25 Key Moments From Boris Johnson’s First Day-Long Grilling At Covid Inquiry

Boris Johnson has been giving evidence to the public Covid Inquiry all day.

This is just the first of two days in which he will be grilled over the government’s handling of the pandemic, and there was plenty of back-and-forth between the former prime minister and the counsel to the inquiry Hugo Keith KC.

So here’s a list of the core exchanges from the first day.

1. He began with an apology – but was interrupted by protests

“Can I just say how glad I am to be at this inquiry and how sorry I am for the pain and the loss and the suffering of the Covid victims,” Johnson said when he started to give evidence.

Four people started to protest and held up a sign which said “the dead can’t hear your apologies”. They were removed.

Johnson also said he took “personal responsibility for all decisions made”.

The Inquiry chair, Lady Hallett, also kicked off proceedings by warning Johnson about the leaks to the media, saying: “Failing to respect confidentiality undermines the inquiry’s ability to do its job fairly, effectively and independently.”

2. Johnson couldn’t explain what happened to WhatsApps from his old phone

Amid a furore that the inquiry did not have all the necessary evidence because one of the ex-PM’s phones could not be accessed, Johnson said he was not responsible for any of the apparent technical issues.

“I haven’t removed WhatsApps from my phone. I want to make that clear. I have given everything you need,” he said.

3 ‘Not sure’ if government decisions led to more Covid deaths

In his witness statement, the ex-PM wrote: “We – I – unquestionably made mistakes, and for those I unreservedly apologise.”

However, when pressed by Keith, Johnson did not say what mistakes he was referring to – he just admitted that, with hindsight, it was clear they needed to do things differently.

Asked if he thought government-decision making led “materially to more excess deaths than might otherwise have been the case”, he said: “I’m not sure.”

He did admit concerns about mixed messages from the devolved governments, though. He later said “the collaboration was excellent” but communication could end up being “confusing”.

4. Johnson challenged the claim the UK had the second highest number of deaths in Europe

Johnson claimed the UK was “16th out of 33 countries for excess deaths” in Europe.

However, the QC said the UK had one of the worst records for excess deaths among western European countries.

Johnson also blamed other factors, like the “extremely elderly population”, and the population density of the UK.

5. Cabinet ‘more reluctant’ to impose lockdown

The ex-PM said his colleagues were “more reluctant” than he was to impose lockdown-type measures.

He said: “I think it would be fair to say that the cabinet was on the whole more reluctant to impose NPIs (non-pharmaceutical interventions) than I was.”

6. Johnson admitted he read Sage meetings minutes ‘once or twice’

The PM was criticised at the start of pandemic for missing Sage – Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – at the beginning of 2020.

He said in retrospect it may have been “valuable to try to hear the Sage conversation”, but he was reliant on the chief medical officer for England, professor Chris Whitty and the former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance who are “outstanding experts in their field”.

7. He did not want to sack Hancock

He defended the former health secretary Matt Hancock, who has been heavily criticised for his handling of the pandemic throughout the course of the inquiry.

His former chief adviser Dominic Cummings told the inquiry he had encouraging Johnson to sack Hancock, the ex-PM said: “If you’re a prime minister, you are constantly being lobbied by somebody to sack somebody else.”

He added that Cummings “had a low opinion of the health secretary”, but Johnson said: “I thought he was wrong.”

Johnson also said he does not accept Hancock was excluded from some key meetings, but said he needed to discuss some costly elements of the lockdowns with the Treasury.

Later, he expressed frustration – and rolled his eyes – at the idea in Cummings’ witness statement that he kept Hancock in cabinet as a sacrifice for the inquiry.

“I don’t remember that at all, it’s nonsense,” Johnson said, saying he thought Hancock was a good public communicator “whatever his defects”.

Boris Johnson, centre, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty, left, and then Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance
Boris Johnson, centre, Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty, left, and then Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance

via Associated Press

8. Johnson disputed claims about toxic culture

Former senior civil servant Helen MacNamara told the inquiry Johnson oversaw a “toxic culture” in No.10, while top civil servant Simon Case that the top team were “basically feral”.

But the ex-PM told the inquiry that actually it was just “a lot of highly talented, highly motivated people who are stricken with anxiety” who under pressure “will be inclined to be critical of others”.

But he said it would have been worse if everyone was “so deferential” they never expressed their opinion.

9. ‘Too many meetings were too male-dominated’

MacNamara claimed there was an “obvious, sexist treatment” of women in No.10.

Johnson said: “I think that the gender balance of my team should have been better.

“I think sometimes during the pandemic, too many meetings were too male-dominated if I’m absolutely honest with you.”

He later said he had apologised to MacNamara after messages, sent to him describing her as a “c***”, were published in the inquiry.

10. Johnson said his senior aides chose to ‘step aside’

Johnson said his cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and chief adviser Dominic Cummings both decided to step aside, rather than a sign he lost confidence in them.

When pressed over his relationships with them, he refused to be drawn and just said they chose to leave, saying it was “very difficult, very challenging period”.

11. Johnson responded to claims he was slow to respond to Covid

The ex-PM said the possibility of such a virus was not something that had really “broken upon the political world”, and he was not asked about it at PMQs – but noted he did become anxious about it by the end of February.

He added: “It was not escalated to me as an issue of national concern until much later.”

Acknowledging some predictions he saw about the potential Covid deaths in early 2020, he said: “I don’t think we attached enough credence to those forecasts.”

He claimed it was a “cloud on the horizon no bigger than a man’s hand”.

He said he could not remember expressing scepticism about the possible number of deaths.

12. Blamed a lack of communication from scientific teams

“The scientific community within Whitehall at that stage was not telling us that this was something that was going to require urgent and immediate action,” Johnson claimed.

He said he knew Covid had a 2% fatality rate, but claimed “fallacious, inductive logic” meant they did not take warnings seriously.

13. Johnson admitted that deaths in Italy ‘rattled me’

The ex-PM noted Italy had an elderly population, much like the UK, and so its 8% fatality rate “really rattled me”.

He said: “We should have twigged, we should collectively have twigged, much sooner. I should have twigged [by late February].”

14. Johnson seemed emotional when remembering decisions around lockdown

Weighing up lockdown and behavioural fatigue, Johnson said he was anxious about locking down too early without a vaccination programme.

“We have to be realistic about 2020 – the whole year – that whole tragic, tragic year,” Johnson said, before taking a moment to compose himself.

He then pointed out “we did lock down – and then it bounced back.”

15. Johnson defended his work ethic

He claimed he does not accept suggestions he was doing nothing in the months before lockdown, saying he was working and having calls with Presidents Xi and Trump.

The QC replied that he was actually not suggesting Johnson was on holiday, he was just reiterating Cummings’ allegations.

16. Johnson said he did not consider ignoring any advice about lockdown

He said the view that interventions should to be imposed too early was “the prevailing view for a long time” and shared by lots of people – and so he would not have gone into lockdown earlier.

Suggesting it was hard to know how to respond, he said: “When you hear about an Asian pandemic that is about to sweep the world, you think you’ve heard it before and that was the problem.”

He did not consider overruling the chief medical officer – and Keith then asked if he understood Sage could not tell him what to do.

Over accusations that he showed a lack of leadership by changing direction, he said: “Of course we were changing but so did the collective understanding of the science.”

17. He expressed regret about shaking hands

Johnson told the media he went to a hospital and shook hands with several Covid patients at the very early stages of the pandemic.

“I do think I shouldn’t have done that in retrospect,” Johnson replied.

“I should have been more precautionary, but I wanted to be encouraging to people.”

The clip in question from March 2020 below:

18. Johnson acknowledged sports events should have been cancelled

The ex-PM said they should have stopped mass sporting events in early March – Johnson attended an England v Wales game at Twickenham.

“With hindsight, as a symbol of the government’s earnestness rather than being guided by the science, we should perhaps have done this,” he said.

But he added, “At every stage I was weighing massive costs,” and “what the government was going to do was “very destructive for a lot of people least able to bear the costs”.

19. He addressed thinking behind herd immunity

Johnson said trying to flatten the curve of infections, – which he claimed led some people to assume the government were “trying to allow this thing to pass through the population unchecked”.

However he said this would have been a “by-product” of tackling the virus.

20. Johnson was ‘bewildered’ by possible impact of intervention

Presented with a graph showing the possible impact of interventions on the NHS, he said: “I was bewildered, to be honest.”

With or without restrictions, he said: “In either case, we are facing an absolutely intolerable situation.”

21. One heated moment over his lockdown

Johnson rejected claims he could not make up his mind about the lockdown – which came into effect on March 23, 2020 – but said the chancellor told him it would pose a risk to bond markets so he had to make a careful decision.

“It would have been totally negligent not to have had such a conversation,” Johnson said: “I’d made up my mind – we [were] getting on and doing it, we [were] not being diverted.”

He said, “I had no other tool – literally nothing else” aside from lockdown, and he “couldn’t take the gamble with public health”.

22. Johnson stood by lockdown

He said: “I believe that it was absolutely necessary” and “helped to suppress the R-rate”.

He also cast doubt on the view that the need for a mandatory stay at home order could have been avoided if the government acted sooner – but accepted Sage lacked enough clarify on data.

23. Johnson said he should have spent more time with the devolved administrations

Despite saying in his witness statement that he thought it was wrong for the PM to hold meetings with the first ministers, and compared it to being a “mini EU”, Johnson said they need to get a “better way of getting a unified message”.

“Some form of integrated decision-making which does not leak is what you’re after,” he said.

24. Johnson expressed regret for saying long Covid was ‘bollocks’

The ex-PM admitted that he had written in notes about long Covid describing it as “bollocks” and “gulf war syndrome stuff” – an illness which rocked veterans from the 1991 war, but no single cause was ever identified.

He said these phrases may have caused “hunt and offence to huge numbers of people who have that syndrome”, and “I regret it very very much.”

25. Johnson defended ‘argumentative’ culture in No.10

Johnson’s administration has been repeatedly slammed for “misogyny”, “leadership issues”

The ex-PM said he wanted a No.10 where ideas can be challenged, and he said: “It was occasionally argumentative, but that was no bad thing.”

He also said the country required “continuous, urgent action”, and claimed he spoke bluntly sometimes “because I wanted to give people cover to do the same”.

He also said the PM should go into meetings when decisions are being made – but that was not happening.

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Boris Johnson Asked If Blowing A Hair Dryer Up Your Nose Would Kill Covid

Boris Johnson asked whether Covid could be be cured by blowing a hair dryer up your nose, after watching a YouTube video.

Dominic Cummings made the allegation in his evidence to the Covid inquiry, describing it as a “low point”.

Cummings said as the pandemic raged he often “couldn’t be sure” whether it was actually Johnson himself who was “the source of false stories” in the media about Covid.

“A low point was when he circulated a video of a guy blowing a special hair dryer up his nose ‘to kill covid’ and asked the CSA (chief science adviser) and CM (chief medical officer) what they thought,” Cummings said.

Writing his his diary on December 12, 2021, Vallance said: ”[Johnson] says his party ’thinks the whole thing is pathetic and Covid is just nature’s way of dealing with old people – and I am not entirely sure I disagree with them.”

Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, also once worried that Johnson was “Trump-Bolsonaro level mad” on Covid.

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4 Bits Of News You May Have Missed Due To The Tory Civil War

It’s difficult to stay across all of the news at the best of times, never mind when a Tory civil war is unfolding.

Boris Johnson’s resignation and the battle for his place in No.10 has definitely dominated the news cycle for the last two weeks.

And while the appointment of the new prime minster is important, the government turmoil means other stories may have slipped under the radar.

So here are four other bits of news that you may have missed.

1. Russia makes progress in Ukraine

On Thursday, Russia targeted a densely populated area in Kharkiv, killing at least two people and injuring 21 more. It looks as though the shelling him a market, a bus stop, a gym and a residential building.

It comes after Moscow’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia was expanding its military objectives in Ukraine on Wednesday.

This means it is essentially looking to take control of the entire southern regions of Ukraine, and that the Russian Armed Forces are moving beyond the so-called “People’s Republics” of Donestk and Luhansk in the east.

The invasion is now in its fifth month, and continues to take much longer than Russia initially predicted. But, despite the slow start and the strong resistance from Ukrainian forces and the repelling of Russian troops from other corners of the country (including the capital Kyiv), it seems Putin is not giving up.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted in response to the expansion of the Kremlin’s military aims that “Russians want blood, not talks”, and called for more help from allies.

Lavrov has warned the West that the Kremlin will continue expanding its objectives if Nato allies continue supplying the country with long-range weapons.

Russian invasion of Ukraine
Russian invasion of Ukraine

PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images

2. Worker strikes continue

The summer of discontent is still rolling on, with Royal Mail workers voting to go on strike over pay on Tuesday.

More than 115,000 employees who are part of the Communication Workers Union supported the action, which – if it goes ahead – could amount to the largest walkout ever by its members.

When Royal Mail tweeted that it was “disappointed” by the strike action, the CWU replied: “Dry your eyes mate.”

Disputes over pay are affecting industries across the UK, with railway workers and airport employees pushing back against their current salaries due to the cost of living crisis.

CWU is just one of many unions to ballot for strikes recently, as inflation climbs to highest rate in 40 years.

3. Annual grocery bills climb by £454

Shoppers across the UK will soon see their annual grocery bills for the year jump up by £454 due to food and drink inflation.

Grocery price inflation increased to 9.9% in the four weeks leading up to July 10, according to retail research firm Kantar, having been at 8.3% the previous month.

Fraser McKevitt, the head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, told PA news agency that he expects the record for grocery inflation to be broken “come August”.

4. NHS not coping with Covid

While the worst of the heatwave has passed (for now), the health service is still having to grapple with Covid infections, more than two years on from the first lockdown.

Editor of the British Medical Journal, Dr Kamran Abbasi, and Health Service Journal editor, Alastair McLellan, wrote an alarming editorial on Monday, warning that the NHS might buckle under the ongoing Covid pressures.

This is down a range of factors, including periods of underfunding over the last decade, “lack of an adequate workforce plan” and “a cowardly and short-sighted failure to undertake social care reform”.

Now, it seems the government’s “living with Covid” strategy might be the final straw with yet another wave of infections washing across the UK.

Abbasi and McLellan claimed that the government is “pretending it is not happening or implying it is all under control”, and said the health service was actually “dying” from Covid.

They called for the government to “stop gaslighting the public” and be honest that the pandemic is still very much looming over the NHS.

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This Is How Covid Impacts Your Heart, Lungs And Kidneys After Infection

Covid affects the heart, lungs and kidneys, according to two new studies, and the impacts could last long after the initial infection has passed.

The first study was carried out in 10 intensive care units across Scotland and examined 121 critically ill patients who were receiving treatment on ventilators due to the impact of coronavirus on their system.

One in three of the patients in the study showed evidence of abnormalities in the right side of the heart – the area that pumps blood to the lungs, researchers found.

Nearly half (47%) of ventilated patients in the study died because of Covid-19, a figure comparable to national and international death rates.

“A combination of factors create the perfect storm for Covid-19 to damage the right side of your heart, which ultimately can cause death,” Dr Philip McCall, lead author of the study and consultant in Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at NHS Golden Jubilee, said.

Experts at the NHS Golden Jubilee University National Hospital in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, said that the findings could play a vital role in not only saving the lives of Covid-19 patients, but for the care of potentially fatal heart and lung issues generally, as well as helping prepare for any possible future pandemic.

Dr Ben Shelley, chief investigator of the study and consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care at the NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “The study has revealed that there is no doubt Covid-19 affects the heart and has a major impact on outcomes for the patient.

“However, now that we know this actually happens, and have a better understanding of how it affects people, we can plan for the future and put in place new care plans and treatments to help combat this.”

In another study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers analysed the outcomes of 159 people hospitalised with Covid between May 2020 and March 2021.

“Our study provides objective evidence of abnormalities at one to two months post-Covid and these findings tie in with persisting symptoms at that time and the likelihood of ongoing health needs one year later,” Prof Colin Berry, of the University of Glasgow, which led the CISCO-19 (Cardiac imaging in Sars coronavirus disease-19) study said.

People who had been hospitalised with Covid showed several abnormalities, including in results from imaging of the heart, lungs and kidneys, the study found.

One in eight of those who were hospitalised for Covid were most likely to have myocarditis, or heart inflammation, experts said. Healthcare workers with acute kidney injury was more likely to have myocarditis as well as those with more severe disease requiring invasive ventilation.

Additionally, people who have been hospitalised with Covid were more likely to need outpatient secondary care or be referred for long Covid, with death and re-hospitalisations also much higher in this group.

Although both studies focussed on patients who experienced severe Covid infection, the results have helped scientists learn about the wide ranging impacts of the virus. Researchers say the findings also serve as a reminder for the general population to stay vigilant about Covid.

Prof Berry added: “Even fit, healthy individuals can suffer severe Covid-19 illness and to avoid this, members of the public should take up the offer of vaccination.”

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Minister Addresses Ongoing Monkeypox Worries: ‘Cautious, Not Concerned’

The government is monitoring the monkeypox outbreak but is currently “not concerned”, according to minister Simon Clarke.

The chief secretary to the Treasury was responding to the public worries around the recent uptick in cases now there are 80 cases across 12 countries.

The rare viral infection usually does not spread easily between humans, but is common in parts of West and Central Africa. There were only three UK cases reported in 2021, one in 2019 and three in 2018.

On Monday, Clarke told Sky News: “As with any new disease, and after the Covid pandemic, doubly-so, we continue to monitor this very, very closely.

″I think I would say I’m cautious but I’m certainly not concerned about our ability to handle the situation.

“Crucially there is a vaccine available which works for monkeypox, and all the evidence is that it’s spread by physical contact.

“That being the case, the risk of community transmission is much lower. We have a working vaccine, if people present the symptoms or they have very close contact, then we are advising that the quarantine for three weeks, but the threshold for that is quite high – it really does need to be close physical contact or sexual contact.”

He continued: “We do urge particular caution with the immunosuppressed, with pregnant women, all the groups who are normally more vulnerable.

“We’re cautious but we’re certainly not in a position where I would worry about some repeat of Covid because it does not appear to be anywhere near the same platform of seriousness.”

Monkeypox has ben compared to smallpox, but it is actually milder, less infectious and less deadly.

People usually recover within a week and the virus disappears on its own, prompting no long-term health impacts. However, among a few people a more severe illness can occur.

It usually spreads through close physical contact with an infected person. The symptoms include a fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

A rash can occur too, starting on the face before moving to other parts of the body. The rash can transform to look like chickenpox or syphilis, before forming scabs which do gradually fall off.

People without symptoms are not considered infectious.

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed 20 cases in this outbreak so far in the UK, with further details to be revealed later on Monday.

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The Queen Teaches Boris Johnson A Lesson On How To Follow Covid Rules

The Queen reportedly refused to waive Covid restrictions during Prince Philip’s funeral in April last year, which was held the day after Downing Street hosted two leaving parties for staff.

The image of the monarch sat alone in St George’s Chapel while saying goodbye to her husband of 73 years stuck with many people who were also grieving at the time.

As none of the other 29 attendees were in her bubble, she was the only person in the chapel on her own.

Recent reports have since claimed that Downing Street staff actually filled up a suitcase with bottles of Co-op wine and then took it to No.10 for two parties just the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s televised funeral.

Private Eye, who broke the story this week, claimed that the Queen was actually also offered an exception to the lockdown rules for the solemn occasion after Philip’s death on April 9.

Reportedly, this was because the next stage of Boris Johnson’s roadmap” out of the restrictions was set to happen in May – so the palace would only be a few weeks ahead of the general public.

The government reportedly asked if she wanted to invite more than 30 mourners but the Queen declined, “on the grounds she wanted to set an example rather than be an exception to the rules”.

As the news outlet pointed out, Downing Street subsequently “threw two parties instead” while the rest of the country was in a period of national mourning.

The Palace has not spoken out about Partygate, but Downing Street did admit that it recently issued an apology to the Queen over those particular social gatherings.

Johnson’s deputy spokesperson also told reporters it was “deeply regrettable” that the parties occurred during a period of national mourning.

Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, hit out at the prime minister over Partygate during Wednesday’s PMQs by comparing his behaviour to the monarch.

Starmer said: “Last year Her Majesty the Queen sat alone when she marked the passing of the man she’d been married to for 73 years, she followed the rules of the country that she leads.

“On the eve of that funeral, a suitcase was filled with booze and wheeled into Downing Street, a DJ played and staff partied late into the night.

“The prime minister has been forced to hand an apology to Her Majesty the Queen.

“Isn’t he ashamed that he didn’t hand in his resignation at the same time?”

Before Johnson could reply, the Speaker of the Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, interjected and said: “We normally would not, quite rightly, mention the Royal Family.

“We don’t get into discussions on the Royal Family.”

Erskine May, a famous publication which outlines parliamentary procedure, does state: “No question can be put which brings the name of the sovereign or the influence of the Crown directly before Parliament, or which casts reflections upon the sovereign or the Royal Family.”

MPs are allowed to pose questions on matters related to costs to the public or palaces.

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Even The Official Who Wrote The Covid Rules Didn’t Stick To Them

The number of alleged rule-breaking Whitehall parties has now reached 15 after the official who wrote the Covid rules admitted she failed to comply with them.

Kate Josephs, the former director of the government’s Covid taskforce, has apologised for holding an office drinks party when indoor socialising was banned.

She took to Twitter to say she is “truly sorry” for gathering with colleagues for alcoholic drinks in her office in the Cabinet Office to mark her leaving the civil service on December 17 2020.

Josephs, who describes herself in her Twitter bio as a “proud public servant”, is now the chief executive of Sheffield City Council.

The decision to hold a workplace gathering in Whitehall appeared to go against the official advice at the time.

According to The Telegraph, “dozens” of officials from the Cabinet Office’s Covid-19 taskforce attended the event, while the country was in lockdown.

Including Thursday’s revelations about two events involving drinks and dancing the night before the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral – and the apparent purchase of enough wine to fill a suitcase – the total number of gatherings being investigated is up to 15.

On that same day, the government’s official Twitter feed replied to a query asking if employers could hold Christmas parties at the end of the working day.

It said: “Hi Mick, although there are exemptions for work purposes, you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.”

On Friday, Josephs tweeted a statement apologising for what happened.

She said: “As people know I previously worked in the Cabinet Office Covid Taskforce where I was director general from July 2020 to December 18, 2020.

“I have been cooperating fully with the Cabinet Office investigations and I do not want to pre-empt the findings of the investigation.

“However as chief executive of Sheffield City Council I am responsible for leading the organisation and working with partners across the city and region to support our covid response and recovery.

“That is why I have decided to make a statement.

“On the evening of 17 December, I gathered with colleagues that were at work that day, with drinks, in our office in the Cabinet Office, to mark my leaving the Civil Service.

“I am truly sorry that I did this and for the anger that people will feel as a result. Sheffield has suffered greatly during this pandemic, and I apologise unreservedly.

“The specific facts of this event will be considered in the context of the Cabinet Office investigation. I did not attend any events at 10 Downing St.

“I am grateful for the ongoing support of colleagues and partners and need now to ask that people allow the Cabinet Office to complete its investigation.

“I will not be able to respond to any further questions until the Cabinet Office investigation is complete.”

Sheffield City Council leader Terry Fox said the chief executive has discussed with him what happened and apologised face-to-face.

He said: “To be honest I need to express my deep disappointment – people will rightly feel angry and let down. I get that completely.

“After everything that Sheffield has been through during the pandemic, this is news that we did not want to receive.

“Over the last year, Kate’s been an asset to our city and she is working tirelessly for Sheffield and it’s people.

“Our residents will understandably have questions and concerns, and we await the findings of the investigation.”

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Scientist Explains How Your Lateral Flow Test Changes According To How Infectious You Are

Lateral flow tests are accurate in tracking how infectious someone is, according to an epidemiologist.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced from the January 11 the rules around PCR tests and Lateral Flow tests (LFTs) will be changing.

Asymptomatic people who test positive on LFTs no longer need to take follow-up PCR tests. Instead, they have to start their self-isolation period immediately, rather than waiting for another test result.

Symptomatic people are advised to continue taking PCRs.

LFTs are an increasingly important part of the UK’s response to Covid even though they have been criticised in the past for not consistently detecting the virus.

US epidemiologist and immunologist Dr Michael Mina explained how they work on Twitter amid concerns LFTs were not going to pick up the new highly-transmissible variant, Omicron.

Responding to questions about why some people stay negative on LFTs the first few days they have symptoms, he explained: “This is expected. Symptoms don’t [equal] contagious virus.

“This is literally a reflection of the fact that vaccines are doing their job!”

He tweeted again: “Rapid tests work with Omicron.

“Omicron is mutated mostly in spike [protein].

“Rapid tests don’t detect the spike.”

Dr Mina added that newly symptomatic people who are coming up negative on LFTs are “probably not infectious” but it’s advisable to test again the next day.

“I am primarily trying here to explain that it is expected for people to show symptoms earlier than before, as a result of vaccination and developed of acquired immunity.

“My point was that symptoms SHOULD be expected to arise early now that people’s immune systems don’t have to spend 5+ days realising someone is infected with a new virus. Now our immunity kicks in fast, and with it, symptoms do too.”

He also shared a series of photos of LFTs each day during someone’s isolation period.

These images clearly show the positive line on each test strengthening during the first part of the self-isolation before fading out again by day 10.

This demonstrates that the individual who was taking the tests was at their most infectious during the middle of their isolation.

Another graph from the BBC was also circulating online, emphasising how LFTs pick up high levels of infection compared to PCRs.

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Covid Latest: All The Numbers You Need To Know

Covid cases rising rapidly throughout the UK – but it can be overwhelming trying to understand all the different bits of data at once.

The government has also claimed it needs more data before the UK can fully understand what kind of impact Omicron is having in Britain, and before Downing Street can consider introducing further restrictions.

So, here’s a breakdown of the top six numbers you need to know about ahead of 2022.

1. How many people are testing positive?

As of Friday 31 December, 189,846 people have tested positive with Covid, according to the government’s ONS data. That means in the last week, slightly fewer than one million people tested positive in the UK.

However, it’s worth noting that, according to the ZOE Covid Study, this number was likely to be closer to 198,381 two days ago.

Either way, the UK has repeatedly reached record highs when it comes to Covid infections in recent days.

People testing positive for Covid-19 in private households in the UK.
People testing positive for Covid-19 in private households in the UK.

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

2. How many Covid-related deaths have been reported recently?

As of Friday 31 December, there were 203 additional deaths related to Covid reported. This is much lower than the peaks seen during the previous waves of infections, but there is usually a time lag between the first wave of transmission and deaths.

There have been a total 148,624 deaths in the UK since the pandemic began.

Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales.
Deaths involving Covid-19 in England & Wales.

PA GraphicsPress Association Images

3. Omicron is now the dominant variant in England and Scotland

Omicron infections now dominate Covid infections in both England and Scotland.

Case numbers – particularly Omicron infections – are still increasing rapidly in Wales and Northern Ireland but the new variant has not quite overtaken the Delta variant in these two nations just yet.

This data was based off tests conducted between November 12 and December 23.

The UK Health Security Agency also found that the risk of hospitalisation with the highly transmissible Omicron variant is one third the risk of hospitalisation from the Delta variant.

4. How many people have had their booster jabs?

A total of 51,738,013 people in the UK have had their first jabs while around 47,368,074 people have had their second jabs.

Approximately 33,527,184 people have had their third or booster jab.

The government has reported that the NHS has met its target to offer all eligible adults in the UK a booster vaccine by December 31, 2021, and that eight million booster jabs were offered between December 12 and December 30 after the Get Boosted Now campaign.

However Boris Johnson has called for anyone who does not have all three jabs to come forward in the New Year.

Booster/third doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the UK
Booster/third doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the UK

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5. How many NHS staff members are off sick?

Sickness among frontline health workers doubled in just 14 days according to new NHS figures.

On Boxing Day, 24,632 people in acute NHS trusts were absent due to contracting Covid or because they were quarantining.

This is a stark contrast to the 12,240 staff members who couldn’t work for the same reasons on Sunday 12 December.

Covid-19-related staff absences at NHS acute trusts in England
Covid-19-related staff absences at NHS acute trusts in England

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6. How many people are in hospital with Covid?

There are 11,918 people in hospital with Covid as of December 31.

The total number of patients admitted is now at 1,915 per day and there are 868 people in ventilation beds.

Boris Johnson confirmed that around 90% of ICU patients have not have their booster jabs, and that the unvaccinated are eight times more likely to be hospitalised with Covid.

Hospital patients in England with Covid-19
Hospital patients in England with Covid-19

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Pharmacists Claim They Were Raising Concerns About The Supply Of Lateral Flow Tests ‘Weeks Ago’

Pharmacists warned the government about supply of lateral flow tests “weeks ago”, according to the CEO of the Association of Independent Pharmacies.

Leyla Hannbeck told HuffPost UK that pharmacies were now at the forefront of this particular crisis, as the store of self-test kits has run dry shortly before the biggest social night of the year – New Year’s Eve.

She explained: “When pharmacists order, it doesn’t arrive or just one box arrives.

Some days, they go completely without. It’s just not sufficient, it’s very sporadic.”

Hannbeck said, despite the government’s claims that distribution and supply chain was still functioning, “none of it is working well”.

Nearly three quarters of pharmacies in London ran out of LFTs on Wednesday, according to the Evening Standard.

“They should have put proper plans in,” Hannbeck continued.

“A lot of stress put on our routine to manage this. We’ve been put at the forefront of this without any support.

“We raised it, we raised a few weeks ago – we were seeing people come in through the doors and we were seeing issues with supply and that it wasn’t enough.

“The government needs to manage supply and demand. It cannot continue for weeks to come.”

The gov.uk website shows that it’s not possible to order LFTs online either.

The gov.uk website is still advising people to pick up rapid lateral flow tests from a pharmacy
The gov.uk website is still advising people to pick up rapid lateral flow tests from a pharmacy

test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/

She predicted it was not going to get any easier in the weeks to come either, due to both the Christmas period and the change in government guidelines.

Daily testing is now in place for anyone who has been in close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid, while the self-isolation period for positive cases has been shorted to seven days as long as the individual tests negative – on lateral flow tests – twice in a row.

Everyone has been encouraged to test themselves before socialising, too.

“People want to be responsible and follow the government guidelines – but there are no tests available,” Hannbeck pointed out.

She said it was “logical” that the demand would go up because of the government’s guidelines, but nothing was happening “in terms of managing supply”.

“You can imagine a kit with seven tests in it for a family of five – it will go immediately.

“We can’t continue with it – something’s got to be done.”

Hannbeck also claimed that the shortages are only going to continue as the general population continues to use LFTs for before they go to work, for normal livelihoods, returning from holidays, going back to school.

Hannbeck did tweet the UK’s Health Security Agency shortly before Christmas, claiming: “Your poor handling of the supply of lateral flow tests to pharmacies and the bureaucratic process around it has created a lot of stress for pharmacy teams and for patients during the busy Christmas period. You need to urgently resolve this.”

She also raised the same issue on December 16, tweeting: “Why on earth are pharmacies only allowed restricted supply of lateral flow tests (one box per day) when there is huge public demand?

“How are we supposed to manage when we don’t get the supply to ensure public can access? The government needs to sort this out ASAP.”

Health secretary Sajid Javid has admitted that the supply of lateral flow test kits will be “constrained” in the next two weeks.

In a letter sent to MPs on Wednesday, he said: “In light of the huge demand for LFTs seen over the last three weeks, we expect to need to constrain the system of certain points over the next two weeks to manage supply over the course of each day, with new tranches of supply released regularly throughout the day.”

He suggested MPs should encourage constituents towards their local pharmacists and then see if “their local authority is distributing tests” or find them at local community facilities.

Labour has accused the government of a “shambles”, with shadow health secretary Wes Streeting calling for all NHS workers to get priority access to tests.

It is important to note that the government has promised to deliver eight million tests before New Year’s Eve.

A spokesman from UKHSA said: ”The UK’s testing programme is the biggest in Europe with almost 400 million tests carried out since the start of the pandemic.

“We are delivering record numbers of lateral flow tests to pharmacies across the country, with almost eight million test kits being made available to pharmacies between today and New Year’s Eve.

“We have made 100,000 more PCR booking slots available per day since mid-December and we are continuing to rapidly expand capacity – with over half a million tests carried out on December 23 alone and delivery capacity doubled to 900,000 PCR and LFD test kits a day.

“If you have not been able to get the test you need from gov.uk, please keep checking every few hours as more PCR and LFD tests become available every day.”

There has also been a worldwide shortage of LFTs and PCR tests in recent weeks.

The department for health and social care has been approached for comment.

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