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Moderna vaccine rolled out in UK
Britain has officially begun using a third vaccine as part of its inoculation drive.
A third vaccine is set to be rolled out in Britain today as the first group of people come forward to receive the Moderna jab.
Residents in Carmarthen in Wales are being offered the jab from April 7 – with 5,000 doses sent to vaccination centres.
The Moderna vaccine now joins Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca on the list of available jabs in Britain.
Developed in the US, the Moderna vaccine was approved for use by the UK medicines regulator back in January – with studies suggesting it has 100% efficacy against severe cases of COVID-19.
Britain has ordered 17 million doses – enough for 8.5 million people.
Over 31 million in the UK have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine so far.
From April 9, free rapid COVID testing will also be made available to everyone in England – with testing kits available to order for home use or to collect at pharmacies.
Dr Susan Hopkins, COVID-19 Strategic Response Director at Public Health England, said that rapid testing helps find COVID-19 cases that could otherwise go undetected.
“These tests are effective in detecting people that are infectious and therefore most likely to transmit infection to others,” Dr Hopkins stated.
“They are another tool we now have to help maintain lower infection rates.”
Meanwhile, a trial assessing whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine triggers a strong immune system response in children has been paused while regulators investigate a possible link with rare blood clots in adults.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency emphasised that the benefits of the Oxford vaccine outweigh risks.
Nick Triggle, Health Correspondent for the BBC, stated: “Even if the vaccine was the cause, and this is still not proven, the numbers suggest around one death in every 2.5 million people vaccinated in the UK.”
Featured image: Marco Verch / Flickr
News
Police appeal launched as woman dies after being hit by lorry in Bury
Daisy Jackson
A woman has tragically died after being hit by a lorry in Bury yesterday afternoon.
At around 3.45pm on Tuesday 6 October, emergency services were called to a road traffic collision in Radcliffe.
The collision was between a pedestrian and a lorry on Church Street West.
Tragically, the pedestrian – a woman in her 50s – passed away at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.
A large cordon was in place yesterday and road has remained closed this morning.
Officers from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now appealing for information.
They said: “At around 3.45pm yesterday (Tuesday 6 October 2026) we were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a pedestrian and a lorry on Church Street West, Radcliffe.
“Emergency services attended but sadly the pedestrian, a woman in her 50s, passed away at the scene.
“No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
“Anyone with information including CCTV, Ring doorbell or dashcam footage is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log 2299 of 06.10.26. Reports can also be made via our website of the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
“Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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Featured image: Google Maps
News
New measures announced to tackle ‘rogue’ landlords across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A cohort of trained enforcement officers are set to hit the streets in all 10 boroughs to help improve the lives of the region’s renters.
Forming part of Greater Manchester‘s commitment to the highest-quality housing standards alongside the Good Landlord Charter, the newly trained enforcement officers will be tasked with protecting tenants, joining Council teams in checking rental properties, bringing enforcement action against bad landlords, and cracking down on illegal practices.
The introduction of the new enforcement officers comes after what has been ‘years of sustained pressure’ on local budgets.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says it is working with the 10 councils across the region to strengthen local teams, rebuild in-house skills and expertise, and ensure that powers can be applied with consistency in all boroughs.
As mentioned, this all forms part of the Good Landlord Charter – which is GMCA’s ‘bold approach’ to drive up standards for renters across the region.
Landlords of more than half of rented properties in Greater Manchester have now signed up as supporters of the Charter, and as supporters, they have committed to going above and beyond legal minimums to improve the renting experience for hundreds of thousands of people.
“A safe place to call home is the cornerstone of a happy, healthy life,” explained Mayor Bev Craig. “But for years, people have felt trapped in poor-quality housing, and cash-strapped councils were unable to step in to help. I’m putting an end to that.
“We know there are plenty of good landlords in Greater Manchester, and many of them have already signed up to our Good Landlord Charter, but too many are just not good enough.
“That’s why we’re deploying a new generation of expert housing officers onto the streets of our towns and cities.”
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Mayor Bev Craig declared that she ‘won’t stand by and let rogue landlords take advantage of people’.
She continued: “By empowering renters, working with responsible landlords, and using our powers to crack down on the bad ones, I will make sure everyone in Greater Manchester has the foundation for a good life.”
Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
The Manc -
7th April 2021 
