Britain’s health chief warned of the grave crisis facing the National Health Service as he urged people to stay at home during the latest lockdown.
Matt Hancock said the UK is now vaccinating 200,000 people a day against Covid-19 and is on course to reach two million a week, the rate needed to cover the most vulnerable people and hit the government’s target by the middle of February.
“It is a very, very serious situation in the NHS,” Matt Hancock told Sky News on Sunday.
“The pressure on the NHS is very bad, so we need to bring the case rate down.
“Just because the vaccines are coming we can’t let up because the pressure on the NHS is right here, right now.”
Official figures show at least 1,296,432 people in the UK have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to date.
“At the moment, we’re running over 200,000 people being vaccinated every day,” Mr Hancock said. “We’ve now vaccinated around a third of the over-80s in this country so we are making significant progress but there’s still further expansion to go.
“This week we are opening mass vaccination centres.”
The government is prioritising the elderly, their carers and health workers, but the health chief insisted everybody eligible would be offered the vaccine this year.
"We are going to have enough to offer the vaccine to everyone over the age of 18 by the autumn," Mr Hancock said.
He said he backed tougher penalties for people caught flouting lockdown rules, after two women were each fined £200 ($271) by police after they drove eight kilometres to go for a walk at Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire, central England.
“The challenge here is that every flex can be fatal. You might look at the rules and think to yourself ‘Well, it doesn’t matter too much if I just do this or I just do that’,” Mr Hancock said.
“These rules are not there as boundaries to be pushed, they are the limit of what people should be doing.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a target of delivering about 15 million vaccinations by mid-February as his government races to get ahead of variants of the virus that have triggered a surge of infections.
The UK reported 54,940 cases on Sunday and an additional 563 deaths. It currently has the worst death toll in western Europe – more than 80,000.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
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Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Schedule for show courts
Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
