UK signs €1.4bn deal for Valneva coronavirus vaccine September 14, 2020 The UK government has inked a €1.4bn (£1.3bn) deal to secure up to 190m doses of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by French biotech firm Valneva. Under the terms of the deal, Valneva will supply the government with 60m doses in the second half of 2021 at a cost of €470m. The UK then has [...]
Supporting London businesses with new Covid compliant scheme September 14, 2020 Without a doubt, food and retail premises in central London have suffered hugely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably, customer facing businesses like these have been slower to reopen because of reduced footfall and consumer concerns over coronavirus transmission. But with positive and supportive initiatives, like the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, the capital [...]
AstraZeneca given green light to resume Covid-19 vaccine trials September 12, 2020 AstraZeneca is set to continue its clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine in the UK after receiving the green light from safety watchdogs, it said on Saturday. The trials of one of the most developed Covid-19 vaccines was suspended earlier in the week following a report of dangerous side effects. However, safety reviewers have recommended [...]
No-deal Brexit would hurt UK more than EU, says German finance minister September 12, 2020 A no-deal Brexit would do more damage to the UK economy than the European Union’s, according to the German finance minister. Speaking on Saturday following a meeting of 27 EU finance ministers in Berlin, Olaf Scholz said there would be “significant consequences” for Britain. “My assessment is that an unregulated situation would have very significant [...]
US budget deficit hits record $3tn due to coronavirus spending September 12, 2020 The US budget deficit has reached a record high after topping $3tn (£2.3tn) as the government’s mass spending on coronavirus relief continues. The treasury department said it spent more than $6tn in the first 11 months of its financial year, which included $2tn on Covid-19 programmes. It means the figure outpaces the $3tn it took [...]
Coronavirus: Fears of second wave mount as R rate rises above one September 11, 2020 Fears of a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections mounted today after official data showed the rate of transmission has risen above the critical level. The reproduction rate — known as R — is now between 1.0 and 1.2, according to the Government Office for Science. It marks an increase on last week, when the [...]
Coronavirus: Contact-tracing app to launch on 24 September September 11, 2020 The NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app will be rolled out in England and Wales on 24 September, the government confirmed today. The app will allow people to check in at hospitality venues by scanning QR codes using their smartphone. This will allow NHS test and trace to contact customers telling them to self-isolate if there is [...]
Countries must work together in recovering from coronavirus – Taiwan is ready to help September 11, 2020 In 2020, the world has been hit by an unprecedented public health crisis, with the effects of Covid-19 being felt across every aspect of people’s lives. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations. Now more than ever, the global community must make a concerted effort [...]
Massive corporate debt could hamper the pandemic recovery. Here’s how we could deal with it September 11, 2020 Will Tanner puts forward a suggestion for tackling UK companies’ rising corporate debt in the wake of the pandemic. The paradox of the pandemic is that everything we have done to support our economy through the crisis may inadvertently hamper our recovery out of it. Since March, the Treasury has gone to unprecedented lengths to [...]
Boris Johnson faces Tory revolt over new lockdown restrictions September 11, 2020 A number of Tory backbenchers have declared their opposition to the reintroduction of lockdown measures. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that social gatherings would again have to be limited to six people from Monday following a spike in positive coronavirus cases. But the reintroduction of this restriction has reportedly divided current ministers [...]