COVID BITES

DEATHS involving Covid-19 have fallen to their lowest level since mid-September. A total of 205 registered in England and Wales in the week to April 30 mentioned the virus on the death certificate, the Office for National Statistics found. That is a 21 per cent fall week-onweek and the lowest number since the week of September 18. In total, 152,704 deaths have been recorded since the start of the crisis. A Public Health England study showed one dose of the AstraZeneca jab lowers the risk of death by 80 per cent.

INDIA’S seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases hit a record high of 390,995, as the virus claimed 3,876 lives yesterday. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned the country’s variant poses a global concern as it spreads easily. Oxygen supply is still a major problem, with 11 dying in hospital on Monday in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, due to a tanker delay. Doctors have had to warn people not to ‘bathe’ in cow dung and urine as it does not halt Covid.

NINE female police officers are being investigated after allegedly being filmed breaking Covid rules – by licking each other’s faces at a house party. A clip on Snapchat is said to show them sticking their tongues out at the camera as the caption ‘Covid who?’ appears on screen. It also reportedly shows them ignoring social distancing rules by gathering around a table laden with booze. South Yorkshire Police is ‘reviewing the footage’ to see if the women are serving officers and if any offences have occurred.

PEOPLE waiting at a football ground for a Covid vaccination found themselves at the front of the queue for season tickets. Some at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park fetched up mingling with Green Army fans in a line at the ticket office. One confused man explained: ‘There were four queues all next to each other. Took me a few minutes to realise I was queuing for tickets.’ The city’s NHS trust said it was working with the club to ‘ensure there is clear signage’.