‘Jabs are working’: Hospital admissions flat despite Indian variant, says Hancock
Hospitalisations for COVID-19 remain “broadly flat” despite a rise in the Indian variant in parts of the UK, the health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that the majority of people in hospital “appear to be those who haven’t had the vaccine at all”.
He also said that only about 1% of people who had tested positive with the Indian variant, also known as the Delta variant, had been admitted to hospital.
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The health secretary said: “As of 3 June, our data show that of the 12,383 cases of the Delta variant, 464 went onto present at emergency care and 126 people were admitted to hospital.
“Of these 126 people, 83 were unvaccinated and 28 had received one dose and just three had received both doses of the vaccine.”
Mr Hancock said government figures show “jabs are working” and encouraged the public to get vaccinated – as he announced over-25s in England would be eligible to book one from Tuesday.
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Vaccinations for under-30s announced
A total of 40,460,576 people in the UK have received at least one dose of a vaccine so far, with nearly 28 million getting both doses.
Despite the speedy rollout, which began six months ago, there is concern the Delta variant could delay England’s final step out of coronavirus restrictions – scheduled for 21 June.
Mr Hancock said it was “still too early” to say whether it would go ahead, despite former chief scientific adviser Sir David King stating that it would be wise to delay the easing of restrictions.
According to data gathered by Sky News, the Delta variant now makes up three-quarters of new cases.
The Alpha, or Kent variant, was the dominant variant in the UK as recently as 1 May, making up 85% of cases.
But since 29 May, the number of people testing positive for that variant is down to 17%, while the number of Delta cases recorded was 79.5%.
Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Rossendale and Bedford remain key hotspots.
Calderdale in North Yorkshire is also launching surge testing this week following a small number of confirmed cases of the variant.
Adults and children aged 12 and over are being encouraged to take a PCR test and enhanced contact tracing will be used for those who test positive.
Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78.
A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.
“Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.
“She will be dearly missed.”
Marianne Faithfull in 1995. Pic: Reuters
Faithfull was best known for her 60s hit As Tears Go By, written by The Rolling Stones’ Jagger and Keith Richards.
She also starred in films including The Girl on a Motorcycle and 2007’s Irina Palm, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress.
In recent years, she provided voice work for the 2021 remake of Dune and 2023’s Wild Summon.
Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle. Pic: Mid-Atlantic/Ares/Claridge/Kobal/Shutterstock
Born in 1946, Faithfull started her singing career in 1964 after being discovered by the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Her self-titled debut album was released a year later, with As Tears Go By reaching number nine on the UK singles chart.
She went on to have a string of successful singles, including Come and Stay with Me, This Little Bird, and Summer Nights, and famously dated Sir Mick from 1966 to 1970.
Faithfull was prolific throughout the 60s, releasing six albums – some only in the UK and some for the US – as well as contributing backing vocals to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and inspiring the Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil.
That decade also saw her star in films like 1967’s I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname – where she was one of the first people to say f*** in a mainstream studio film – 1968’s The Girl on a Motorcycle, and Tony Richardson’s 1969 adaptation of Hamlet.
Her relationship with Sir Mick was notorious, with the couple being arrested in 1968 for possession of cannabis.
She was also infamously found by police wearing only a bear skin rug when they arrived for a drugs raid at Richard’s home in 1967.
Faithfull and Mick Jagger dated from 1966 to 1970. Pic: Shutterstock
After breaking up with the Stones frontman, Faithfull spent two years homeless in Soho while suffering from anorexia and heroin addiction, before she started living in a squat.
She wrote in her 1994 autobiography: “For me, being a junkie was an admirable life. It was total anonymity, something I hadn’t known since I was 17.
“As a street addict in London, I finally found it. I had no telephone, no address.”
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In 1979, following success in Ireland with the country-themed Dreamin’ My Dreams, Faithfull released the Grammy-nominated Broken English – widely considered her best album.
She later achieved critical acclaim as a jazz and blues singer with 1987’s Strange Weather and went to rehab that same decade.
Faithfull performing in Montreux, Switzerland, in 2009. Pic: Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA/Shutterstock
Faithfull released a total of 21 solo albums throughout her career. Her most recent was the spoken word album She Walks in Beauty from 2021, which saw her work with frequent Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis.
She made a full recovery from breast cancer in 2006, and fell into a coma after catching COVID-19 early in 2020 before recovering.
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