UK Covid live news: alert level drops from 5 down to 4 as threat of NHS being overwhelmed reduces

Latest updates: UK medical officers agree to reduce Covid threat level but stress health services remains under severe pressureCovid tests and masks will not be compulsory at English schools, says ministerLosing job during pandemic is your own fault, say nearly half of BritonsPfizer vaccine 94% effective in peer-reviewed, real-world mass studyCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 3.53pm GMT Sky has released a picture of Sir Kenneth Branagh playing Boris Johnson in This Sceptred Isle, a drama about the coronavirus pandemic due to be broadcast next year. My colleague Caroline Davies has the story here. Related: Picture of Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson for upcoming series released 3.26pm GMT The Covid alert level is being moved down from level 5, the most serious level, to level 4, the four UK chief medical officers have decided. They have just issued this statementFollowing advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the four UK chief medical officers and NHS England national medical director agree that the UK alert level should move from level 5 to level 4 in all four nations.The health services across the four nations remain under significant pressure with a high number of patients in hospital, however thanks to the efforts of public we are now seeing numbers consistently declining, and the threat of the NHS and other health services being overwhelmed within 21 days has receded. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/feb/25/uk-covid-live-news-pm-should-drop-extravagant-spending-promises-due-to-pandemic-says-former-tory-chancellor #coronavirus #politics #uk_news #gavin_williamson #education #schools #philip_hammond #economic_policy #serco #homelessness #london #scotland #nicola_sturgeon #scottish_national_party_(snp) #scottish_politics