Covid-19: GPs administer Oxford vaccine and fears over intensive care
- Published
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.
1. Oxford vaccine rolled out to GPs
The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine will be rolled out to hundreds of GP-run vaccination sites in England later, with ministers aiming to offer jabs to most care-home residents by the end of January. More than 700 local sites will administer the vaccine, with another 180 GP-led centres, 100 new hospital sites and a pilot scheme involving local pharmacies opening this week.
2. Inside an intensive care unit 'nearing breaking point'
With the number of coronavirus patients in UK hospitals topping 30,000 - 39% higher than at last April's peak - our medical editor Fergus Walsh returns to University College Hospital, in central London. We hear from exhausted staff and frightened patients. "How long can we keep going like this?", one doctor ponders. "About a week."
3. Mother of baby with Covid warns of mottled skin
A mother whose baby was treated in hospital for Covid-19 is urging parents to be alert to symptoms such as mottled skin and sickness. Myer Rudelhoff's four-month-old son George spent three nights in Basildon hospital, Essex, with patchy skin, swelling on his lips, a high temperature and unable to keep down fluids. "I thought it was a sickness bug. I had no idea it was caused by coronavirus," says Myer, whose son recovered well.
4. How a GP surgery rolls out the vaccine
With the largest vaccination programme in NHS history under way, we report from a GP surgery where staff describe the operation. The team at Fullwell Cross Medical Centre, in North London, works from 7am to 10pm during the three days of its weekly Pfizer vaccine rollout, says Dr Anil Mehta.
5. A ride that 'feels safer than a bus or a taxi'
For most of us, lockdown is a matter of staying at home - but some very vulnerable people, including cancer patients, don’t have a choice and have to travel. Could a cold and breezy journey on a cargo bike be a Covid-safe solution?
And don't forget...
And find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
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