A patient gets a vaccine at a mosque in Bradford, northern England. Reuters
A patient gets a vaccine at a mosque in Bradford, northern England. Reuters
A patient gets a vaccine at a mosque in Bradford, northern England. Reuters
A patient gets a vaccine at a mosque in Bradford, northern England. Reuters

UK 'no longer in pandemic' as Covid-19 vaccines take effect


Tim Stickings
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Britain's vaccination campaign is slashing Covid-19 infections and the UK has "moved from a pandemic to an endemic situation", scientists said.

A study of more than 370,000 people showed a 65 per cent reduction in infections after one dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines.

It also showed the vaccines were effective in older people and worked against the UK variant of Covid-19.

Prof Sarah Walker, chief investigator of the National Covid-19 Infection Survey, said the study showed that “the vaccines really do work”.

"We're effectively endemic, we've moved from a pandemic to an endemic situation," she told the Daily Telegraph.

According to the findings, one dose of a vaccine led to a 74 per cent drop in symptomatic cases of Covid-19 and a 57 per cent drop in asymptomatic cases.

After a second dose, protection against symptomatic cases rose to 90 per cent, while overall infections fell by 70 per cent.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Prof Walker said the vaccines gave Britain an "amazing opportunity" to prevent infections.

“We found that 21 days after a first dose, there was a big, so about two-thirds, reduction in all Covid cases regardless of whether people had had a single dose of the AstraZeneca or the Pfizer vaccine,” she said.

“Vaccination was just as effective in people over 75 and in people who report long-term health conditions.

“That’s important because those people often don’t go into the trials that test the vaccines in the first place.”

The data came from studies by the University of Oxford, the Office of National Statistics and the UK Department of Health.

They analysed more than 1.6 million test results dating back to December when the vaccination campaign began.

Since then, more than 33 million people in Britain have received a first dose of a vaccine, making up 63 per cent of the adult population.

Second doses were administered to more than 11 million people, giving a high level of protection to 21 per cent of adults.

UK studies Covid-19 variants as lockdown is eased 

The UK's infection rate fell significantly during a prolonged lockdown that began in January, before restrictions were eased in March and again on April 12.

Prof Walker said it was not possible to assess the effect of the UK's vaccination programme on other variants, such as the strain first identified in South Africa, because there are so few cases of these variants in Britain at the moment, she said.

Testing was ramped up in London this month to rein in the spread of the South African variant after a cluster of cases was found.

Government figures show at least 670 cases of the variant in the UK, as well as 119 cases of two separate strains that were first detected in Brazil.

Scientists in the UK are also studying a new variant detected in India, which is facing a severe crisis in its second wave of the pandemic.

It is not yet clear whether the new variant is more transmissible than other strains or whether it is capable of evading vaccines.

From today, India is on the UK’s travel red list, which means that foreign visitors are banned from entering Britain from India.

UK and Irish citizens and people with residency rights in Britain must stay in government-arranged quarantine hotels if they return from India to the UK.

More on Covid-19 vaccinations

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 0

Manchester City 2

Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'

MATCH INFO

BRIGHTON 0

MANCHESTER UNITED 3

McTominay 44'

Mata 73'

Pogba 80'

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

MATCH INFO

Fulham 0

Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')

Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
Tank warfare

Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks. 

“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.

“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

THURSDAY'S FIXTURES

4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors

6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils

8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers