Glastonbury
Bridie’s Yard is now open on Thursdays & Fridays and also selling some goods on Tuesdays at Paddington Farm. For info about opening times and reserved sessions see here
National
- Government denies it took political decision to stay out of EU ventilator scheme. The health secretary Matt Hancock has denied that UK ministers took a political decision not to be involved in an EU ventilator scheme, contradicting a statement from the Foreign Office permanent under-secretary Sir Simon McDonald, earlier in the day. The government has previously said the UK did not take part due to missed emails.
- Trials for a coronavirus vaccine to start on people in Oxford on Thursday, says government. A potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at the University of Oxford will be trialled on people from Thursday, said the health secretary Matt Hancock. Hancock added that he was making £22m available to Imperial to support their ongoing phase two trials, and providing £20m to the Oxford team to accelerate their trials.
- UK hospital coronavirus deaths rise by 823 to 17,337. The Department for Health and Social Care has published the latest UK hospital death figures: 823 new deaths were recorded, taking the total to 17,337.
- Coronavirus deaths in England and Wales peaked on 8 April, experts claim. The peak in the number of coronavirus deaths in England and Wales happened on April 8, according to scientists
- ONS to investigate why 8,000 weekly ‘excess’ death toll even higher than coronavirus figures imply. Nick Stripe, the health analysis and life events division at the ONS, said new ONS figures showed around 8,000 “excess deaths” in the week ending 10 April. The figures revealed that deaths were at the highest level for 20 years, and double the level normally expected.
- Latest ONS figures show 20% of coronavirus deaths occurring outside hospital. In the week ending 10 April only 80.3% of coronavirus deaths took place in hospital, with the rest occurring in care homes, private homes and hospices. The ONS figures also revealed that the number of deaths in care homes in that week was double what it was just four weeks before.
- Dozens of patients with Covid-19 have been turned away from the NHS Nightingale hospital in London because it has too few nurses. A Guardian exclusive has revealed that dozens of patients with Covid-19 have been turned away from the NHS Nightingale hospital in London because it has too few nurses to treat them.
- Labour: there is ‘increasing gap’ between government claims on PPE and reality. Labour leader Keir Starmer said there was a “increasing gap” between what the government was stating and what was being reported on the frontline. Earlier the shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the shortage of personal protective equipment was a “disgrace.
National updates from https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/21/uk-coronavirus-live-parliament-returns-government-lockdown-latest-updates
International
- At least 2.5 million people have now been infected with the coronavirus, researchers at Johns Hopkins University say, while more than 170,000 are known to have died worldwide.
- Italy recorded its first significant fall in infections, with the number of people currently infected with the virus down by 528 to 107,709. They country reported 534 new deaths on Tuesday; 80 more than Monday, bringing the death toll to 24,648.
- Mexico’s government said the country had entered the “most serious stage” of its outbreak. The country’s deputy health minister, Hugo López-Gatell, said: “We are in the phase of rapid spread where a large number of infections and hospitalisations are accumulated.”
- The Pamplona bull run was cancelled. The annual event, where hundreds of daredevils play a risky and controversial game of catch-me-if-you-can with half-tonne fighting bulls, was supposed to take place in Spain in July.
International updates from https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/21/coronavirus-live-news-donald-trump-downplays-oil-price-crash-as-short-term-latest-updates