Most vulnerable could be offered booster vaccines from September

  • The UK welcomes JCVI interim advice on who to prioritise for a third dose
  • Pending further data and final advice, millions may be offered booster vaccine from September

Millions of people most vulnerable to COVID-19 may be offered a booster vaccination from September to ensure the protection they have from first and second doses is maintained ahead of the winter and against new variants, following interim advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI’s interim advice is to plan to offer COVID-19 booster vaccines from September 2021, in order to prolong the protection that vaccines provide in those who are most vulnerable to serious COVID-19 ahead of the winter months.

The 2-stage programme would take place alongside the annual flu vaccination programme. Further details of the flu vaccination programme will be set out in due course.

The final JCVI advice will be published before September and will take into account the latest epidemiological situation, additional scientific data from trials such as Cov-Boost, real-time surveillance of the effectiveness of the vaccines over time and emerging variants. The final advice could change from the interim advice as further data is analysed.

The government is working closely with the NHS to ensure that if a booster programme happens it can be deployed rapidly from September. Further details will be set out in due course.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “The phenomenal vaccine rollout has already saved tens of thousands of lives and prevented millions of infections, helping to wrestle back control of the pandemic and ease lockdown restrictions so we can return to normal as soon as possible.

“We welcome this interim advice, which will help us ensure we are ready in our preparations for autumn. We look forward to receiving the committee’s final advice in due course.

“We need to learn to live with this virus. Our first COVID-19 vaccination programme is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster programme will protect this freedom. We are working with the NHS to make sure we can rapidly deliver this programme to maintain protection for people in the winter months.”

Dependent on final advice, the booster programme will be designed to protect as many vulnerable people as possible from becoming seriously ill due to COVID-19 over the winter period.

COVID-19 vaccines provide very strong protection against serious illness. There is good evidence that 2 doses of any COVID-19 vaccine used in the UK will provide strong protection against severe disease for at least 6 months for the majority, and there is some evidence that longer lasting protection may be afforded to some.

As is common with flu, winter will lead to rising cases and further pressure on the NHS. The JCVI’s interim position on booster vaccinations is to ensure the protection that has been built up in the population does not decline through the winter months, and that immunity is maximised to provide additional resilience against variants.

As most younger adults will receive their second COVID-19 vaccine dose in late summer, the benefits of booster vaccination in this group will be considered by the JCVI at a later time when more information is available.

Vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our COVID-19 vaccination programme has been a roaring success, with almost 85% of adults across the UK receiving a first dose and more than 62% getting both doses.

“We are now planning ahead to future-proof this progress and protect our most vulnerable from variants and flu ahead of the winter.

“Vaccines are the best way to stay on top of this virus and I urge everybody to take up the offer as soon as possible.”

The JCVI’s interim advice is that a third booster jab is offered to the following groups in 2 stages:

Stage 1. The following people should be offered a third dose COVID-19 booster vaccine and the annual influenza vaccine as soon as possible from September 2021:

  • adults aged 16 years and over who are immunosuppressed
  • those living in residential care homes for older adults
  • all adults aged 70 years or over
  • adults aged 16 years and over who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable
  • frontline health and social care workers

Stage 2. The following people should be offered a third COVID-19 booster vaccine as soon as practicable after stage 1 with equal emphasis on deployment of the influenza vaccine where eligible:

  • all adults aged 50 years and over
  • all adults aged 16 to 49 years who are in an influenza or COVID-19 at-risk group as outlined in the Green Book
  • adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: “Where the UK has reached so far on vaccination is truly fantastic. But we need to keep going and finish giving second doses to those remaining adults who have not had them; this is the best thing we can do prevent the disease from making a comeback which disrupts society later in the year.

“Being able to manage COVID-19 with fewer or no restrictions is now heavily dependent on the continued success of the vaccination programme. We want to be on the front foot for COVID-19 booster vaccination to keep the probability of loss of vaccine protection due to waning immunity or variants as low as possible. Especially over the coming autumn and winter.

“Fewer or no restrictions will mean that other respiratory viruses, particularly flu, will make a comeback and quite possibly be an additional problem this winter, so we will need to ensure protection against flu as well as maintaining protection against COVID-19.

“The announcement of interim advice from JCVI is good news. It shows that the vaccine experts are thinking carefully about how best to use vaccination to protect the most vulnerable and ensure everyone’s lives can remain as normal as possible for the autumn and winter.

“Of course we have to be driven by data, and there will be more data from vaccine booster studies for JCVI to look at over summer, so we should all remember that this advice is interim and might change between now and September. However JCVI has clearly set out the broad direction of travel which I agree with, and which ministers have accepted.”

The success of the vaccination programme is weakening the link between cases and hospitalisations. The latest analysis from Public Health England (PHE) and the University of Cambridge suggests that vaccines have so far prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England alone.

The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned.

Everyone over the age of 18 and over is eligible to get a vaccine. By 19 July, all those aged 40 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable, who received their first dose by mid-May, will have been offered their second dose.

Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after 2 doses.

YouGov polling also shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated and ONS data published on 9 June shows that more than 9 in 10 (94%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.

See JCVI’s interim advice on potential coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine programme.

Round Britain Climate Challenge takes flight

  • ‘Human Swan’ Sacha Dench has taken off on courageous circumnavigation of Britain by paramotor 
  • Sacha takes off from Scottish beach on Round Britain Climate Challenge

After several delays caused by bad weather and technical issues with the paramotor Sacha Dench has taken off on the first ever circumnavigation of mainland Britain by electric paramotor.

She took off from the beach at Stevenson on the west coast of Scotland heading south along the coast on her 3,000 mile + journey around Britain – ending back in Glasgow in around 12 weeks’ time.

She will be landing frequently, and with her ground crew will be talking with, filming, and gathering information from industry, innovators and entrepreneurs, local heroes, communities, schools, farmers and individuals – anybody involved in addressing the effects of climate change in their areas.

A compilation of these stories will be presented at COP26 in Glasgow in November.

Sacha flying along the Western Coast of Scotland

Sacha flying over Culzean Castle

Sacha flying over Turnberry Golf Course

The journey is set inspire and excite people in all walks of life to get behind climate change actions in Britain – to get involved at local level  in whatever small way to help reduce Carbon emissions. 

Sacha says: “We need to get 140,001 people to take personal climate action between 18 June and 17th July to get a Guinness World Record. There’s a great way of doing this through Count Us In https://www.count-us-in.org/ – so please sign up NOW! 

“As well as investigating how climate change is affecting different regions of the country, we will be showing, in a visually stunning and exciting way – from the air, ground and underwater – what is happing to help cut carbon and preserve and restore our environment.

“We’ll be finding the likely and unlikely heroes and discovering where and what works. I am so looking forward to meeting all the hundreds of inspiring people along the route.”

Life could exist in the clouds of Jupiter, says new study

Jupiter’s clouds have water conditions that would allow Earth-like life to exist, but this isn’t possible in Venus’ clouds, according to the groundbreaking finding of new research led by a Queen’s University Belfast scientist. 

For some decades, space exploration missions have looked for evidence of life beyond Earth where we know that large bodies of water, such as lakes or oceans, exist or have previously existed. However, the new research shows that it isn’t the quantity of water that matters for making life viable, but the effective concentration of water molecules – known as ‘water activity’. 

The new study also found that research published by an independent team of scientists last year, claiming that the phosphine gas in Venus’ atmosphere indicates possible life in the sulphuric acid clouds of Venus, is not plausible. 

Through this innovative research project, Dr John E. Hallsworth from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s and his team of international collaborators devised a method to determine the water activity of atmospheres of a planet. Using their approach to study the sulphuric acid clouds of Venus, the researchers found that the water activity was more than a hundred times below the lower limit at which life can exist on Earth. 

The research also shows that Jupiter’s clouds have a high enough concentration of water, as well as the correct temperature, for life to exist there. The study has been published in Nature Astronomy. 

Dr Hallsworth said: “Our research shows that the sulphuric acid clouds in Venus have too little water for active life to exist, based on what we know of life on Earth.

“We have also found that the conditions of water and temperature within Jupiter’s clouds could allow microbial-type life to subsist, assuming that other requirements such as nutrients are present.

“This is a timely finding given that NASA and the European Space Agency just announced three missions to Venus in the coming years. One of these will take measurements of Venus’s atmosphere that we will be able to compare with our finding.” 

Co-author of the report, an expert on physics and chemical biology of water, Dr Philip Ball, commented: “The search for extraterrestrial life has sometimes been a bit simplistic in its attitude to water.

“As our work shows, it’s not enough to say that liquid water equates with habitability. We’ve got to think too about how Earth-like organisms actually use it – which shows us that we then have to ask how much of the water is actually available for those biological uses.” 

Co-author of the report, NASA-based planetary scientist Prof Christopher P. McKay, said: “We derive water activity of atmospheres without a model of any sort, based only on direct observations of pressure, temperature, and water concentration.” 

Dr Hallsworth added: “We have also performed calculations for Mars and Earth and show that these calculations can be done for planets outside our solar system.

“While our research doesn’t claim that alien (microbial-type) life does exist on other planets in our solar system, it shows that if the water activity and other conditions are right, then such life could exist in places where we haven’t previously been looking.” 

Co-authors of this paper include planetary scientist Christopher P. McKay (NASA Ames Research Center, CA, USA); atmosphere chemistry expert Thomas Koop (Bielefeld University, Germany); expert on physics and chemical biology of water Philip Ball (London, UK); biomolecular scientist Tiffany D. Dallas (Queen’s University Belfast); biophysics-of-lipid-membrane expert Marcus K. Dymond (University of Brighton, UK); theoretical physicist María-Paz Zorzano (Centro de Astrobiologia [CSIC-INTA], Spain); micrometeorology and aerosol expert Juergen Burkhardt (University of Bonn, Germany); expert on acid-tolerant microorganisms Olga V. Golyshina (Bangor University, UK); and atmospheric physicist and planetary scientist Javier Martín-Torres (University of Aberdeen, UK). 

The research was funded by Research Councils UK (RCUK), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Young people urged to apply for Job Start Payment

Social media campaign kicks-off for benefit to 16 – 24 year olds

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison has urged eligible young people to apply for Job Start Payment if they are starting a new job after a period of unemployment.

Eligible 16-24 year olds, who have been on certain benefits for six months or more, can apply for the one-off payment worth £252.50, or £404 if the applicant has children. The payment will help with the costs of starting a job including travel, new clothes or childcare.

Ms Robison visited Remploy’s offices in Dundee to meet hairdresser Mystialeigh Smith who recently used the payment to buy work clothes and travel.

Ms Robison said: “We want to give our young people all the support they need when they start work including making sure the costs associated with taking up a job don’t get in the way. We know lockdown has impacted job opportunities for many young people and getting money to those who need it is our priority.

“Access to this support is a right, and we are ensuring people receive all the financial support that they are entitled to.

“It is great to see organisations across the private and public sector highlighting the availability of Job Start Payment to their new employees. I strongly encourage all eligible young people who have recently started a new job or are about to start a new job to apply now.”

Peter Craig, Contracts Director at Remploy said: “The pandemic has had a major impact on the lives of our service users across Scotland.

“The Job Start Payment will be invaluable to young people accepting a job, helping them with any associated costs such as travel or childcare.”

Mystialeigh Smith 17, from Dundee, an apprentice hairdresser at Macintyres hairdressers who accessed Job Start Payment, said:

“Upon gaining employment my keyworker advised me to apply for the Job Start Payment on the social security website. It took roughly two weeks to go into my bank and it helped me buy work clothes and travel until I received my first pay.”

People can apply for Job Start Payment for up to three months after their start date.

You can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.

HMRC: 800,000 tax relief claims for working from home

Since April, almost 800,000 employees who have been working from home during the pandemic, have already claimed tax relief on household related costs, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed.

The saving is worth up to £128 per year for each employee in Scotland and eligible workers can claim the full year’s entitlement if they have been told to work from home by their employer, even if it has been for one day during the tax year.

Employees who have either returned to working in an office since early April or are preparing for their return can still claim the working from home tax relief and benefit from the full year’s relief for 2021/22.

It is quick and easy to claim via HMRC’s online portal. Employees can apply directly themselves and receive the full tax relief that is due. Once their application has been approved, their tax code will be automatically adjusted for the 2021/22 tax year, receiving the tax relief directly through their salary. Agents cannot use the online portal to apply on a customer’s behalf.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “More people are getting back to office working now, but it’s not too late to apply for tax relief on household expenses if they’ve been working from home during the pandemic.

“It’s quick and easy to check if you’re eligible and apply online – go to GOV.UK and search ‘working from home tax relief’.”

Since April last year, the maximum amount employers have been able to pay tax-free without employees having to provide evidence of an increased bill was set at £6 a week. Employees who have not received the working from home expenses payment direct from their employer can apply to receive the tax relief from HMRC.

Eligible customers can claim tax relief based on the rate at which they pay tax. For example, if an employed worker pays the 21% intermediate rate of tax and claims tax relief on £6 a week, they would receive £1.26 a week in tax relief (21% of £6 a week) towards the cost of their household bills.

Higher rate taxpayers would receive £2.46 a week (41% of £6 a week). Over the course of the year, this means customers can reduce the tax they pay by £65.52 or £127.92 respectively.

If employees were required to work from home in the 2020/21 tax year but did not claim for the tax relief, they have not missed out; HMRC will accept backdated claims for up to four years. They will receive a lump sum payment for any successful backdated claims.

Royals visit St James Quarter

Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Forfar visited St James Quarter yesterday for a tour of the new scheme developed by Nuveen Real Estate that has transformed the east end of Edinburgh. 

St James Quarter, the most significant transformation Edinburgh has seen in a generation opened phase one last week, adding a new retail-led, lifestyle district that fully integrates and enhances Edinburgh’s city centre – providing an inspiring, attractive, and vibrant destination which is creating 3,000 retail and leisure jobs.

As part of its development programme, Nuveen Real Estate also committed to improving local infrastructure and public space in the area through the Growth Accelerator Model, the innovative funding arrangement with the Scottish Government. 

Martin Perry, director of development at St James Quarter, commented: “We were delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to St James Quarter today.

“The team were honoured to show off the brand-new 850,000 sq ft shopping galleria, and the enviable line up of brands within it, but also give them a sneak peek at the amazing spaces and places that are still to come.

“We believe in Edinburgh, and we are excited to help lead the way as part of the city’s wider economic recovery. Throughout this pandemic we have never questioned our investment in not only the St James Quarter but the city itself. We’re here to stay and we’re here to help.

“Everyone involved has worked incredibly hard over the last 5 years to bring the St James Quarter vision to life and to deliver a world-class destination within the heart of the capital city – and a visit from the Royal Household was a great way to top off the phase one opening celebrations.”

UK government partners with disability charity to set standards for electric vehicle chargepoints

  • standards will provide industry with guidance on how to make individual chargepoints more accessible by summer 2022
  • guidance will consider aspects such as kerb height, adequate space between bollards and chargepoints being of a height suitable for wheelchair users
  • partnership with British Standards Institute (BSI) and Motability will see chargepoints that are accessible for all as we accelerate towards a zero-emission future

The UK is accelerating towards a more inclusive, reliable electric vehicle (EV) charging network, as the government and charity sector come together to set accessibility standards, Transport Minister Rachel Maclean has announced today (30 June 2021).

In partnership with national disability charity Motability, the Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop accessibility standards for EV chargepoints across the country. These standards will provide industry with guidance and drivers with a new clear definition of ‘fully accessible’, ‘partially accessible’ and ‘not accessible’ public EV chargepoints.

The design of public chargepoints is already carefully considered by operators. However, consistent standards are crucial for drivers to easily identify which chargepoints are suitable for their needs. This could range from adequate space between bollards, charging units being of a height suitable for wheelchair users, size of the parking bay and the kerb height.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: “With sales of EVs increasing and the government’s net zero ambitions accelerating, I want to make it as easy as possible for EV drivers to charge up their vehicles at public chargepoints right across the UK, regardless of their mobility.

“We are taking action to provide accessibility guidance to both operators and drivers to make sure that the transition to zero-emission driving will benefit everyone in society as we build back better.”

Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson said: “As we build back greener, this government is ensuring disabled people are at the heart of our plans.

“As electric vehicles become more popular it is imperative that disabled people have the same opportunities to access them as everyone else. The new accessibility standards for chargepoints will help make this a reality.”

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), Motability and BSI will be working with industry stakeholders including EV chargepoint operators, disability charities and innovators to ensure that the consumer can find the right chargepoints for their needs.

Barry Le Grys MBE, Chief Executive Officer at Motability, said: “There is a risk that disabled people are left behind as the UK’s transition to electric vehicles approaches and Motability wants to ensure that this does not happen.

“We welcome the interest from government in our research on electric vehicle charging and accessibility and we are excited about our partnership with the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles to further this work.

“We look forward to working together to create world-leading accessibility standards and to support the UK’s commitment to achieving zero emissions. Motability looks forward to a future where electric vehicle charging is inclusive for all.”

Motability is also working with Designability, a charity that creates products to enable disabled people to live with greater independence, to engage with disabled drivers and identify their requirements for accessible charging.

Catharine Brown Chief Executive at Designability said: “Accessible electric vehicle charging is an exciting area of innovation for government, industry and the charity sector. Designability welcomes this important drive towards standards that will make sure the needs of disabled people are taken into account as this new technology becomes mainstream.

“We are delighted to be working with Motability to create cutting-edge design solutions. Our expertise in working with disabled people makes us perfectly placed to find solutions to these everyday challenges – which will only increase as more people want to drive electric cars.

“To date over 1,000 disabled drivers have volunteered to feedback to Motability and Designability on how we can make electric vehicle charging accessible for all.”

Matthew Campbell-Hill, a former Team GB wheelchair athlete and member of the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England, said: “As an EV owner and motor vehicle enthusiast who knows how transformative inclusive infrastructure can be, I’m excited to learn of this cross-sector partnership between charity and government.

“I’ve experienced first-hand just how challenging it can be to use a chargepoint that hasn’t been built with disabled people in mind, and this work will ensure electric vehicle charging is accessible for all. I can’t wait to see innovation and change in this space.”

To ensure all interested stakeholders have the opportunity to come together and inform the standards, Motability will be holding a series of workshops on accessibility and electric vehicle charging in August.

If you are a charity working with disabled people or people with long-term health conditions and would like to know more about participating, contact innovation@motability.co.uk.

Civil partnerships legislation comes into effect today

Couples across Scotland will be able to enter mixed-sex civil partnerships from June 30, and can submit a notice of intention now.

The introduction of mixed sex civil partnerships means that both mixed sex and same sex couples can now choose to marry or enter a civil partnership. 

Minister for Equalities Christina McKelvie said: “I welcome the introduction of civil partnerships for all couples.

“We have now embedded equality of choice on how to formalise their relationship in the way that best reflects their beliefs and ensures access to the rights, responsibilities and benefits which flow from entering a legally recognised relationship.  

“This ground-breaking change in law demonstrates our commitment to creating a fairer and more inclusive society for all.

“I wish good luck to all couples who are entering  Scotland’s  first mixed-sex civil partnerships.”

City council leaders urge caution as COVID cases continue to climb

Council Leaders have urged people to take care and carry out regular testing as COVID cases remain high in the Capital.

The appeal follows yesterday’s announcement by the First Minister, in which she called for “renewed care and vigilance” at this critical moment. This week, Edinburgh and the Lothians recorded the highest number of COVID cases in Scotland.

In response to the high numbers, several community test centres have opened around the city over recent weeks. Free COVID tests are on offer for people who don’t display any symptoms, aiming to break the chain of transmission by catching asymptomatic cases which could still be infectious.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The city is beginning to open up, returning a sense of normality to our daily lives, but we really must continue to take care by continuing to wash hands and using sanitiser regularly and physical distancing when out enjoying all our city and its businesses has to offer.

“With the weather still getting better, continuing to meet up with friends and family outdoors where possible can help drive the numbers down and keep the freedoms we’re starting to enjoy again.

“Regular testing is vital too if we are to catch and isolate cases, and I would urge everyone to make use of community test centres and order your free home testing kits to check if you could have COVID even if you don’t have symptoms.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Over the last 15 months we’ve all worked really hard to minimise the impact of the COVID virus, and I’d like to thank everyone for their patience during this time.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we don’t let our guard down now so I would encourage everyone to take up their vaccination when offered. We need to keep following the rules put in place for good reason, as well as getting tested when possible, to reduce the rising case rate and to ensure we can enjoy a more ‘normal’ summer.”

Community test centres are open for people with no COVID-19 symptoms:

  • Walk-up mobile testing unit, Heart of Midlothian Football Club, Wheatfield stand accessed via Wheatfield Street/Place, until Sunday, 11 July
  • Drive though mobile testing unit at Hibernian Football Club, in the car park behind the east stand accessed off Albion Place/Hawkhill Place until Sunday, 11 July
  • McDonald Road Library until Saturday, 3 July – test pick-up available
  • Wester Hailes Library until Saturday, 3 July – test pick-up available
  • Fountainbridge Library from Monday, 5 July to Saturday, 10 July – test pick-up available
  • Drumbrae Library Hub from Monday, 5 July to Saturday, 10 July – test pick-up available

Find out more about Council services during the pandemic on the Council website.

Read more about the daily COVID vaccination uptake online.