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Moderna COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the UK

The UK medicines regulator has approved the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for use in Britain.

The Manc The Manc - 8th January 2021
Wikimedia Commons

The UK medicines regulator has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use in Britain.

The jab, which requires temperatures of around – 20C, is expected to be available in the spring.

The UK has pre-ordered 17 million doses.

Britain is already administering both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines at nearly 1,000 inoculation sites around the country.

Around 1.5 million people have received their first dose so far.

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The government has set a target of supplying 15 million vaccines to the most vulnerable by February 15.

The addition of the Moderna jab is expected to increase the acceleration of the national vaccine rollout – with the Prime Minister still eyeing March as the month whereby some degree of normality can return.

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Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “The NHS is pulling out all the stops to vaccinate those most at risk as quickly as possible, with over 1,000 vaccination sites live across the UK by the end of the week to provide easy access to everyone, regardless of where they live.

“The Moderna vaccine will be a vital boost to these efforts and will help us return to normal faster.”

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Police release footage of missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei’s last-known movements

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Video footage showing the last-known movements of a Manchester man who’s been missing for three weeks now has been released.

Detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are continuing to search for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, who has not been seen since Friday 16 May.

The 25-year-old was seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.

Multiple lines of enquiry being explored by police at present, but anyone who believes they may have seen him from around this time, is asked to get in touch.

Adeo is described as being a mixed-race male, with long curly black hair and a long singular dreadlock, and bleached eyebrows. He has a cupid’s bow piercing and a right eyebrow piercing. He also has an ‘AKA’ tattoo on his right wrist, and a ‘24’ tattoo in the right side of his chest.

He was last seen wearing long blue denim shorts, an undone green short-sleeved button-up shirt, and white Adidas trainers.

Friends have also recently set up a public fundraiser to help with the search for Adeo.

Fundraiser launched to find missing 'beautiful soul' Adeo Alston
Adeo Alston-Ekpei has been missing for almost three weeks / Credit: GMP

“We are dedicated to finding Adeo and getting much-needed answers for his family,” commented Detective Inspector Kelly, from GMP’s Manchester district, as the footage was released to the public this week.

“I would ask any residents around the Kingsway area, and surrounding housing estates off Kingsway into Gately, and who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from around this time, to please check and get in touch if you have any information.

“Likewise, if anyone believes they have seen Adeo, please get in touch with one of our officers. Any information is appreciated and investigated as we continue our work.”

A spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.

“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”

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Anyone with any information regarding Adeo’s whereabouts is urged to contact South Manchester CID directly on 0161 856 6051 or 0161 856 6063, or you can use the LiveChat function on GMP’s website and quote log number 838 of 18/05/25.

Alternatively, you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – GMP

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Tributes pour in after Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph dies at age 40

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Ralph the Donkey

The time has come… one of Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkeys, Ralph, has sadly died at the impressive age of 40.

As regular visitors to Manchester‘s largest park may be aware, Ralph the donkey recently celebrated his 40th birthday – which, even more impressively, actually made him 120 in donkey years – and it was a truly incredible achievement for him to reach, especially as The Donkey Sanctuary says that the average life expectancy for a donkey is just over 30 years of age.

But earlier this week, things sadly took a turn for the worse.

Heaton Park‘s Estates Team made the decision to contact a vet for a site visit after identifying some changes with Ralph’s behaviour, and unfortunately, this was found to be caused by a ruptured intestine.

So it’s with ‘deep sadness’ that the park had to announce to the public that Ralph passed away later that afternoon.

“Ralph meant a lot to many, both staff and all our visitors, and he will be deeply missed within the park,” Heaton Park & Hall said in tribute to their beloved friend on social media this week.

They also shared an adorable image of him when he was just a young foal.

Those who had the pleasure of seeing Ralph roam the park over the past four decades soon began flooding the comments, sharing their own emotional tributes to the friendly face who’s sadly no longer with us.

Ralph the Donkey
Ralph the Donkey
Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph celebrating his 40th birthday / Credit: Heaton Park & Hall (via Facebook)

“Sleep easy buddy, you had a wonderful charmed life and you deserved it,” one touching comment read on Facebook, while another added: “Aww Godspeed Ralph, you had a happy life, now its time to rest,” and a third commented: “So sorry to hear this sad news about Ralph, but glad to know he has enjoyed a long and happy life.”

Another tribute reads: “RIP Ralph, you brought a lot of joy to a lot of people,” as does this similar one: “Aww bless him. He’d had a long and happy life, and gave much happiness too.”

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Many also took the time to thank the Heaton Park team for looking after him so well for all these years.

Featured Image – Heaton Park & Hall (via Facebook)

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