Health News at Your Fingertips

Scotland’s first minister has said scrapping Covid-19 testing capacity would be “inexcusable negligence”, PA Media reports.

Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland would “retain a robust testing system” over the coming months, as she announced that all legal restrictions in response to Covid-19 could end on 21 March if the downward trajectory of the virus continues.

She added that the system would move away from mass testing of those without symptoms to a more targeted approach which will be laid out next month.

She said in her statement of Covid-19 tests:

We consider it important – in line with the principle of healthcare free at the point of use – that they should remain free of charge for any circumstance in which government recommends testing.

Asked by Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross why she was “creating a fight” with the UK Government over testing, Ms Sturgeon said:

I’ve had many discussions with UK government representatives in the past days on this issue and we all agree that, I think, in time we should move to a more targeted system of testing.

The difference between the Scottish government and the UK government is that we should do that in a careful, phased basis and that we should give great care and thought to the testing infrastructure built up in the past two years that we retain for the future.

To dismantle that in any significant way, I think, would be inexcusable negligence given the threats that Covid still presents to us.

The first minister said it was “deeply regrettable” there had been no clarity on the long-term funding for testing, but added that the Scottish government would “continue to work with” the UK government on the matter.

Northern Ireland’s health minister has warned he will not be rushed into making decisions around Covid tests.

Robin Swann was speaking after prime minister Boris Johnson announced an end to free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for the general public in England from 1 April.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said that Northern Ireland follow England’s lead however Sinn Fein, Alliance and the SDLP have urged caution.

On Tuesday evening Mr Swann emphasised said:

I will not be rushed into making decisions on Covid testing based on timetables set elsewhere.

I have asked officials to draw up policy options based on an appropriate, proportionate approach to testing in NI.

In the meantime, there will be no changes to the current approach.

Looking ahead, testing will continue to have a role, especially in protecting the most vulnerable.

Further discussions on funding will be required with the UK Government and NI Ministerial colleagues.

Northern Ireland is currently without a fully functioning Executive following the resignation of first minister Paul Givan earlier this month which also forced deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill from the joint office.

However other Executive ministers, who remain in post, have indicated their preference to keep free Covid testing, PA Media reports.

Finance minister Conor Murphy said he wants to see free testing continue, but warned that Stormont will have tough choices to make without funding from Westminster for free testing.

A judge has denied bail to one of the leading organisers behind the protests in Canada against Covid-19 restrictions and prime minister Justin Trudeau, the Associated Press reports.

Ontario court justice Julie Bourgeois said Tuesday she believed there was a substantial likelihood Tamara Lich would re-offend if released.

Lich has been a key organiser of the protest that paralysed the streets around Parliament Hill for more than three weeks. The trucker protest, dubbed the ‘Freedom Convoy’, also grew until it closed a handful of Canada-US border posts. They have since ended.

Lich was arrested last Thursday and charged with counselling to commit mischief and promised during a bail hearing on Saturday to give up her advocacy of the protest and return to Alberta.

A separate bail hearing is scheduled on Tuesday for fellow protest organiser Pat King.

King was arrested on Friday and faces charges of mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying a court order and counselling to obstruct police.

Lich’s bail decision came the day after Canadian lawmakers voted to support the government’s use of measures under the Emergencies Act.

Ottawa police have made 196 arrests, with 110 facing a variety of charges. Police also said 115 vehicles connected to the protest have been towed.

The UK has reported 205 daily Covid-19 deaths within 28 days of a positive test compared with 15 deaths on Monday. A further 41,130 new cases were reported compared with 38,409 cases the previous day.

Italy has reported 322 coronavirus-related deaths up from 201. There were a further 60,029 daily Covid-19 cases against 24,408 the day before, the health ministry said.

France has reported 97,382 new daily coronavirus cases compared with 17,195 yesterday. A further 2,842 are in intensive care units for Covid-19, this is down by 63.

That’s all from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, on the global coronavirus blog as I head to our coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Please feel free to join me there. In the meantime, here’s a quick recap of all the international Covid developments:

• Scotland’s system of mandatory vaccine passports for nightclubs and sports venues is to end next week, Nicola Sturgeon has announced. On 21 March, assuming there was no new surge in infections, the regulations requiring face masks on public transport and in shops will also end, to be replaced by guidance recommending them.

• All 7.4 million Hong Kong residents must undergo three rounds of compulsory coronavirus testing in March, the chief executive, Carrie Lam, said. Hong Kong’s leader confirmed that officials in mainland China were now coordinating the response to the territory’s worst outbreak as she admitted that local authorities had failed to stamp out the current surge.

• Ministers in Ireland have approved plans to remove almost all Covid-related restrictions, including the wearing of face masks, on Monday. From next week, people will be advised to exercise their own judgment on the use of masks in schools, shops and on public transport. The use of masks will only be required in healthcare settings.

• The Spanish government has approved an agreement with unions and business groups to extend its furlough scheme for workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic until the end of March. The ERTE scheme provides furloughed workers with 70% of their base salary for the first six months, before dropping to 50% for the following months.

• People infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant are nearly 75% less likely to develop serious illness or die than those who contract the Delta variant, real world data released by South Korea’s health authorities showed.

• The UK government’s Covid dashboard will no longer be updated at weekends, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed. As of this week, the dashboard will be updated from Monday to Friday, while daily cases and deaths by report date published on Mondays will include figures from the weekend.

• Canada’s parliament backed the decision of Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, to invoke rarely-used emergency powers to end pandemic-related protests that have blocked streets in the capital, Ottawa, for more than three weeks.

• The Queen has cancelled her planned engagements for Tuesday as she is still experiencing mild cold-like symptoms from Covid-19, Buckingham Palace has said. The palace confirmed on Sunday that the monarch, 95, had tested positive for coronavirus and was planning to continue carrying out “light duties” at Windsor Castle.

• Uganda plans to fine people who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid and imprison those who fail to pay, under a new public health law which lawmakers are scrutinising, its parliament said on Tuesday.

The Spanish government has approved an agreement with unions and business groups to extend its furlough scheme for workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic until the end of March.

The ERTE scheme provides furloughed workers with 70% of their base salary for the first six months, before dropping to 50% for the following months.

It was first introduced in April 2020 and has since been extended several times. The most recent extension had been due to end on 28 February.

In a statement, the Spanish government said:

The extension will occur automatically, and the companies and workers concerned will not have to take any steps.

About 104,000 people are currently furloughed in Spain, compared to a peak of 3.4 million in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, concludes that “Covid has not gone away, it isn’t the case that it has simply disappeared because we want it”.

She adds that she agrees with the chief medical officer of England that it is “highly likely” we will face “new threats” from Covid in the form of new variants.

“We need contingency measures in place, we need to make sure that we have laws fit for purpose … I’m sure there will be many people across this country that breathe a sigh of relief that Douglas Ross hasn’t been in charge of these decisions,” she says, before sitting down to applause from her fellow SNP MSPs.

In addition, Sturgeon announces plans for the legal requirement on businesses to keep customer contact details to end on 21 March.

But in contrast to the UK government, she says that the Scottish government will ensure continued access to free PCR and lateral flow tests, saying Scotland is committed to a “robust” testing system.

She also says those testing positive should continue to self-isolate for the time being.

She said:

I must express frustration at the position of the UK government. It is, of course, for the prime minister to decide how best to tackle Covid in England.

However, current funding arrangements mean that though taxpayers in all four UK nations contribute to the costs, it is decisions taken for England that determine the resources available to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for testing and other Covid measures.

Scotland’s coronavirus certification scheme will “come to an end” on Monday, Sturgeon confirms.

She says the plans for the legal requirement for people to wear face coverings in some settings to become converted to guidance from 21 March.

However, she says it is “highly likely” the virus will continue to mutate and sets out how Scotland plans to deal with that scenario.

“If a new variant emerged that was more transmissible and more severe, perhaps with the ability to evade vaccine or natural immunity, this threat would likely be classified as high,” she says.

“In those circumstances, we might advice people to avoid social contact for a period or to work from home if possible.”

Following the lead from the UK government yesterday, Sturgeon says that those most at risk from Covid will be offered a fourth jab to help protect them.

She says: “This phase of the programme will also start in March.”

Sturgeon says the best available treatment will be used on those suffering from Covid and need to receive hospital treatment.

Also in Scotland, the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is setting out the Scottish government’s “strategic framework” for tackling Covid.

She says that it “makes clear that in future we will seek to rely less on legally imposed measures and more on vaccines, treatments and sensible adaptations and good public health behaviours”.

Sturgeon says the Scottish government will aim to ensure vaccines are still readily available for people, in line with expert advice. She says there are more than 600,000 people living in Scotland who have yet to receive a third dose.

Scotland has recorded another 18 coronavirus deaths, as well as 6,427 new cases of the virus.

The latest statistics mean that 10,614 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid.

The figures, published by the Scottish government, showed 1,060 people in hospital on Monday with recently confirmed coronavirus, up from 1,051 the previous day.

This total included 12 who were in intensive care, down from 13.

Meanwhile 4,433,160 people in Scotland have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, with 4,152,325 having had two doses and 3,404,119 have received a third dose or booster.

The UK government’s Covid dashboard will no longer be updated at weekends, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed.

Established at the start of the pandemic, the dashboard has provided daily updates on Covid-19 cases and deaths in all parts of the UK, as well as data on hospital capacity and vaccinations.

As of this week, the dashboard will be updated from Monday to Friday, the UKHSA said. Daily cases and deaths by report date published on Mondays will include figures from the weekend. These will not be separated out to show daily figures for Saturday and Sunday.

The announcement comes after Boris Johnson’s “living with Covid” plan said the dashboard would be kept under review to ensure its data remains “useful and relevant” as testing is scaled back.

The plan states:

As testing reduces and the Government’s approach to managing Covid-19 further evolves, the UK Health Security Agency will keep the content and frequency of reporting on Covid-19 under close review – including the Gov.uk dashboard – to ensure that statistics are being produced with the appropriate level of quality and transparency, and remain useful and relevant as per the Code of Practice for Statistics.

The i reports the dashboard could face the axe altogether, with Whitehall sources saying the prime minister wanted to end daily updates on the dashboard by mid-April “at the latest”.

A senior source told the paper:

The prime minister has pencilled in Easter as the latest date by which the daily Covid statistics will be published in their current form. In an ideal situation, he will bring an end to them sooner if the current downward trend in deaths continues.