UK

Another 799 COVID-related deaths and 10,625 more cases have been reported in the UK in the last 24 hours, government data shows. This is down from the 1,052 deaths and 12,364 cases recorded this time last week. That’s a fall since last Tuesday of 253 deaths and 1,739 cases respectively. Yesterday, a total 230 fatalities

It’s a Friday evening on Oldham’s Eldon Street Estate, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in town. A car pulls into the car park. Some women are chatting in one of the stairwells in the flats opposite and they suddenly stop to look at the car. A few other residents emerge from their flats and peer over

Government scientists want to keep social distancing measures in place for the foreseeable future in a move that would hit shops, pubs, cinemas and theatres, Sky News has learnt. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson made clear he would not allow the coronavirus to let rip through younger generations, suggesting he has embraced the

Boris Johnson has said his plan for lifting England’s coronavirus lockdown is for there to be “cautious but irreversible” progress in easing restrictions. “We’ve got to be very prudent and what we want to see is progress that is cautious but irreversible,” the prime minister said on his plan for easing COVID-19 measures. “I think

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting their second child. A spokesperson for the couple said: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.” The pair have shared a black and white picture

The government will not be setting an “arbitrary target” for when lockdown can be lifted despite pressure from some MPs to scrap all restrictions by the end of April, the foreign secretary has told Sky News. Dominic Raab said the plan was to “ease the lockdown” with the return of schools, which Prime Minister Boris

Children as young as six will be given the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine as part of a new clinical trial to test its efficacy in youngsters. Researchers will use 300 volunteers to assess whether the coronavirus vaccine will produce a strong immune response in children aged between six and 17. The trial will begin this month at

The UK’s coronavirus reproduction number – or ‘R’ number – has fallen to below one for the first time since July. The figure is now between 0.7 and 0.9, according to the latest estimate. The R refers to the number of people an infected person will pass COVID-19 on to, and when the figure is

Over-65s will begin receiving letters inviting them to get COVID vaccines from early next week as part of the next phase of the UK’s vaccination programme, Sky News understands. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously set a deadline of Monday 15 February for offering a first dose of a vaccine to 15 million people in

Coronavirus restrictions could last until at least all adults have been vaccinated, a senior Public Health England official has warned. Dr Susan Hopkins told Sky News some measures may have to stay in place beyond that, until more is known about COVID-19 transmission “before we can release everything and get back to life as it

AstraZeneca has said it is on course to roll out a coronavirus vaccine that is effective against new variants by the autumn. The company, which has produced a COVID-19 vaccine alongside University of Oxford, said clinical trials for the next generation of jab would commence in the spring. It added that the plan would be

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has admitted the UK had been concentrating all of its pandemic planning only on flu. Speaking on a Sky News’ special programme, Covid Crisis: Learning the Lessons, Mr Hunt – Britain’s longest ever serving health secretary – was candid. Asked if he felt he should take some responsibility for the

More than a year after the first COVID-19 infections were reported in the UK, some people who contracted the virus in the early weeks of the pandemic are still struggling with symptoms. “Long COVID” is thought to have affected thousands of people across the country, with ongoing physical effects reported to range from fatigue and

Chills, loss of appetite, headache and muscle aches could be a sign of COVID-19 infection, according to new findings. Based on swab tests and questionnaires taken from June up until last month as part of Imperial College London’s REACT study of over one million people, those with the above symptoms were more likely to test

Another 1,052 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the UK, according to the latest government figures. The number is up from the 333 fatalities confirmed on Monday. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world A further 12,364 infections were also confirmed on Tuesday, compared with the 14,104 cases reported yesterday. It brings

There were 8,433 deaths linked to coronavirus in the final full week of January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The figure is up slightly from 8,422 deaths in the week to January 22. Nearly half (45.7%) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 29 January mentioned COVID-19