Displaying items by tag: Covid19

An estimated one in 60 people in the UK had coronavirus in the week ending 16 October. That figure is one in 45 for Wales, one in 55 for England, one in 90 in Scotland, and one in 130 in NI. Scientists advising the government said they should prepare to trigger stricter Plan B measures now, amid rising cases. The percentage of adults who say they always or often maintain social distancing fell to 39% in mid-October. Although most adults agree measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing to slow the spread of Covid are important, fewer people are still doing it and more than half of working adults are now travelling to work. Young people see the ‘hands, face, space’ measures and social distancing as less important than older age groups do. Men are less likely than women to view them as important or very important.

There have been anti-Covid vaccine protests outside 420 schools up and down the UK. The Association of School and College Leaders said it is not a fringe concern even though most protests stem from just two groups on the messaging app Telegram. One organiser has allegedly visited every secondary school in Hartlepool, and another group is coordinating multiple daily school visits from Kent to Cheshire. Protesters left Gateshead students distressed after showing them pictures of what appeared to be dead children. They target teachers with sham legal documents, and hand children leaflets with QR codes leading to extremist and conspiracy content. Some protesters think it is wrong to vaccinate children, or say the whole pandemic is a hoax. Sir Keir Starmer said it was sickening that protesters were spreading ‘dangerous misinformation’ to children, and wants exclusion zones set up around school gates.

A third Covid wave hit Myanmar amid ongoing violence from February’s coup. A ministry leader said, ‘This morning the wife of one of our workers cried on the phone, “My husband is struggling for breath. We need oxygen.” I asked our driver to go as soon as possible for a two-hour drive. The military frequently stop vehicles and confiscate oxygen tanks and medicines. Local missionaries drive for eight to ten hours to provide life-saving medical equipment and food aid. These days are mourning and weeping days. We are fighting the seen enemy, the military coup, and the unseen enemy, Covid. Many die by guns, bombs and Covid. Much violence is random. A pastor’s wife was killed in their house, a woman was killed while riding a motorbike toward the hospital. Since we have no government, no hospital, no government doctors and nurses, we search for private doctors and nurses that are available.’

Geane Prado was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. After a bone marrow transplant and a round of chemotherapy, doctors discovered Covid-19. Her condition deteriorated; she wrote goodbye letters to her family, and fully surrendered her life to God. While intubated, she endured pulmonary embolism, cardiac arrest, renal failure, and bacterial pneumonia. Doctors said she had 48 hours to live. Her children mobilized a massive prayer chain through WhatsApp, social media and praying at the hospital door. Across Brazil people joined in intercession. God answered them. Within a short time her fever vanished and her condition improved. Doctors called it ‘a miracle’ because it had nothing to do with medicine. After forty days Geane left the hospital not only healed from Covid, but also from cancer.

North Korea’s dictatorship says Covid-19 is not a problem, but the people secretly call it the ‘ghost disease.’ North Korea has reported no Covid cases and rejected millions of vaccines. However, reports on the ground tell a different story. Covid has been deadly, especially to the many North Koreans who are malnourished. Meanwhile Kim Jong-Un promises to expand his nuclear arsenal. Behind these issues are 25 million souls living and dying without the hope of Jesus. For a North Korean to have a chance to hear about that hope, it takes an act of God, and God is moving. North Koreans are being drawn to Jesus in daring and ingenious ways - through the underground Church, Christian radio broadcasts, and even covert balloon drops carrying Scripture. No nation is too closed for God to move. Ask God to deliver the people from the regime's indoctrination and lies and for truth to reign throughout the nation.

Online betting rose significantly during the pandemic, the Gambling Commission has confirmed. Figures from the industry watchdog show a 12% rise in the number of adults gambling on the web between 2019 and 2020. Half of those did so using a mobile device, such as a smartphone. Matt Zarb-Cousin of Clean Up Gambling said, ‘Online gambling exploded in lockdown, with firms posting record profits. At least 60% come from those experiencing gambling problems, and online slots provide most of the revenue.’ He added, ‘Consumer protections, such as limits to stakes on slots, as on fixed-odds betting terminals, are badly needed in the gambling review.’ Researchers discovered that 21% of the 10,000 gambling premises in Britain are in the most deprived areas of the country, with only 2% in the least deprived areas.

Health bosses say that patients will be put at risk unless the NHS receives an extra £10bn next year to recover from the pandemic. A five-year settlement will see the funding increase by £33bn by 2023-24, but Covid has added to costs in a way that could not have been envisaged when Theresa May's government agreed the settlement in 2019. NHS leaders say the pandemic has led to pressures never seen in the history of the health service. Hospital layouts have had to be overhauled, services moved off site into new buildings, extra infection control procedures have been brought in, and the scale of sickness being seen means extra staff are needed to care for patients. At the same time, there is a growing backlog of traditional care such as hip and knee operations. Instead of budget growth by £4bn under the existing settlement, NHS leaders need almost £15bn.

Iceland said photographs of empty shelves in supermarkets, signs of panic buying, were isolated incidents. While there were ‘some availability issues’, they said their supply chains are resilient. M&S and other businesses said growing numbers of staff have been ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app and they must self-isolate for 10 days. Businesses want people who have been double-vaccinated or have daily tests to be able to return to work. The British Retail Consortium said shops were facing increasing pressure as they try to keep shelves stocked with rising numbers of staff self-isolating. It said ministers needed to ‘act fast’ and allow fully-vaccinated retail workers or those who had tested negative for Covid to go to work. The Road Haulage Association said a shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers is disrupting supply chains as workers return to Europe following Brexit.

Sung worship in churches will be allowed from 19 July. Danny Webster of the Evangelical Alliance said that the prospect of worshipping together is exciting but will have many challenges. ‘We need to be very aware that we're in a context where cases are rising and, while the vaccine seems to be doing its job, churches may well want to be cautious and careful with how they proceed in the next few weeks. Every church will come to its own conclusions.’ Danny added, ‘There will be people who are vulnerable, people who are uncertain or anxious that aren't necessarily willing to come straight back into a church. Churches are going to have to act with a lot of wisdom and a lot of grace.’ Pray for an outpouring of wisdom on church leaders as they consider their congregation sizes, venue ventilation, and welfare of church members.

Covid-related pupil absence in England has hit a new high since students returned to school in March. Over 640,000 English pupils were not in school due to Covid last week; only 62,000 were confirmed or suspected Covid cases. Gavin Williamson plans to replace the present bubble system with a new increased testing regime so that pupils would only be sent home if they tested positive. Also the mental health impact of the pandemic could have lasting repercussions for young people leaving education to take their first steps on the career ladder, with over one in four 18- to 24-year-olds believing poor mental health will affect their ability to find a job. Research found that while the UK’s public health crisis has eased and the economy is recovering, over 20% of that age group are still reporting poor mental health. Pray for pupils in higher education to receive proactive support to thrive before any further damage is done.