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COVID vaccine rolled out to over 70s and clinically vulnerable

As many as 1,200 hospitals and GP-led services are now administering the jab - with the UK now apparently giving out 140 vaccines per minute.

The Manc The Manc - 18th January 2021
Wikimedia Commons

The over 70s and clinically vulnerable in England will start receiving their first shots of the COVID-19 vaccine from Monday.

People in priority groups three and four are now being called up to receive their jabs in parts of the country where the highest-risk individuals (care home residents/staff, over 80s and frontline workers) have mostly been vaccinated.

The NHS has delivered 3.79 million vaccinations so far – with the government claiming it is on course to meet its target of giving the most vulnerable people their first shot by February 15.

As many as 1,200 hospitals and GP-led services are administering the jab – with the UK now giving out 140 vaccinations per minute.

10 more mass vaccination hubs have also opened around the country today – including sites at Blackburn Cathedral, St Helens rugby stadium and Taunton Racecourse.

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Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi has pledged there will be 50 of these centres by the end of the month.

The MP also stated a 24-hour vaccine site is set to be trialled in London later in January, claiming the likes of police, shop-workers and teachers should be prioritised in phase two.

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Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said: “The NHS vaccination programme has got off to a strong start with our hard-working staff delivering more than three million vaccinations while also dealing with the latest wave of coronavirus infections.

“This is accelerating as more vaccine supplies come on stream with more sites opening all the time so that we can protect as many people as swiftly as possible.

“The rapid progress we have already made is testament to NHS staff who are pulling out all the stops to vaccinate the most vulnerable while caring for so many people who are seriously ill with COVID.”

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Manchester United, GMP, and the Council is clamping down on ‘illegal’ matchday parking at Old Trafford

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester United has joined forces with police and the local Council to take action on a number of offences outside Old Trafford on match days.

This includes “illegal” parking, street trading, and so much more.

The football club teamed up with its partners, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Trafford Council, for another day of action to clampdown on a wide range of offences taking place outside its home stadium ahead of the team’s hotly-anticipated Premier League match against fierce local rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday 7 April.

Police and officers from the Council’s Regulatory Services Team tackled a number of issues on the day of action.

These included what was described as ‘rogue trading’ and ‘illegal street trading’, taxis illegally plying for hire or causing obstructions, and illegal parking, as well as the monitoring of food hygiene at food stands outside the stadium.

As part of this particular day of action – which followed a similar event outside Old Trafford on 24 February, ahead of United’s game against Fulham – Council officers and GMP staff spoke to more than 100 licensed taxis and hackney carriage drivers about illegal parking and illegally plying for hire, and 19 Fixed Penalty Notices were handed out to vehicles parked illegally on a clearway outside the ground.

Licensing and trading standards officers, along with Manchester United’s brand protection team, also spoke with all of the licensed pitches and street traders/peddlers outside the stadium, and a total of 73 products were removed for breaking rules under the Trade Marks Act.

Further legal action is set to be taken against some traders who were committing offences and were obstructive towards Council officers who were trying to carry out their tasks, according to Trafford Council.

Manchester United, GMP, and Council to clampdown on ‘illegal’ matchday parking at Old Trafford / Credit: GMP Stretford

“Our partnership work with Trafford Council is vital in being able to tackle illegal street trading and parking issues,” a spokesperson for GMP said in a statement following the day of action.

“We will continue to work with our partners to ensure a safe matchday experience, both inside and out of the stadium, for all those attending the ground.”

Jim Liggett, who is the Director of Operations at Manchester United, also explained that the club was “pleased” to have been able to join forces with Trafford Council and GMP on their day of action to clampdown on “illegal behaviour” outside Old Trafford.

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He added: “We remain committed to supporting the local authorities as we seek to collectively reduce any impact matches at Old Trafford may have on the community around the stadium.”

Featured Image – Trafford Council

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Hundreds of Manchester Arena attack survivors are suing MI5

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Hundreds of survivors injured during the Manchester Arena attack and their relatives are suing MI5, it has been revealed.

More than 250 people have submitted their claim to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) to take legal action against the country’s security service, it is being widely reported by multiple national news outlets this morning, including BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, and more.

The IPT investigates complaints about the alleged conduct of public bodies.

Their claim comes after an inquiry back in March 2023 concluded that MI5 missed a “significant opportunity” to prevent the attack, in which 22 people tragically lost their lives, and thousands more were left injured and affected, during and following a bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017.

According to the inquiry’s findings, a number of communication breakdowns between MI5 and Counter Terrorism Police North West officers meant that intelligence was not shared.

On top of this, the inquiry also found that two pieces of information about bomber Salman Abedi had been assessed by the security service at the time and concluded to not relate to terrorism.

Manchester Arena Bombing Tributes
Hundreds of injured Manchester Arena attack survivors are suing MI5 / Credit: pdjohnson (via Flickr) | David Dixon (via Geograph)

Hudgell Solicitors, Slater and Gordon, and Broudie Jackson Canter are the three solicitor firms representing the group of 250 survivors and relatives.

“Legal teams representing injured survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 can confirm that they have collectively submitted a group claim on behalf of more than 250 clients to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT),” a statement on behalf of the three solicitors reads.

“As it is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable or provide any further details, or comment further, at this stage.”

MI5 will also not be providing comment, due to ongoing legal proceedings.

More than 250 people have submitted their claim to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) / Credit: BBC Sounds

Following the conclusion of the injury last March, MI5’s Director General, Ken McCallum, made a rare public statement saying he was “profoundly sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack”.

His statement at the time read: “Having examined all the evidence, the chair of the inquiry has found that ‘there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained which might have led to actions preventing the attack.

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“I deeply regret that such intelligence was not obtained.”

Featured Image – David Dixon (via Geograph)

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