New Covid Vaccine Shows Over 90% Effectiveness, But Boris Urges Caution
The British Medical Association has suggested mass vaccination centres could roll out shots “like testing centres” – good news as early results from a breakthrough Covid vaccine reveal over 90% effectiveness.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has slammed the brakes, warning Brits not to “rely on this news as a solution” just yet. “It’s still very, very early days,” he stressed.
On Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech unveiled promising preliminary trial results from 43,500 participants for the world’s first vaccine showing strong protection. The pharma giants aim for emergency approval by November, with a limited rollout possibly starting before year-end.
UK Secures 40 Million Vaccine Doses – Enough for 20 Million People
The UK government has already shelled out for 40 million doses – each person will need two injections for full protection. That means enough vaccine for up to 20 million Brits.
Mental Health Crisis Looms After Covid Diagnosis
Meanwhile, a grim new study reveals one in five Covid patients develop mental health problems within three months of diagnosis. Research by Oxford University and the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre analysed 69 million US health records, including 62,000 Covid cases.
Conditions like anxiety, depression, and insomnia topped the list. Alarmingly, for 5% of survivors, these were new mental health diagnoses.
Nicola Sturgeon Rules Out Major Scottish Lockdown Easing This Week
Scots hoping for a Brexit-like quick exit from Covid restrictions will be disappointed. Nicola Sturgeon is set to confirm that “significant easing” of rules is “highly unlikely” as Covid cases plateau but remain stubbornly high.
Speaking on Monday, the First Minister warned: “We can’t afford cases simply to plateau at their current quite high level. We need them to fall, or we risk another surge as winter deepens.”
Sturgeon pointed to worrying trends across Europe, urging caution and patience as Scotland battles to keep the virus under control.
