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Even as the UK agrees deals for 14 million additional vaccine doses from Moderna and Pfizer, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has renewed its calls for community pharmacies in England to play an increased role in delivering booster jabs for Covid-19. "Pharmacists and pharmacy teams across the health service in England have been crucial to the success of the flu and Covids-19 vaccination programmes from the outset," said Thorrun Govind, chair of the RPS in England, who has been making a case on national television for an increased role of the profession. She added: "They continue to go above and beyond to support patient care, engaging with local communities and helping to overcome vaccine hesitancy. "They've already done so much this year to look after patients in really difficult circumstances, but many will be ready to rise to the challenge of this new national effort."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has cautioned that measures to protect people against Covid-19 must be stepped up in the wake of discovery of the new variant, B.1.1.529. It has urged members of the public to practice 'hands, face, space and ventilation' protection measures which have become less used in the last few months. RPS director of pharmacy Robbie Turner said that though it was too early to conclude about the transmissibility or resistance of the new variant to current vaccines, quick action should be taken to protect the public. "Each one of us must take the necessary precautions of wearing a mask in higher risk situations, maintaining social distancing wherever possible, ensuring there's appropriate ventilation indoors when meeting others and washing our hands regularly." Encouraging people to take Covid vaccine, he said, it "is still our best defence against this virus".

Prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday (January 19) that restrictions re-imposed in England last month would be lifted by from next Thursday (January 27). In the latest development, the government has decided to end the guidance on working from home, asking employers to make adequate arrangements to return safely to work. From the start of next Thursday, mandatory certification based on vaccines and tests will end, however, organisations can still choose to use the NHS Covid Pass voluntarily. Besides, the legal mandate to wear face masks will go away from next week. Making a statement to the House of Commons on Covid-19, he said that infection levels are falling in England mainly because of the country's "extraordinary booster campaign". He noted more than 36 million Covid-19 booster jabs had been delivered, with over 90 percent of over-60s now given a third dose. "Our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally," Johnson added, while cautioning "the pandemic is not over". "I encourage everyone across the country to continue with all the cautious behaviours that we know help to keep each everybody safe."

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Tuesday authorised a Covid-19 vaccine for infants as young as six months, opening the door for vaccinating the country's youngest children once the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) agrees. The regulator authorised the vaccine - made by Pfizer and BioNTech - for children aged six months to four years old, after it was deemed safe and effective based on an ongoing clinical trial involving 4,526 participants. Whether the vaccine is eventually deployed in this age group depends on a recommendation from the JCVI, which advises UK health departments on which shots should be used as part of the national vaccination programme. The vaccine is tailored for use in this age group - it is a lower dose version than the one used in children aged five to 11 years. It is given as three injections in the upper arm, with the first two doses given three weeks apart, followed by a third dose administered at least two months after the second dose.

A pair of pharmacist brothers, who also own a popular restaurant in Kent, have started an innovative initiative 'Jabs with Kebabs' to encourage their community in England to come forward and take their Covid-19 vaccines. Rav and Raj Chopra, who own V's Punjabi Grill, an Indian restaurant in Gravesend, established the walk-in vaccine site after their father, Jagtar Chopra, became unwell with Covid-19 last year. The duo is among thousands to volunteer for the National Health Service (NHS) vaccine programme. Talking to the PA news agency, Raj said he was inspired by the experience of his father, who got infected with the virus and has fully recovered since then. "From a personal point of view, it was very debilitating to see Dad like that," said Raj Chopra. "It got everyone's emotions in play.

Health secretary Sajid Javid urged people to book a Covid-19 booster shot on Wednesday (December 1) as he said there were 22 confirmed cases of the Omicron virus variant in the country. Javid said the government believed a booster campaign would help protect against severe disease from Omicron, even if it turns out that vaccines are not as effective against the variant as previous strains of the disease. He said he hoped to know more about Omicron within two weeks, as scientists work to understand what impact the new variant will have on transmissibility and serious disease. "At this point in time the case numbers are very low," Javid told Sky News. "For the UK we've got 22 confirmed cases at the moment and that will go up, it will certainly go up." Britain plans to offer all adults a Covid-19 booster shot by the end of January. Government data shows 81 per cent of the population aged over 12 have had two doses of the vaccine while 32 per cent have had a booster shot or third dose.

A fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine is not needed at present, as latest data shows first booster provides high levels of protection against Omicron variant among older adults, says the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). After analysing latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), JCVI said: "There is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, or fourth jab, to the most vulnerable". Data from UKSHA revealed that single booster dose provides around 90 per cent protection against hospitalisation to those aged 65 and over, even after three months of jab. However, protection against mild symptomatic infection is short-lived and drops to around 30 per cent by about three months. The study, which looked at booster doses in those aged over 65, showed that with two vaccine doses, protection against the infection drops to around 70 per cent after three months and to 50 per cent after six months.

The British scientists behind one of the major therapeutic Covid-19 trials have turned their focus to treatments for monkeypox, a viral disease that has been labelled a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The team from Oxford University behind the so-called RECOVERY trial - which honed in on four effective Covid treatments - on Tuesday unveiled a new trial, dubbed PLATINUM, to confirm whether Siga Technologies' tecovirimat is an effective treatment for monkeypox. Although there are vaccines developed for the closely related smallpox that can reduce the risk of catching monkeypox, there are currently no treatments that have been proven to help hasten recovery in those who develop the disease. The UK has over 3,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox. The virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. It typically causes mild symptoms including fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes and pus-filled skin lesions. Severe cases can occur, though people tend to recover within two to four weeks. Siga's drug, branded Tpoxx, has been cleared to treat diseases caused by the family of orthopoxvirus that includes smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox by the European Union and United Kingdom, but due to limited trial data it is generally only used in severe cases in Britain.

Britain on Monday (January 10) put the biggest private health companies on high alert to deliver crucial treatments such as cancer surgery should Omicron overwhelm National Health Service hospitals in England. The United Kingdom's death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic stands at 150,154, the world's seventh worst official Covid toll after the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. Prime minister Boris Johnson has bet on refraining from lockdowns to deal with the Omicron variant which in recent weeks has swept across the UK, albeit with death rates significantly lower than previous waves. In a sign of just how stretched the NHS could become, health secretary Sajid Javid ordered England's NHS to strike a three-month deal with private health companies to allow patients to get treatments such as cancer surgery outside. "Millions of patients have already got their tests and treatment quicker thanks to our existing deal with independent providers," said David Sloman, NHS England chief operating officer and Covid incident director.

Prime minister Boris Johnson received his Covid-19 booster shot on Thursday (December 2) and urged others to follow suit to help the country fend off the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Wearing a mask, Johnson briefly chatted to staff and others queuing for their shots at the vaccination centre in central London, asking them if they were there to receive a booster dose and thanking them for attending. Johnson, who said it could "have gone either way" when he was treated in hospital for Covid last year, was later filmed rolling up his shirt sleeve and receiving his shot. "Fantastic. Thank you so much," he said to the nurse, before receiving a badge that said "I've boosted my immunity".

Health and social care workers in England, including those working in community pharmacy, will no longer have to have a Covid jab as a condition of employment from later this month, the government said on Tuesday (March 1). The government had announced on January 31 that it intended to revoke the regulations that made vaccination compulsory, subject to the results of a public consultation. The decision was taken because the Omicron strain of the virus was less severe than the Delta variant, and due to high rates of vaccination of people in the UK. Health secretary Sajid Javid told parliament in a written statement that more than 90,000 health and social care workers and members of the public responded to the consultation.

Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna that use mRNA technology provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when given 10-12 weeks after the second dose, a new study has found. The "COV-Boost" study was cited by UK officials when they announced that Pfizer and Moderna were preferred for use in the country's booster campaign, but the data has only been made publicly available now. The study found that six out of the seven boosters examined enhanced immunity after initial vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, while all seven increased immunity when given after two doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine. "A third dose will be effective for many of the vaccines we've tested and in many different combinations," Professor Saul Faust, an immunologist at the University of Southampton and the trial's lead, told the media.

Britain is looking at the possibility of changing rules on mandatory vaccination for healthcare staff, chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said on Monday (January 31). "We do recognise those realities and that does open a space where we can look at this again," Clarke said. Sky News reported Clarke as saying that the policy of mandatory jabs was something that ministers had "always kept under review".

Pharmacy teams are being encouraged to support the ground-breaking Platform Adaptive trial of Novel antivirals for early treatment of Covid-19 In the Community (PANORAMIC) study by raising awareness among patients. The study aims to find out whether new antiviral treatments can help Covid-19 patients avoid hospital admission and support a quicker recovery. The PANORAMIC trial will allow researchers to gather data on the potential benefits of treatments to patients and will help the NHS to develop plans for rolling out the products to further patients in 2022. Anyone over the age of 50 or between 18 to 49 with certain underlying health conditions can participate in the trial after receiving a positive PCR or lateral flow test result for Covid-19. People who wish to participate in the trial can sign up themselves through the study's website and may be contacted by a member of the clinical team in a general practice that has been set up to deliver the PANORAMIC trial.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer leader has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, a spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday (January 5). Starmer had been due to face prime minister Boris Johnson at a question and answer session in parliament later today. His deputy, Angela Rayner, will take his place, the spokesperson added. Starmer had tested positive for Covid-19 last October and self-isolated four times after coming into contact with other positive cases on several occasions.

The prevalence of Covid-19 infections in England rose to around one in 60 people in the week ending November 27, the Office for National Statistics said today (December 03), led higher by the dominant Delta variant rather than the newly identified Omicron. The prevalence was up from one in 65 reported the previous week, the ONS said, adding that 99 per cent of all coronavirus infections which were sequenced were genetically compatible with the Delta variant. "To date, we have not identified any infections compatible with the new Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) among our survey participants," the ONS said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has introduced travel restrictions and some mask mandates, with a view to slowing the spread of Omicron while work is undertaken to understand it better. There have been 42 confirmed cases of the variant in Britain, which has mutations consistent with reduced vaccine efficacy.

Former chancellor Rishi Sunak, one of two candidates vying to be Britain's next premier, criticised the way outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson handled the Covid-19 pandemic, saying it had been a mistake to "empower" scientists and that the downsides of lockdowns were suppressed. The Tories are choosing a new leader after Johnson was forced to quit when dozens of ministers resigned in protest at a series of scandals and missteps. Party members are voting to select either Sunak or foreign secretary Liz Truss, who will take over next month. Opinion polls show Sunak is behind in race. The handling of the pandemic has become an issue, with Truss saying this month she would never again approve another lockdown and also asserting that as trade minister at the time she was not involved in taking the key decisions about how to respond. Sunak said the government had been "wrong to scare people" about coronavirus. He said he was banned by officials in Johnson's office from discussing the "trade-offs" of imposing coronavirus-related restrictions, such as the impact on missed doctor's appointments and lengthening waiting lists for healthcare in the NHS.

A new study has revealed that the risk of death from COVID-19 decreases significantly after vaccination, but this protection diminishes after six months, providing evidence for continued booster doses. Researchers from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who analysed more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 in adults in England between May 2020 and February 2022, found a clear association between vaccination and reduced mortality. But they also highlighted a crucial timeframe - within six months of the last vaccine dose - when Case Fatality Risk (CFR) - the proportion of cases that resulted in death - was consistently at its lowest across all age groups. After this, the protective benefit of the vaccine began to wane and CFR increased.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) says initial tests of the antibody-based Covid-19 therapy it is developing with US partner Vir suggest the drug is effective against the Omicron variant. A GSK statement on Thursday (December 2) said that lab tests and a study on hamsters have demonstrated the sotrovimab antibody cocktail to work against viruses that were bio-engineered to carry a number of hallmark mutations of the new variant. The tests are continuing to confirm the results against all of the Omicron mutations, with an update expected by the end of the year, it added. The antibody is designed to latch on to the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, but Omicron has been found to have an unusually high amount of mutations on that protein. "Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind," said Vir chief executive George Scangos, adding that the drug was targeting a region of the spike protein that was highly unlikely to mutate.

The NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme has administered more than 40 million second doses following a bumper week that saw over 200,000 people coming forward for their second jab. Last week, more than 65,000 people aged 18 and over also stepped up to get their first dose of the Covid-19 jab. The NHS continued to encourage people to come forward for their first, second or third doses. Recent data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that two doses of the vaccine are not enough to avoid the Omicron infection, but a booster significantly increases protection against the variant. Since the start of vaccination programme, NHS England has administered more than 113 million jabs in total. However, more than 1.1 million people aged 18 and over have still not come forward for their second dose.