New advert shows Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty urging public to get COVID-19 booster jab
Part of new multimedia marketing blitz as booster rollout accelerates to offer all adults in England a jab by end of the year
This comes as new milestone hit with 24 million boosters given in UK and 75% of over 50s boosted
Data shows booster is needed to protect against the Omicron variant
Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty is calling on the public to get a booster vaccination, in a nationwide advertising campaign launched yesterday (Tuesday 14 December) to further galvanise the booster programme.
This comes as a total of 24 million boosters and third doses have now been administered in the UK.
75% of over 50 year-olds across the UK have had their booster or third dose and over 1 million people have booked a booster vaccination appointment since the National Booking Service opened yesterday to people aged over 30 in England. The booking service will expand to all adults in England tomorrow.
The NHS in England experienced its busiest Monday ever for vaccinations this week since the rollout began in December last year when 418,000 boosters were delivered, with 185,000 of these delivered by community pharmacies.
The latest preliminary data has shown vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infection is substantially reduced against Omicron with just two doses, but a booster pushes protection back up to over 70%, showing how vital the top up jab is to bolster immunity.
In the advert, Professor Whitty says: “There is a new variant of COVID-19 – Omicron – which is highly infectious and spreading fast.
“Every adult in the country needs to get a COVID-19 booster vaccine.
“Boosters give you the best possible protection against the virus and should significantly reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.
“Get your COVID-19 booster vaccine to strengthen your protection. Please, get boosted now.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “We know a booster jab increases protection against the Omicron variant and in our race against the virus it’s crucial everyone gets their top-up jab.
“Our heroic NHS staff and volunteers are working around the clock to speed up our vaccination programme, helping millions of people to get boosted now – so play your part, roll up your sleeves and get protected.”
Data suggests Omicron is extremely transmissible and is rapidly becoming the dominant variant as cases double every 2 to 3 days. The Chief Medical Officer is encouraging “every adult in the country” to get a booster vaccine and strengthen their protection.
The UK has the fastest booster rollout in Europe, with over 23 million people having received their boost so far, but to stay ahead in this race against the virus the booster programme is opening up to give every adult the chance to get their booster before the New Year.
To boost the booster programme the UK government and the NHS are:
Opening new vaccination sites across the country, including pop up and mobile sites
Increasing opening times of vaccination sites to 7 days a week
Asking GPs and pharmacies to do more vaccinations
Bringing in 750 Armed Forces Personnel and 41 military planners in every region to help coordinate the national effort
Treasury figures published today show breakdown of the record £41 billion per year settlement for the Scottish Government
Scottish Government receives £126 per person of Barnett-based funding for every £100 per person of equivalent UK Government spending in England and Wales
Figures reaffirm UK Government’s commitment to levelling up across the whole of the UK
Figures released today by the Treasury set out how the UK Government will provide a record level of funding to the Scottish Government over the next three years – worth £41 billion a year.
The Block Grant Transparency publication provides a detailed breakdown of the funding settlements announced for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at Spending Review 2021.
The £41 billion annual funding settlement is the largest, in real terms, since devolution more than 20 years ago. It ensures that the Scottish Government are well-funded to improve public services such as education, housing, health and social care, and will support the UK Government’s mission to level up the UK and build back better and greener from the pandemic.
In addition to Block Grant funding, the UK Government is also making direct investments in Scotland, such as committing more than £170 million through the Levelling Up Fund and the Community Ownership Fund, which will help to improve local infrastructure, regenerate town centres, and could even help to buy your local pub or community sports club.
Scotland will also benefit from cuts to Air Passenger Duty to improve connectivity and support jobs at Scottish airports.
UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Simon Clarke said:“We’re committed to ensuring Scotland receives its fair share, and the latest Spending Review has provided a record £41 billion a year to the Scottish Government.
“This is funding substantial additional spending on key public services – as set out in last week’s Scottish Budget.
“We’ve also ensured people in Scotland have been supported throughout the pandemic, and the UK Government’s schemes have supported around one in three Scottish jobs. Now we’ll continue to work with the Scottish Government as we progress our recovery.”
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:“Funding for the Scottish Government is the highest it has ever been, at a record £41 billion a year.
“The block grant settlement comes on top of significant direct UK Government investment in Scotland. We are committed to levelling up right across the UK, and are working with the Scottish Government and local councils to improve communities the length and breadth of Scotland.
“We recently announced a £191 million boost for Scottish community projects, on top of the £1.5 billion we are investing in City Deals in Scotland.
“For almost two years, the UK Government has been focused on protecting people’s lives, livelihoods and jobs. We will continue to tackle the pandemic while building a brighter future with a strong economy for people in every part of the UK.”
At Budget 2017, the Treasury committed to publish an annual Block Grant Transparency publication after each UK Government Budget to show a breakdown of changes to the devolved administrations’ block grant funding.
This report is intended to support greater transparency and accessibility to the people of Scotland as to how the UK Government provides funding to the Scottish Government
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: First Minister’s statement to Scottish Parliament – 14 December 2021
Thank you Presiding Officer, I will give a general update on COVID today, and share the latest information we have on the Omicron variant. I will also set out the further protective measures we consider necessary to help slow its spread while we accelerate the pace of booster vaccines.
Firstly, though, today’s overall statistics.
3,177 positive cases were reported yesterday – 11.3% of all tests carried out.
The number of PCR tests yesterday was actually slightly lower than in recent days, and I therefore want to appeal to people not to put off going for a PCR test if you have symptoms or a positive lateral flow. I know no-one wants to test positive or isolate at Christmas – but testing is a really vital part of our defence and there is no shortage of capacity. So, please do get tested.
541 people are in hospital with COVID – 20 fewer than yesterday.
But I can also confirm that we now know of two confirmed Omicron cases who are in hospital. Sequencing of other possible cases continues, and the actual total is likely to be higher.
38 people are in intensive care with COVID generally, which is one fewer than yesterday.
Sadly, a further six deaths have been reported, taking the total number of deaths under the daily definition to 9,725.
And I want again to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one.
Presiding Officer
On Omicron specifically, our assessment is that it is spreading very rapidly.
The best indicator of this is the proportion of cases showing what is called the S Gene dropout.
For about 95% of all cases in Scotland, tests are currently processed in a way that allows us to know if the S gene is present or not.
This shows that Omicron cases are increasing exponentially – faster than any variant that has gone before.
When I made a statement to Parliament last week, around 4% of cases showed the S Gene drop out. By Wednesday it was 7%, on Friday it was above 15%.
Today, it is 27.5%
We estimate that the doubling time is two to three days – more rapid than anything experienced in the pandemic so far.
And we expect Omicron to become the dominant strain circulating in Scotland within days.
This matters because Omicron is significantly more transmissible than Delta.
The R number associated with Delta is around 1.
But the R number for Omicron appears to be well over 2 and it is possibly above 4.
Cases in Scotland in total have increased by a quarter in the past week.
They have risen in all age groups, except the over 85s. Omicron is already contributing to that increase.
But as it becomes the dominant strain, its much higher R number will also dominate, and that will drive a much steeper increase in cases.
That is why I warned on Friday that we are facing a likely tsunami of cases in the weeks ahead.
Now some are suggesting that Omicron may be milder in its impact on individual health than Delta.
Obviously, we all hope that is the case.
However, we don’t know it yet. Indeed, there is some initial evidence from Denmark that may suggest otherwise.
But even if it does prove to be milder, simple arithmetic means the challenge it poses will still be very significant.
Let me illustrate that.
In recent months, the proportion of Delta cases needing hospital care has been around 2%.
That means an average daily case number of around 2,700 – as has been the case in recent weeks – will result in around 400 hospital admissions a week.
But if cases rise significantly to, say, 10,000 a day because of Omicron’s greater transmissibility – and this is well within the modelled estimates in the evidence paper we published on Friday – then even if the hospitalization rate turned out to be half that of Delta’s at just 1%, we would see 700 hospital admissions a week.
The basic and very fact is this: a much more transmissible infection – even if milder in terms of severe illness – can still place a much bigger burden on the NHS.
More people infected will result in more severe illness and, tragically, more people will die.
A surging level of infection will also result in many more people being off work due to mild illness and isolation – so the impact on the economy and our ability to deliver critical services will also be severe. Indeed, we are starting to see these impacts already.
All of this explains why we must take Omicron extremely seriously. This is not a choice between protecting health and protecting the economy.
So let me turn to what, in the government’s judgment, we need to do now to mitigate this challenge.
In doing so, I ask everyone to think again in terms of a race between the virus and the vaccines.
Our vaccination programme is running fast – we are currently the most vaccinated part of the UK.
46% of the over 12 population have had booster jags already.
However, just as vaccines started to win this race, the virus learned to run faster.
That means we must deliver boosters even faster.
This is all the more important in light of early data telling us that the protection we have against Omicron infection with just one or two doses is significantly lower than it is for Delta – we need a booster jag to ensure a substantial level of protection against Omicron.
So we are taking steps now to get boosters into arms much faster.
Getting fully vaccinated is the best thing any of us can do to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the country. So please, book your booster jag as soon as possible.
Speeding up vaccination is essential and I want to assure the nation today that it is the government’s top priority.
I will shortly set out more detail on exactly how we are going about doing it.
But while this is necessary, our judgment is that in the short term it will not be sufficient.
While we are speeding up vaccination, we must also try to slow down Omicron.
That is why we are also proposing today, albeit very reluctantly, some further protective measures. I am appealing to everyone to follow today’s advice, to help slow Omicron down while more of us do get our boosters.
Let me clear, we do not do this lightly.
I know how hard it is.
Please believe me when I say I would not be asking for yet more sacrifice if I did not genuinely consider this to be necessary in the face of a threat that is very real.
So let me set out now what is being asked.
Firstly, we want to keep businesses open but to help achieve this we are asking them to step up the protections in place in their premises.
We intend to amend regulations to put a legal requirement on those running businesses or providing services to take measures which are reasonably practicable to minimise the risk of transmission.
We will issue guidance this week to make clear what that means for different sectors.
For example in retail, it will involve a return to the kind of protections in place at the start of the pandemic – for example measures to avoid crowding and bottlenecks.
This will include physical distancing, measures to control the flow of customers and protective screens.
For hospitality, it will mean, for example, measures to avoid crowding at bars and between tables, and a reminder of the requirement to collect contact details of customers to help with contact tracing.
For employers more generally, the guidance will make clear that enabling staff who were working from home at the start of the pandemic to do so again is now a legal duty.
I am hugely grateful to employers who are already allowing staff to work at home where possible, but we are not yet maximizing the impact of home working to reduce the overall number of contacts we are having.
We recognise of course that there are people who cannot work from home – for example those who work in manufacturing, hospitality and key public services.
We are asking anyone in this position to test regularly before going to work.
We have extended the workplace testing scheme, which delivers lateral flow kits twice a week to all businesses who have signed up to it. I would encourage, urge indeed, any business with 10 or more employees to join up, and encourage staff to test regularly.
We will also be reinforcing the rules and public health messaging on the importance of wearing face coverings, and wearing them properly.
Presiding Officer, My hardest request today is of the general public.
I want to be clear, I am not asking anyone to ‘cancel’ Christmas – but in the run-up to and in the immediate aftermath of Christmas, I am asking everyone to reduce as far as possible, and to a minimum, the contacts we have with people in other households. I will say more about Christmas Day in a moment.
We are not banning or restricting household mixing in law as before. We understand the negative impact this has on mental health and wellbeing.
But we are asking everyone – and we will issue strong guidance to this effect – to cut down as far as possible the number of people outside our own households that we are interacting with just now.
This will help break transmission chains.
So my key request today is this – before and immediately after Christmas, please minimise your social mixing with other households as much as you can.
To help protect yourself and others, we're asking everyone to minimise mixing with other households.
If you do socialise, we strongly advise you keep to a maximum of 3 households at any one time.
However, if you do plan on socialising – either at home or in indoor public places – we are asking that you limit the number of households represented in your group to a maximum of three. And make sure you test before you go.
I know this is a tough thing to ask people to do, especially at this time of year. So I want to be clear why we are making this request.
One of the things we have already learned about Omicron is that it has a very high attack rate.
That means if just one person in a gathering is infectious, that person is likely to infect many more people in the group than is the case with the Delta variant.
So by reducing the numbers of people and households gathering together, we help limit the extent of its spread.
Turning to Christmas Day specifically – or Christmas Eve or Boxing Day or whenever you have your main family celebration – we are not asking you to cancel or change your plans, and we are not proposing limits on the size of household gatherings.
Places of worship will also remain open, with appropriate mitigations.
But we will issue guidance to help you make Christmas safer.
Reducing your contacts in advance of and after Christmas as I have just strongly advised will help do this.
Keeping your celebrations as small as your family circumstances allow is sensible too.
Make sure everyone in your gathering is vaccinated and has done a test in advance.
Keep rooms ventilated and follow strict hygiene rules.
Presiding Officer, I know how much I am asking of everyone today, after a difficult and painful two years.
I would not be doing so if I did not believe it to be absolutely necessary.
Indeed, it could be argued that we should be going further – which is why I need to also explain a significant limitation on our ability to act in the way we think necessary to protect public health.
In this context, I am not seeking to make a political point – simply to set out the factual position.
Many of the protections that help curtail COVID come at a financial cost to individuals and businesses – so wherever we can, we put in place financial packages to protect people’s health, jobs and livelihoods.
However, the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments do not have the ability to borrow to meet the COVID funding challenge.
UK funding arrangements mean we rely on the Treasury to do so on our behalf. And the Treasury has responded well throughout this pandemic.
And although Scottish taxpayers foot our share of the bill, money only flows to the devolved governments when the UK government makes decisions.
Financial support is not triggered if the devolved governments take decisions we consider appropriate for public health reasons – even though it is our responsibility to do so.
So because the UK government is at this stage not proposing any further protections – a position I do not agree with – there is no funding generated to compensate businesses for any protections we think are necessary and wish to put in place. (NOTE: SEE BELOW – Ed.)
That is not acceptable in current circumstances and, with the Welsh and Northern Irish governments, we are pressing for a fairer approach that takes account of our devolved responsibilities for protecting public health.
But for now, this is the situation we are in, and it means our public health response is curtailed by lack of finance.
There are further steps we could and would have considered today – particularly around hospitality – had we the financial ability to do so. But we don’t.
However, I can confirm that with some considerable difficulty, we have managed to identify within our own resources around £100 million that we will use to help businesses, mainly those in hospitality and food supply, and in the culture sector, affected by our advice last week on work Xmas parties and further affected by what I have said today.
The Finance Secretary and her officials will be engaging with affected sectors immediately to consult on and confirm the details of support.
We will work to make money available as soon as possible. Businesses who previously received support through the Strategic Framework Business Fund will be contacted directly.
We have also identified an additional £100 million to ensure the Self Isolation Support Grant is available for those who need it, given the expected increase in the number of eligible people who will be asked to isolate.
Making this money available will involve difficult reprioritisation – but we recognise the importance of providing as much help as we possibly can.
However, this is the limit of what we are able to do within our own resources. I know it does not go far enough in compensating businesses for what we are asking of them now – and, of course, no government can rule out having to go further in the weeks ahead. So we are continuing to press the UK government to increase support to enable us to respond adequately to the public health challenge in the weeks ahead.
Presiding Officer, I will turn now to our actions to speed up delivery of booster vaccinations.
Anyone aged between 40 and 60 who hasn’t already booked an appointment, has now received an invitation to do so.
In addition, since yesterday, all 30 to 39 year olds have been able to book their booster jags online.
And I can confirm today that 18 to 29 year olds will be able to book online from tomorrow.
Our aim is that by 31 December everyone over 18 will have been able to book a booster appointment.
It is not possible to guarantee that absolutely everyone over 18 will have been vaccinated by 31 December. For a variety of reasons, some appointments will run into the new year.
For example, some people will not be eligible by the end of December because it will still be less than 12 weeks since their second dose. Some people have not yet come forward for a first or second dose and despite our best efforts, some will not come forward to book a booster either.
In addition, despite the strenuous work underway, we know that some capacity challenges between now and the end of the year are inevitable – for example, vaccinator staff absences due to COVID.
However, notwithstanding all of that, we are aiming to reach as close as possible to 80% uptake by the end of December, with the balance of appointments taking place in January.
I do not underestimate the challenge of this. Vaccination teams are already making a herculean effort and we are asking a great deal of them.
In addition, reaching that level of uptake depends on people continuing to come forward to get jags even over the holiday period.
So, this will not be easy – we know that – but we are working on the basis that the higher we aim, the further we will get.
Let me now therefore set out the steps we are taking to create the additional capacity needed.
Firstly, given its vital importance against Omicron, we will prioritise the COVID booster programme over the remainder of the flu vaccination programme for the next few weeks. This will allow many more booster appointments to be made available.
Let me stress, though – and this has informed our clinical advice – that for those in the highest risk groups for flu uptake of the vaccine this year is already high – for over 65 year olds, it is 88%, which is higher than last year.
Secondly, and in line with advice from the UK Chief Medical Officers, the requirement for people to wait in a vaccine centre for 15 minutes after they receive an mRNA vaccine is being removed. This will speed up vaccination times and enable many more appointments.
Thirdly, health boards are working to offer additional drop-in capacity within local centres.
Additional venues for vaccination are also being identified. This will include mass vaccination centres in areas where this is considered appropriate.
In terms of human resources, we plan to extend the number and role of volunteers, to ensure that clinical staff can spend as much time as possible supporting the administration of vaccines.
We will continue to expand the size of the overall vaccination workforce as much as possible and make full use of any military support that is available.
We will, of course Presiding Officer, keep parliament updated on the delivery of these plans.
However, at this stage, I want to again thank everyone working so hard to design and deliver the biggest and most important logistical project in our peacetime history.
Let me also stress that, while the focus of my statement today is on boosters, if you haven’t had your first dose yet, please do book it now. It is more important than ever to do so.
In the new year, we will also complete second doses for 12 to 17 year olds.
And I hope, very much hope, that we might also, soon, get regulatory approval to offer vaccination to under 12s.
Presiding Officer, Before I close today, there are some further issues that I want to highlight.
Firstly, let me reiterate the changed advice on self isolation. For now, household contacts of a person who tests positive for COVID, are being advised to self-isolate for 10 days. This advice applies to everyone in a household regardless of age, vaccination status or PCR test result.
Businesses and organisations providing vital services can apply for an exemption to allow essential workers to return to work, subject to them being symptom free and taking certain precautions, including daily lateral flow tests.
Second, beyond this advice, we are not recommending that entire school classes are required to isolate when a pupil tests positive. The advice on school isolation will continue to be risk-based.
More generally, a key aim is to ensure that schools stay open if at all possible to minimise further disruption to education.
However, it is vital that schools are safe for pupils and staff.
To help achieve this, we continue to ask secondary school pupils and all staff to take lateral flow tests regularly – including during holidays and before returning after the break – and to wear face coverings.
In addition the Advisory Subgroup on Education is meeting today to provide further advice on how schools can operate safely in the new year. We will send this advice to schools by the end of this week.
Thirdly, we will continue to consider appropriate protective measures for people in institutional settings – such as care homes – while ensuring that visits can continue.
Last week we recommended that care staff take lateral flow tests on a daily basis.
We are also now recommending that individual visits in care homes should not involve any more than two households visiting any patient at a time. And we are asking anyone visiting a care home to test before every visit.
For hospitals, we are recommending that no more than two people visit a patient at any one time. And again, we are recommending a lateral flow test before each visit.
Finally Presiding Officer, I fully understand that Omicron will be especially concerning to people on the Highest Risk List. I therefore want to give an assarance to all of you that the Chief Medical Officer will be writing to all of you shortly with further advice and assurance.
Presiding Officer,It is an understatement to say this is not the update I wanted to be giving just a few days before Christmas.
And I am painfully aware that it’s not an update anyone wanted to hear.
However, we have a duty to take decisions – no matter how difficult or unpopular – that will get us through this as safely as possible.
I will not shy away from that responsibility.
The fact that I am asking for further sacrifice today underlines how severe we think the risk posed by Omicron might be.
So please do follow the advice I have set out today.
And while this is, without doubt, a very difficult juncture in the course of the pandemic, please remember that vaccination does still put us in a better position than last year.
Also, hard and wearying though this is, we are not powerless in the face of the virus.
We know the steps we can take to slow it down.
So I will stress again what we need to do:
Firstly, please get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.
Secondly, please test regularly.
If you are going to meet other people – and our advice, remember, is to minimise this as much as possible – take a lateral flow test before you go, every time.
The tests are easy to take and, despite an issue with online ordering yesterday, they are easy to get hold of. Tests can be collected from local pharmacies and testing centres without a booking, and the online portal is open again today.
Wear face coverings on public transport, in shops, and when moving about in hospitality settings. And make sure your face covering fully covers your mouth and nose.
Keep windows open if meeting people indoors – even at this time of year.
Follow all advice on hygiene.
Work from home whenever possible – this will soon become a requirement anchored in law.
And please follow the new advice I have outlined today.
Although it is guidance, please do not think of it as optional.
Cut down unnecessary contacts as much as possible. In the run up to and immediately after Christmas, please avoid socialising with people in other households as much as you can.
If you are socialising indoors at home or in public places, limit the number of households represented in your group to a maximum of three. And test before you go.
And please follow the advice we will give to keep Christmas Day as normal but as safe as possible.
We do face an extremely difficult period ahead – I cannot tell you otherwise. But I know we will get through it more safely, if we do right by each other, as we have done all along.
So please – get vaccinated, test regularly, and follow all the other rules and guidance that are in place for our own protection.
Let’s pull together again, and let’s help each other through.
BREAKING NEWS:
HM Treasury has announced that additional funding from the UK reserve will be made available to the governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to progress their vaccine rollout and wider health response.
The news was announced while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was addressing MSPs at Holyrood this afternoon.
Don’t give your festive guests the gift of penalty points this Christmas
With children heading back from university for Christmas or friends and family coming to stay, many hosts will be confronted with the same question: ‘Can I borrow your car?’
Such requests are likely to be even more common this year, with many guests trying to avoid public transport or staying for longer periods to make up for the time apart during the pandemic.
However, according to leading insurance comparison site Quotezone.co.uk, obliging hosts should be aware that depending on the insurance in place, they could face losing their no claims bonus – or even getting in trouble with the law.
According to research from the Office for National Statistics, almost two-thirds of UK students have moved out of their family home to study at university – meaning when they do flock home for the festive season they are unlikely to have a permanent insurance policy in place on the family car.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “Whether or not to let children or guests drive your vehicle is a seasonal dilemma for many hosts, and the pressure will be even greater this year. However vehicle owners need to be aware of the insurance options before handing over the keys.
“Perhaps the most obvious solution is to add the other person to your own insurance policy as a named driver, particularly if it’s your own children that are asking to borrow the car. However, if they are involved in an accident, you could lose your no claims bonus.
“An alternative is for them to take out a separate policy in their own name. Temporary policies can be arranged for anything from a few hours to a month, and could give you greater peace of mind, especially if you have a large no-claims bonus. It may also work out cheaper too because you aren’t insuring them for the full year.
“Either way, insurers will want details of your guests including their driving licence and details of any convictions.
“Whichever option you choose, the most important thing is to ensure that your guest does have insurance in place. There is still a common misconception that anyone with comprehensive insurance on their own vehicle is automatically insured to drive another car on a third-party basis. However, this isn’t always the case so it’s important to check whether their policy specifically includes ‘driving other cars’ (DOC) cover.
“Driving without insurance is a serious offence punishable by a minimum £300 fine and six penalty points. In more serious cases, the driver may be given an unlimited fine or disqualification and the police may have the right to seize and destroy the vehicle, even if it belongs to someone else. The vehicle owner could also be committing an offence and may be given points and a fine.”
Where children or other guests do stay for longer periods and hosts add them to their own policy, they should be wary of how much time they spend behind the wheel The main policyholder (known as the proposer) should still do the bulk of the driving, because if someone else is driving more often it could be regarded as ‘fronting’, a type of insurance fraud that could result in a large fine and a criminal record.
It’s rare to hear about cross-party consensus in UK politics, but last week this happened in the House of Lords at Westminster and for a most unusual reason – crabs and lobsters!
The ten-legged crustaceans were debated late into the night, with Lords agreeing to support a government amendment declaring that animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns experience feelings such as pain and should be included in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill.
The amendment was laid on behalf of the government by Conservative peer Lord Benyon, and sponsored by opposition Labour peer Baroness Hayman of Ullock and Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville. It is believed to be only the second time this has happened in recent history.
Following Brexit, the UK government launched an Action Plan for Animal Welfare, including the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill which is currently making its way through UK Parliament.
After the debate in the House of Lords it will now include decapod crustaceans (animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns) and cephalopod molluscs (animals like octopus and squid).
If passed into law their welfare would have to be considered in any future policy decision-making. It would also pave the way for their inclusion into other UK animal welfare legislation such as the Animal Welfare Act.
The UK will be joining countries who already have protections for these animals in law, including Norway, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand and various Australian territories and cities in Germany, Netherlands and Italy.
The issue is particularly relevant for the UK, where approximately 420 million crabs, lobsters and langoustines are landed in UK ports by UK vessels each year.
On the 19th November 2021 an independent report was released that reviewed the evidence for sentience in decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. The report was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The review, led by Dr Jonathan Birch of the London School of Economics (LSE), analysed over 300 scientific studies over several months. The team concluded that there is strong scientific evidence of sentience in decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs, and recommends that they should be included in animal protection legislation.
The government amendment that was supported by the House of Lords, was drafted directly in response to the findings and recommendations of this report.
Crustacean Compassion, the leading group campaigning for the humane treatment of animals like crabs and lobsters, has welcomed the news. They have shown this issue to be of public concern and to have significant expert support.
Their petition calling for decapod crustaceans to be protected in law has been signed by almost 60,000 people to date, and their open letter was signed by scientists, veterinary organisations and public figures, including the British Veterinary Association, RSCPA and wildlife broadcaster Michaela Strachan.
Claire Howard of Crustacean Compassion said:“There is no longer debate about whether or not animals like crabs, lobsters and prawns can feel pain. The scientific review published by London School of Economics has shown the evidence is clear and compelling.
“In the UK this has now led to government recognition of their sentience for the first time. It would be great to see this inspire legal protection for these animals in countries around the world.”
Juliette Booker of Crustacean Compassion said: “It is fantastic to see this cross-party support resulting in crabs, lobsters and prawns being included in the UK Sentience Bill.
“The peers have reviewed the extensive scientific evidence in the LSE report and taken the findings seriously. Knowing that these animals can feel pain, we now need to ensure that inhumane practices such as boiling them alive are stopped.”
Support available to ensure care workers can get vaccines and boosters
Care home staff and those working in social care are being urged to get the booster vaccine in the fight against the spread of Omicron variant.
Scottish Government financial support is available for adult care providers who incur additional costs if employees are vaccinated in working time – so staff can do so without losing earnings or having to take annual leave.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf thanked staff for their efforts but said the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 made it more important than ever that care workers get their COVID-19 booster vaccinations, test themselves regularly and maintain infection prevention measures.
Rates of uptake of the booster vaccine are currently lower among social care staff, with 47.7% of frontline social care workers and 54.8% of care home staff having had their booster, than they are in other sectors such as frontline healthcare workers (72%).
Mr Yousaf said: “I want to thank everyone working in social care who has taken up the offer of vaccination, and has had a booster jag. But I want to encourage every single social care worker to get themselves vaccinated.
“Even if you’ve been double-vaccinated, we know your immunity against COVID-19 wanes over time. Getting your booster is even more important with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Please do so as soon as possible.
“I’m very grateful to all our social care workers for their continued resilience and ongoing commitment during what I know continues to be a very difficult time. I know staff are likely to be feeling particularly fatigued after more than 20 months of the pandemic and I want to thank you all for supporting each other and working together as we continue to navigate through this.
“However we know that the rate of take up among those working in care homes and social care is not as high as in other sectors. It is crucial, especially for those working with some of our most vulnerable citizens, that you get your booster if you have not already done so.
“Getting vaccinated is vital in protecting you, those you care for, and your friends and family.”
Beleaguered Boris bows to the inevitable as new variant cases soar
Move to Plan B confirmed as Omicron spreads across UK, with early analysis suggesting cases could be doubling at a rate of as little as 2.5 to 3 days
Face masks to become compulsory in most public indoor venues, other than hospitality
NHS Covid Pass to be mandatory in specific settings, using a negative test or full vaccination via the NHS Covid Pass
Vaccines and testing remain our best lines of defence
People asked to work from home if they can
The Prime Minister last night confirmed that England will move to Plan B following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK.
Urgent work has been ongoing to understand the impact of the new variant with regards to vaccines, treatments and transmissibility. Early indications showed a large number of concerning spike protein mutations as well as mutations in other parts of the viral genome.
On Saturday 27 November, the government acted quickly to slow the spread of Omicron while more data was collected and assessed.
The most recent data suggests that Omicron has a very high growth rate and is spreading rapidly. S-gene drop out cases have grown from 0.15% of cases during the week of 21st November, to 3.3% of cases since 5 December in England. There are currently 568 cases confirmed across the UK and early analysis from the UK Health Security Agency suggesting the doubling time could be as little as 2.5 to 3 days.
As seen in previous waves, a swift rise in cases can lead to a rapid rise in hospitalisations, which will quickly lead to pressure on the NHS. The data in South Africa is showing a rapid increase in hospitalisations.
As a result of this concerning data the Prime Minister has acted quickly and with caution, confirming Plan B measures will come into force while more data on vaccine efficacy and disease severity is assessed. Plan B was set out in September and will help to slow the spread of the variant and reduce the chances of the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure, while buying time to deliver more boosters.
While it is likely there is some level of reduced vaccine effectiveness against Omicron, it is still too early to determine the extent of this.
The government will continue to look closely at all the emerging data but vaccines remain our best line of defence and it is now more vital than ever that those who are unvaccinated come forward, and those eligible for their boosters book when called.
Yesterday the NHS confirmed a huge expansion of the booster programme, with the National Booking Service now open to all those aged over 40 to book their jabs. The dose interval has also been shortened from six months to three months, with those eligible now able to book a month in advance – two months after their second dose.
The vaccine programme will be supported by the continued development of world-leading treatments. Today the Prime Minister confirmed a new national study that will see 10,000 UK patients at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 given the treatment molnupiravir to treat their symptoms at home.
Testing will also be a vital tool in controlling the spread given the likely increased transmissibility of Omicron. As there is now demonstrated community transmission of Omicron, we intend to introduce daily contact tests for contacts of confirmed positive cases instead of the ten-day self-isolation period.
Everyone should test using a lateral flow device, particularly before entering a high-risk setting involving people you wouldn’t normally come into contact with, or when visiting a vulnerable person. Lateral flow devices remain free of charge and can be collected from local pharmacies.
From tomorrow (Friday 10 December), face coverings will become compulsory in most public indoor venues in England, such as cinemas, theatres and places of worship.
There will be exemptions in venues where it is not practical to wear one, such as when you are eating, drinking or exercising. For that reason, face masks will not be required in hospitality settings.
From Monday 13 December, those who can will be advised to work from home in England.
From Wednesday 15 December, and subject to parliamentary approval, the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS App will become mandatory for entry into England’s nightclubs and settings where large crowds gather – including unseated indoor events with 500 or more attendees, unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees and any event with 10,000 or more attendees.
People will be able to demonstrate proof of two vaccine doses via the app. Having considered the evidence since the emergence of Omicron, proof of a negative lateral flow test will also be accepted.
Introducing Covid-status certification from next Wednesday will give English businesses a week’s notice, as promised in the government’s proposals for introducing mandatory certification published in September.
A full list of guidance on these changes will be available on gov.uk in the coming days. Face covering regulations will be laid in parliament today, with the remaining regulations laid on Monday 13 December.
Parliament will debate the measures next week, with a vote expected to take place on Tuesday 14 December.
The government will keep the data under constant review. The regulations set to expire six weeks after implementation, with a review after three weeks.
Taken together, the UK government is hopeful these measures will reduce transmission and slow the spread of the Omicron variant. They will continue to urge those eligible to get their boosters when called.
PM Boris Johnson’s opening statement at COVID-19 press conference: 8 December 2021
As soon as we learned of the new Omicron variant, this government acted – introducing targeted and proportionate measures as a precaution, whilst our scientists discovered more.And we’re learning more every day.
We do not yet know Omicron’s severity, its exact rate of transmission, nor indeed the full effectiveness of our vaccines against it.
But since I last spoke to you, it’s become increasingly clear that Omicron is growing much faster than the previous Delta variant, and it’s spreading rapidly all around the world.
568 cases have been confirmed through genomic sequencing across every region of the UK, and the true number is certain to be much higher.
Most worryingly, there is evidence that the doubling time of Omicron in the UK could currently be between two and three days.
And while there are some limits to what we can learn from South Africa, because of the different rates of vaccination and different rates of previous infection, we are seeing growth in cases here in the UK that mirrors the rapid increases previously seen in South Africa.
And South Africa is also seeing hospitalisations roughly doubling in a week, meaning that we can’t yet assume Omicron is less severe than previous variants.
So while the picture may get better, and I sincerely hope that it will – we know the remorseless logic of exponential growth could lead to a big rise in hospitalisations, and therefore sadly in deaths.
And that is why it is now the proportionate and responsible thing to move to Plan B in England – while continuing to work closely with our colleagues in the Devolved Administrations – so we slow the spread of the virus, buy ourselves the time to get yet more boosters into more arms, and especially in the older and more vulnerable people, and understand the answers to the key outstanding questions about Omicron.
So first, we will reintroduce the guidance to work from home.
Employers should use the rest of this week to discuss working arrangements with their employees
but from Monday you should work from home if you can. Go to work if you must but work from home if you can.
And I know this will be hard for many people, but by reducing your contacts in the workplace you will help slow transmission.
Second, from this Friday we will further extend the legal requirement to wear a face mask to most public indoor venues, including theatres and cinemas.
There will be of course exemptions where it is not practical, such as when eating, drinking, exercising or singing.
Third, we’ll also make the NHS Covid Pass mandatory for entry into nightclubs, and venues where large crowds gather including unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people.
The NHS Covid Pass can still be obtained with two doses but we will keep this under review as the boosters roll out.
And having taken clinical advice since the emergence of Omicron, a negative lateral flow test will also be sufficient.
As we set out in Plan B, we will give businesses a week’s notice, so this will come into force in a week’s time, helping to keep these events and venues open at full capacity, while giving everyone who attends them confidence that those around them have done the responsible thing to minimise risk to others.
As Omicron spreads in the community, we will also introduce daily tests for contacts instead of isolation, so we keep people safe while minimising the disruption to daily life.
And of course we will take every step to ensure our NHS is ready for the challenges ahead.
But the single biggest thing that every one of us can do, is to get our jabs and crucially to get that booster as soon as our turn arrives.
One year to the day since the UK became the first country in the world to administer a Covid vaccine into the arms of Margaret Keenan, we have opened up the vaccine booster to all those over 40, and we are reducing the gap between second dose and booster to a minimum of just three months.
Our heroic NHS staff and volunteers have already done almost 21 million boosters, including reaching 84 per cent of all the eligible over 80s.
But we need to go further and faster still, because our scientists are absolutely confident that your immune response will be stronger if you have been boosted.
And while you are at it – please get your flu jab too.
Let’s do everything we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones this winter – and to reduce the pressures on our NHS.
As we learn more, so we will be guided by the hard medical data around four key criteria:
+ the efficacy of our vaccines and our boosters,
+ the severity of Omicron,
+ the speed of its spread,
+ and the rate of hospitalisations.
We will constantly monitor the data and keep it under review.
And of course we must be humble in the face of this virus.
But if and indeed as soon as it becomes clear that the boosters are capable of holding this Omicron variant, and we have boosted enough people to do that job, then we will be able to move forward as before.
So please everybody play your part – and get boosted.
Lifelong Heart of Midlothian supporter, Stevie Morris, is speaking out about his diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND) to raise awareness, in support of the Club’s partnership with MND Scotland.
Thanks to an innovative sponsorship deal with Dell Technologies, MND Scotland’s logo is taking pride of place on the front of the Hearts home kit for the 2021/22 season. To help raise more awareness, Stevie, from Mid Calder, is sharing his experience of living with MND and what the partnership means to him and his family.
Before being diagnosed with MND, the Tynecastle Park season ticket holder used to love playing sport, including football, walking football and golf multiple times a week.
He said: “I used to live a very active life before my diagnosis, and it has been really tough having my ability to play sport gradually fade away to the point where I just can’t do it anymore.
“I’m someone who likes to take care of their garden, but this past gardening season I was even starting to find mowing the lawn to be too much.”
Stevie, who is married to Mary (61) and dad to Craig (37), used to attend every Hearts game, both home and away, but due to his worsening condition, is sadly unable to travel to watch away games anymore.
“Hearts has always been a huge part of my life. It’s really important to me and I used to love travelling to the games on the Livingston Hearts supporter’s bus, but I can’t do that now. The walk to the ground from the bus is just too far. Even going to home games, I have to get dropped off right at the entrance and am in the process of moving my season ticket seat, so I don’t have to walk as far.
“Right now, I am still able to get down to the pub on a Sunday to watch other TV games, something I’m still really glad I can do.”
Stevie first suspected something was wrong during a round of golf, when he experienced a freezing cold sensation in his foot, something which seemed even more unusual given the warm weather on the day.
He said: “From visiting my doctor to being diagnosed took around nine months in total. There was a lot of testing involved and other things that had to be ruled out. At first, I thought it might have been a trapped nerve but sadly it was more serious than that.”
Stevie was diagnosed with MND in February 2021 and less than a year on is having difficulty getting up and down stairs, as well as relying on a breathing machine at night.
“Being diagnosed with MND was devastating obviously. It just floored us and the whole family went through a period of complete disbelief. Although I found it very difficult to tell my family and friends, the hardest part was definitely having to tell my dad.
“For the past three games, I’ve taken my dad for hospitality at Hearts, which has been an amazing experience for us both and something very special we could do together.”
Stevie and his son Craig are extremely happy about the partnership between Hearts and MND Scotland and have both got the strip with the charity logo.
He continued: “MND is a horrible disease. For my team to be involved in such a positive and direct way is tremendous. I hope the money raised from the partnership will allow MND Scotland to continue helping people in my situation. The support and services they provided me with really helped to take a load off my family – they are magnificent.
“I hope the message gets through that MND can affect anyone. I’m a fan, who is there every week. I’m your midweek, go to Inverness or Ross County fan. I’m a fan that will have a sing a long on the supporter’s bus, and a beer before and after the match. Hearts are my team. My wish is that no one else misses out on future games because of MND.”
MND Scotland’s Head of Fundraising, Iain McWhirter, said:“Our partnership with Hearts has been amazing so far, and both the club and its supporters have played an enormous role in our effort to raise vital awareness and funding, to help change the lives of people living with MND today.
“I want to thank Stevie for bravely speaking out about his story and sharing his experience with us.”
To help people like Stevie, and to join MND Scotland’s search for a cure, please donate today.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was seriously injured following a road crash in Haymarket last night.
Around 9pm, the 29-year-old woman was struck by a double decker bus on West Maitland Street near Morrison Street.
She was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where medical staff describe her condition as critical but stable.No one from the bus was injured.
Sergeant Iain McIntyre, Police Scotland, said:”The area was quite busy at the time and I’d like to thank those who came to the lady’s aid and spoke to police.
“However, I’d still ask that anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have caught the incident on their dash-cam footage, contact police. Please call officers on 101 quoting reference number 3356 of Sunday, 5 December, 2021.”
The Ivy on the Square celebrates with a festive installation and limited-edition cocktails created in collaboration with Edrington UK
The Ivy on the Square celebrates the launch of ‘A Jolly Robin’ with a spectacular festive installation for guests and passers-by to enjoy as well as new limited-edition cocktails.
Inspired by William Morris’ famous 1883 print, The Strawberry Thief, The Ivy on the Square’s façade will take guests on a wonderful festive journey combining festive florals, the Christmas robin and pomegranate.
Available until Friday 31 December, guests will be able to enjoy a selection of bespoke cocktails created in partnership with Edrington UK.
For those looking to treat themselves to a yuletide tipple, the brasserie’s bar team are serving up a number of bespoke cocktails, including the showstopping Red Robin (£9.75), a blend of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, lemon, pomegranate, and honey, finished with apple cider, and Hold-Up Ginger (£10.25), complete with Haku Vodka, Aperol, pineapple, lime, and gingerbread, perfect for an after-dinner treat.
Also featured is the Christmas Star(£10.25), a festive delight incorporating refreshing Roku Gin, star anis, pineapple, lemon and Crème de Mure.
Diners can also enjoy a delicious menu featuring showstopping seasonal desserts including the delightfully rich snowball fight (£9.50), with brandy ice cream, white chocolate, gingerbread and complete with cream sauce – perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Agata Lubera, General Manager at The Ivy on the Square said: “We’re excited to officially launch our new installation and delicious food and beverage menus to guests this week.
“Edinburgh is known all around the world for its vibrant Christmas celebrations so we’re looking forward to being part of the city’s festivities.”
