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- HEALTH secretary Matt Hancock addressed the nation at 5pm with the latest on Covid-19.
- KEY POINTS
- • 29,326 patients with Covid in hospitals in the UK, which is still more than April and November peaks.
- • More than 800 deaths per day on average over the past week.
- • Matt Hancock says hospitalisations and deaths are "far too high but falling".
- • More than 12.2million people have been vaccinated in the UK.
- • Employers of more than 50 can access Covid testing, it will be “free for now” says Matt Hancock.
- • South African variant – 147 cases found but none in past two days. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam says there is “no reason” to believe it will become the dominant strain, current data shows it is no more transmissible than the Kent variant which is currently dominant in the UK.
- • Over-70s told to make contact if they have not been vaccinated. Previous advice had been to wait to be contacted.
- • Holidays – it is “too soon” to say whether UK or overseas holidays with members of other households will be able to go ahead this summer. Jonathan Van-Tam said: “The more elaborate your plans are, the more you are stepping into making guesses into the unknown.”
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