UK Covid live news: England’s R number rises slightly as infection levels fall across the UK

Latest updates: England’s R number rises to between 0.8 and 1, suggesting pandemic is still shrinking but at a slightly slower rate than last weekPeople in England could get Covid passports for foreign travel by 17 MayUK’s south Asian diaspora despairs as India joins Covid red listSage warns jails could unleash Covid variants into wider communityOne dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces infection rate by 65% – studyGlobal coronavirus updates – live 3.20pm BST Jails pose a threat of unleashing Covid variants of concern into the wider community, government scientific advisers have warned, with “universal” vaccination of inmates and prison staff recommended as the best way to mitigate the risk.A report from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Covid-19 transmission in prisons says that even as prevalence of the virus decreases in the community, prisons will remain at high risk of outbreaks and may act as “a potential reservoir and amplifier of infection for the community”. Related: Sage warns jails could unleash Covid variants into wider community 2.55pm BST NHS England data shows a total of 4,663,807 jabs were given to people in London between December 8 and April 22, including 3,467,368 first doses and 1,196,439 second doses. This compares with 5,414,712 first doses and 1,755,771 second doses given to people in the Midlands, a total of 7,170,483. The breakdown for the other regions is: - East of England: 3,338,442 first doses and 1,177,452 second doses, making 4,515,894 in total - North East and Yorkshire: 4,431,426 first and 1,581,490 second doses (6,012,916) - North West: 3,555,687 first and 1,324,477 second doses (4,880,164) - South East: 4,569,505 first and 1,535,334 second doses (6,104,839) - South West: 3,058,274 first and 1,088,516 second doses (4,146,790) Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/apr/23/uk-covid-live-news-india-coronavirus-red-list-travel-ban #coronavirus #politics #uk_news #vaccines_and_immunisation #boris_johnson #nhs #house_of_commons #health #medical_research