Headlines
• Japan suspends 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine
• Contactless payments up 50% vs May 2019
• Reading & Leeds festivals to offer onsite vaccines
• Child dental visits are down 69% YoY in the year to March 2021
• Following vaccine mandate, 32.8% of social care managers have staff quit or handed in notice
World news
•Japan has suspended the use of about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine due to contamination. The health ministry said “foreign materials” were found in some doses of a batch of roughly 560,000 vials and that a manufacturing contract site in Spain was the likely cause, but did not elaborate further.
•The NHS has temporarily stopped blood testing for certain conditions including some fertility testing, screening for pre -diabetes, allergies and certain blood disorders due to shortages of collection tubes.
•The pandemic and lockdown restrictions have had “a severe impact” on children and young people, according to a new report by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. The study found 52% of 16 year -olds who took part in the research felt their mental and emotional health had worsened during the pandemic.
•Reading and Leeds festival s, being held this week, are to have pop - up clinics at both sites, offering vaccines for those attending.
•The number of people arriving in the UK in July was down 87% on pre - pandemic levels. In July 1,439,800 airline passengers arrived compared with 11,151,600 in July 2019, according to new figures from the Home Office.
•UK car production fell 37.6% to 53,438 compared with July last year, making it the worst July performance for the industry since 1956. The global microchip shortage, employees being forced to isolate and shutdowns contributed to the drop, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.
•The number of purchases made in May via contactless technology doubled YoY, and was up 50% on May 2019 with 65% of purchases on debit cards made in this way.
•The Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM) surveyed more than 1,000 care managers. The survey found that 90% of managers said their workplace was experiencing staff shortages or difficulty recruiting, with 49.3% saying these issues are compromising safety and care. Additionally, 39.3% of managers say they are considering leaving their role and 32.8% of managers have already had staff quit or hand in their notice over the requirement to get a vaccine. The survey also found that 55.2% of managers also fear they will have to dismiss staff over the coming months because they have not been vaccinated.
•Data from NHS Digital show 3.3 million courses of dental treatment given to children between April 2020 and March 2021, down from the 11.6 million delivered in the previous 12 months , a fall of 69%.
•The vaccine programme in England is estimated to have directly averted between 102,500 and 109,500 deaths, Public Health England says.
