Indoor gatherings lead to highest COVID-19 transmission, pose too much of a risk right now: Hinshaw

coronavirus restrictions may end in just two weeks time.Opening Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said: “It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a full month early.”Mr Johnson indicated that as long as the data remained positive, the legal duty to self-isolate would be lifted a whole month earlier than planned.The plan was for self-isolation regulations to expire on March 24., but the announcement means the law could axed on around as early as Thursday 24 February.Mr Johnson's announcement comes as a leading expert believes the UK is “past the point” where vaccinating young, healthy children against Covid-19 will do any good.Paul Hunter, professor of medicine from the University of East Anglia, said most children have already had coronavirus, with the vast majority not falling seriously ill.Prof Hunter told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme infection rates in children are “falling really quickly at the moment”, adding: “So I think in many ways we’re past the point where vaccines are actually going to make much difference.”This is a breaking news story and is constantly being updated.Please refresh the page regularly to get the latest updates. Reporters working on dailystar.co.uk will be working to source the latest information, reaction, pictures and video related to this story.

More European countries could scrap tests for fully vaccinated arrivals in the coming days, according to reports.

PHILADELPHIA - A water main break in Kingsessing is disrupting traffic and causing major problems early Wednesday morning. The water main break happened at approximately 6:30 a.m.

PHILADELPHIA - Police say they made an arrest in a carjacking that led to a wild pursuit Tuesday evening. The incident happened Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. when police responded to report of a man following his Mercedes Benz sedan that was stolen during a carjacking at gun point about a week ago. Police were able to catch up to the vehicle which was on the 4000 block of Aramingo Avenue. When police attempted to stop the stolen Mercedes Benz, the driver took off at a high rate of speed and refused to stop, according to officials. Officers continued their pursuit until the driver of that stolen vehicle got to the 4500 block of Richmond Street when the vehicle crashed, rear-ending a parked and unattended vehicle. At this point, the driver got out of the stolen vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.

Over 1⃣ crore youngsters between 15-18 age group are now fully vaccinated against #COVID19

COVID-19 rapid antigen tests at grocery stores, pharmacies and other settings.A government source with knowledge of the plan told The Canadian Press that Health Minister Christine Elliott will announce more details on Wednesday.The source said there will be a limit of one box of five tests per household per visit, though some stores might have different processes.Ontario provided free rapid antigen test kits at malls and liquor stores in December ahead of the holidays.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka Police confirmed the arrest of the main suspect wanted in connection with the attempted shooting of an ambulance driver on the 27th of January opposite the Panadura Base Hospital.Sri Lanka Police said 8 grams of heroin was seized from the possession of the 32-year-old suspect from Kuruppumulla on Tuesday (8) night.Detectives are planning on obtaining a detention order to detain and interrogate the suspect, after producing him to the Panadura Magistrate’s Court.Sri Lanka Police on Tuesday (8) also arrested a 51-year-old man in connection to the attempted shooting of an ambulance driver in Panadura, on the 27th of January 2022.The suspect was identified as the assistant to the ambulance driver who was the main target of the shooters.On Independence Day (4), the Kalutara Crimes Division arrested the ambulance driver who was the target of gunmen in Panadura.Sri Lanka Police said the ambulance driver was transferring an expectant mother to the Panadura Hospital when several people chased after him on four motorcycles and opened fire at him.However, the weapon used by the gunman had jammed.Police said the ambulance driver was arrested after it was revealed that he was transporting Heroin at the time of the incident.According to Police, the person who was driving the motorcycle and the person who assisted in the shooting were also arrested.The assistant to the ambulance driver had confessed to police that the ambulance was used to transport drugs on several occasions.In addition, another man was arrested from Panadura on Tuesday (8) for spying on the ambulance driver.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Colombo Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya on Wednesday (9) ordered to release of a Church worker, who was detained over the discovery of a hand grenade from All Saint’s Church in Borella.On the 2nd of February, the Additional Magistrate ordered to release of three other workers connected to the incident.Accordingly, all four church workers who were arrested and detained over the incident, have been released.Sri Lanka’s Attorney General had recommended that they be released given the fact that they were not involved in the incident.A week ago, Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris informed the court that it was revealed that the three other workers were not connected to the incident in any way, and the Attorney General had advised to release them.

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ANI reported. AIIMS Medical Superintendent DK Sharma in a letter today said in accordance with current ICMT's national guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue routine Covid-19 testing prior to inpatient hospitalisations (regular as well as daycare) and also prior to any minor or major surgical or interventional or non-interventional procedures and imaging in clinically asymptomatic patients.AIIMS, Delhi announces to discontinue routine COVID-19 testing prior to inpatient hospitalization and surgeries pic.twitter.com/R0wjcSdaFl

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Phillip Schofield has returned to This Morning after testing positive for coronavirus. The 59-year-old presenter had been forced to skip hosting This Morning and Dancing on Ice and admitted he was "bored out of his brain" while locked away in his home after testing positive for Covid seven days in a row.

Canada’s Meryeta O’Dine won the bronze medal in her Olympic debut at the Beijing Winter Games in women’s snowboard cross Wednesday.

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A review is set to be launched after four children were given Covid vaccine overdoses of more than twice the approved amount.

A Business Proposal has been pushed back by a week.Today (February 9), the show’s production team announced that the premiere of A Business Proposal has been pushed back by a week, attributing the delay to stricter COVID-19 protocols on the show’s set. The show will now premiere on February 28.“We have decided to inevitably postpone the first broadcast of A Business Proposal for a week due to COVID-19 in order to change the filming schedule and secure a safe production environment,” a representative from the show said, per Sports Chosun and translated by Soompi.“The first broadcast date has been changed from February 21 to February 28,” the representative added.

Read on to understand how:

COLOMBO (News 1st); The EU has urged Sri Lanka to continue reducing the use of the PTA, and to undertake further practical and administrative steps to release on bail those detained under the PTA without charges.The European Union (EU) and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka held their 24th meeting of the Joint Commission on 8th February 2022 in Brussels.During the meeting, Sri Lanka reiterated its objective to achieve measurable, tangible, and verifiable results on the ground in meeting its commitments.In this context, the EU welcomed the submission by the Government of Sri Lanka of amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - A juror in the Scott Peterson trial has been offered immunity before testifying at a hearing that could determine whether a new trial is granted, authorities said.Richelle Nice was Juror 7 in the trial that ended with Peterson's conviction for killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son. However, Peterson's attorney said Nice was guilty of juror misconduct because she failed to reveal during the jury selection that she had been beaten by a boyfriend while she was pregnant. He said Peterson deserves a new trial.The offer to Nice will come before she testifies at a Feb.

Convicted rapist and murderer Wayne Couzens has been placed in isolation after catching coronavirus in prison with reports suggesting he is "suffering badly".

Train services are set to increase again as ScotRail recovers from staff shortages following a Covid surge over the festive period.

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 1: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a news conference after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill February 1, 2022 in Washington, DC. McConnell told reporters he disagrees with fo WASHINGTON - Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is going against the Republican National Committee calling the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services, Dr. Hemanth Herath has slammed the organizing of mass gatherings in the wake of the COVID-19 spread in the island.‘This is not something that needs to be said over again.

Truckers paralysing the Canadian capital in anger at Covid rules show no sign of backing down, as several of the nation's provinces announced it was time to roll back restrictions that count among the world's toughest.

First nasal spray for covid-19 treatment in India: For the treatment of adult patients suffering from Covid-19, pharma company Glenmark has launched Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (FabiSpray) in India. The nasal spray was launched by the pharma company in partnership with SaNOtize. "Phase 3 trial in India met the key endpoints and demonstrated reduction of viral load of 94 per cent in 24 hours and 99 per cent in 48 hours. Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) was safe and well-tolerated in COVID-19 patients. Glenmark to market NONS under the brand name FabiSpray," the company said in a statement.

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ladies tights such as pantyhose on your face could reduce the risk of getting Covid, more so than masks.A major risk identified with commonly worn face masks is that they do not fit tightly enough to block viral particles from being inhaled or exhaled significantly.Cambridge University researchers have tested seven hacks to improve the fit of masks.Their new study outlined DIY hacks people have used to make masks fit better, including using rubber bands or tape.They found the most effective tactic was to wrap pantyhose around the bottom half of the face or on top of a mask.Researchers have said that this could reduce the number of viral particles by up to seven times more than a loose mask on its own by sealing the gaps around the nose and mouth.They raised that the social and physical impact of wearing tights on your face in public was "unlikely to be tolerated for an extended period of time".Tight-fitting medical masks are great at blocking out the virus, but many describe them as uncomfortable.The study raised that the most common surgical or cloth masks are far less resistant to Covid.Cambridge researchers recruited four volunteers to try seven different mask hacks - the study looked at both surgical and KN95 masks.Other methods included tying the ear bands to make the masks fit more tightly or stuffing the gaps with bandages.Participants did seven minutes of various exercises designed to mimic real-world interactions such as talking, smiling, nodding and eating.The researchers measured how well the masks fit by monitoring the filtration efficiency and calculating a 'fit factor' score.Pantyhose and cloth tape were most effective, increasing the fit factor by 27.7 and 14.7.Surgical masks performed better if worn in

Another day of questions, and another day of few specific answers when it comes to Phase 2 of Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out. Julia Wong has more details on Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Health Minister Tyler Shandro’s Thursday update.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announces the province identified 415 new COVID-19 cases and seven more pandemic-related deaths during her update on Thursday.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw began her remarks on the COVID-19 situation on Thursday by providing an update on the situation surrounding the GraceLife Church near Edmonton.

COVID-19 situation in the province on Thursday afternoon.Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw is scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m. Her comments will be streamed live in this article.

Alberta’s Dr. Deena Hinshaw announces the province is seeing a concerning rise in Albertans not working with COVID-19 contact tracers, leaving “gaps that COVID is happy to fill.”

Alberta’s Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Wednesday that the province will be looking at positivity rate, new cases and R-value and whether those are sustaining or climbing when determining the timeline for the next step in reopening.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the conditions in the Olymel pork plant in Red Deer were “up to standards” to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but health officials are looking at both on-site and off-site activities that may have contributed to the outbreak.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announces the province identified 277 new cases of COVID-19 and recorded seven additional COVID-related deaths over the previous 24 hours.

9,000 more Alberta health-care workers to be vaccinated as 263 new COVID-19 cases identified After a prolonged period of delays in receiving vaccine doses, the province announced Tuesday that it would start rebooking appointments for those eligible to be immunized as part of Phase 1A of the rollout.A total of 9,000 health-care workers can expect to be notified they can get their shots in the coming days, the province said Tuesday.As of Feb. 15, 149,138 doses of vaccine had been administered, and more than 54,000 Albertans had received their two doses.

Alberta RCMP furthering investigation because GraceLife Church is still breaking COVID-19 rules But Dr.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Alberta recorded 50 new cases of the B.1.1.7.

Hundreds of workers are affected by a COVID-19 outbreak at the Olymel pork processing plant in Red Deer, where Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said until recently, the prevention of spread had been very successful.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said it’s too soon to know if easing restrictions on dining and fitness last week has affected COVID-19 numbers in Alberta, saying it will take another week to see if trends emerge.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Alberta’s COVID-19 case count, hospitalization numbers are higher now in February than they were before the second wave began four months ago in October.

Alberta chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, provides an update on COVID-19 in the province, saying positive numbers have increased slightly but it’s too soon to tell if it’s an isolated incident due to testing or a trend.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr.

COVID-19 on Tuesday afternoon.Dr. Deena Hinshaw is scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m.

COVID-19 cases and five more deaths from the disease on Sunday.The province now has 5,215 active cases, 121,829 recoveries and 1,780 deaths.As of Sunday, the Calgary zone has 2,022 active cases, the Edmonton zone has 1,453, the North zone has 735, the Central zone has 678 and the South zone has 321. There are six active cases in an unknown zone.There are currently 351 people in hospital, with 60 of them in intensive care.The 284 new cases resulted from 7,972 tests, meaning a provincial positivity rate of 3.7 per cent, according to Dr.

COVID-19 deaths Saturday as active cases and hospitalizations continued on a downward trend.The province added 305 new cases of the disease but also recorded 425 new recoveries. Active cases now sit at 5,271, down by a net of 136 since Friday.The positive cases came from 8,070 tests, Dr.