Headlines
• India restarts vaccine exports
• In China, a case in Harbin city prompts lockdown
• HMRC says £1.3bn of furlough money has been repaid
• Building sites closed in Victoria after violent anti-vaccine protests
• UK government borrowing £20bn in August vs £15bn expectations
World news
• According to the ONS, U K government borrowing was £20.5bn in August, which is £5.5bn lower than in August last year, but above analyst expectations of £15bn. Total government debt is up to more than £2.2tr, or about 97.6% of GDP.
• India will resume exporting vaccines from October, its Health Minister says. The country is the world’s largest vaccine producer, but it had halted exports in April to cater for domestic demand.
• A resident in the Chinese city of Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, tested positive for the virus. In response cinemas, massage parlours, dance halls and sports venues were ordered to close immediately. Religious venues were also told to suspend all activities. Scenic spots were told to cap their visitors at 50% capacity and people were told not to leave the city unless strictly necessary.
• During 2020 -21, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services saw 420,000 children and young people. The figures from April 2020 to March 2021 show:• 50% of those who were seen waited longer than four weeks
• 20% waited more than 12 weeks
• The average wait was more than two months
• As a result of more than 16 million people downloading the NHS app that provides the Covid -19 Pass (to prove vaccination for events and foreign travel), there have been 265,000 new registrations for organ donation preferences .
• In England, 59,000 pupils (0.7%) were absent from school at the end of last week with a confirmed case of Covid -19. A further 45,000 (0.5%) were absent due to a suspected case, according to the latest Department for Education attendance figures.
• The proportion of people using face coverings at major railway stations is estimated to have slumped from around 80% to around 20%, according to transport unions.
• HMRC has said that firms have returned £1.3 bn of furlough money to the government since July 2020, because the funds had been over claimed or they no longer needed the cash.
• Coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in England in August, up from ninth place in July, the ONS has said. In total, 857 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending September 1.
• US vet shops have reported a shortage of ivermectin, despite warnings against using it to treat the virus .
Construction sites across the Australian state of Victoria will close for at least two weeks, following violence at anti -vaccine protests.
• Pfizer and BioNTech said trial results showed their vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged 5 -11 .
• New data from J&J shows a second vaccine, given about two months after the first vaccine, increases effectiveness against moderate to severe disease from the 70% protection given by a single dose to 94%.
