set to meet major target PM hopes exit to start in a fortnight
Trophy hunt is world’s sickest sport and should
be stopped
BORIS Johnson yesterday hailed a vaccines victory as the NHS looked set to meet its landmark target of 15million jabs target on Valentine’s Day – 24 hours early.
The PM spread the love by saying he was “optimistic” the nation will begin to come out of lockdown in a fortnight.
Of the vaccine effort, he said: “We have made huge progress and that’s great.”
But Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said success was down to the tireless work of doctors, nurses, GPS, pharmacists, soldiers and volunteers who made the remarkable rollout possible.
He added: “Going so quickly from labs to jabs is tribute to medical scientists and all the fantastic NHS staff. Each and every one is a hero we can all be proud of.”
The beginning of the end of lockdown will mean a phased return of schools on March 8 and scrapping the ban on meeting friends and loved ones outdoors.
But the PM warned restrictions would be lifted slowly to avoid what he called “the reverse ferret” of a new lockdown.
From tomorrow, the next three million people on the vaccine priority list aged 65 to 69 can begin having jabs. Another 1.8m aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions will also be protected.
Exciting
One million in phase two have already been offered booking slots and 2.4m reminder letters are in the post.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the vaccination programme was “continuing at an unprecedented speed” and NHS boss Sir Simon Stevens called the widening of the rollout “an exciting moment”.
By lunch yesterday, 14,556,827 jabs had been given and new Covid cases were down to 13,308 from 18,200 last week. Nearly 535,000 people have received their second dose.
Another 621 have died, down 137 from Friday and a huge fall from the record 1,820 on January 20. Also yesterday, new hospital admissions dropped to 2,592 from a high of 3,700 a day last month.
Veteran NHS staffers have come out of retirement to help with the vaccine rollout at 1,500 sites – including mosques, museums, sports grounds and cathedrals. They joined soldiers, dental workers, trained volunteers and 200 pharmacies to deliver their target a day before the deadline Mr Hancock set them.
Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Every jab is another step nearer returning to normality.”
Mr Johnson gave a preview of the roadmap out of lockdown he intends to unveil a week tomorrow.
“I’m optimistic,” he said during a visit to the Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies plant in Billingham, Teesside, where 60m doses of the new Novavax vaccine will be made. “But we have to be cautious,” he added.
Whitehall insiders said everything depends on what data shows this week.
But if infections and hospitalisations keep going down, people will be allowed to meet outside at the same point as their
children go back to the classroom. And if the return of schools does not cause a spike in infections, then non-essential shops will begin to reopen, followed by pubs and restaurants.
In other positive steps, the Oxford/ Astrazeneca vaccine only licensed for over-18s will now be trialled in children. Researchers are recruiting 300 volunteers to find out if those aged between six and 17 will get the same benefits from the vaccine as adults.
And top Israeli healthcare provider Maccabi said that out of 520,000 people given two doses of the Pfizer jab, not one had died of Covid.
The researchers said their findings show that the vaccine is effective against Covid’s Kent variant – but it was too early to say anything about its value in tackling the South African one. Unlike in the UK, the Israeli government has been following the manufacturer’s own guidelines stating that both doses should be administered three weeks apart.
Israel has become the world’s testing ground for the vaccine’s effectiveness, as nine in ten over-60s have now had the jab. Infection rates in that age group have fallen dramatically but are still rising among the under-59s.
Mr Hancock said vaccines are “our way out to freedom” as he revealed his ambition to have all UK adults vaccinated by September.
And he predicted that jabs used in combination with new medicines to treat Covid would mean the disease could be beaten by the end of the year.
Britain has so far approved the drugs dexamethasone and tocilizumab, which together lower death risk by 40%.
Mr Hancock said: “If Covid-19 ends up like flu through vaccines and treatments we can get on with everything again.”
And Mr Johnson added: “In due time it will become something that we simply live with. A new disease like this will take time for humanity to adapt to – but we are adapting.”
Mutant
On Friday, the PM will hold a virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders to work out a global vaccination programme.
The UK has contributed £548million to international vaccinator Covax – but the organisation still has only two billion doses, a fifth of what it needs for people in poorer countries.
Independent SAGE’S Professor Anthony Costello, from the Institute for Global Health at University College London, warned that without worldwide immunity, vaccine-resistant mutant strains will be able to get into Britain.
“We’re in this together,” he said. “A vaccinated world protects all of us.”
Independent SAGE warns that it is still too early to come out of lockdown, saying it will be at least three weeks before jabs reduce the death rate significantly.
Professor Christina Pagel, of University College London, said: “We have a long way to go. There are still more people in hospital than during the first peak.”
A TRANSPORT manager killed himself after being furloughed.
Grahame Tarrant, 58, threw himself in a river after his mental health worsened while he was stuck indoors.
Yesterday neighbour Phil Hull said: “Being furloughed pushed him over the top and he couldn’t cope.”
An inquest heard how Grahame quite his job after 15 weeks without work.
Phil, who called police when his neighbour went missing in Chorley, Lancs, said: “Grahame worked every day of his life – always first in and the last to leave
– and he could not deal with masks for the event to mark Chinese New Year on Friday.
The first cases of the virus were reported in the Chinese city in November 2019. not working. He was applying for jobs but nobody wanted him because no one was taking people on.”
Phil said that Grahame had savings of £28,000, but lived on £1 ready meals and switched off gadgets in the mistaken belief he would run out of cash.
“He used to sit in the dark in his flat with the fridge unplugged to save money,” Phil revealed.
“He turned everything off that he was not using, except his mobile phone. He was a lovely bloke but he obviously had problems.”
Last week’s inquest at Accrington heard Mr Tarrant was found submerged in water on August 22 last year.
He was not married and had no kids.
Coroner Richard Taylor said: “He told his doctor that his main concern was of a financial nature, and he was worried how he could live without work.
“It is more likely than not that he took his own life, and I record a conclusion of suicide.”
Last December another coroner voiced alarm at the “awful” spate of lockdown suicdes.
John Gittins, of North Wales, spoke out after dealing with seven in just a week.
THE Kardashian-jenner sisters look red-hot as they pose together to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
While the superstar family announced that their hit reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians will finally end this year after 20 seasons, that didn’t stop them reuniting for the undie-niably racy lingerie shoot.
Kim, 40, asked Kendall, 25, and Kylie, 23, to join her for the launch of her SKIMS Valentine’s Day collection – described as her “sexiest” yet.
Meanwhile, Kim was covering up as she stepped out. But she was missing her wedding ring again, amid ongoing rumours that she and hubby Kanye West, 43, are getting divorced.