Summary

  • Chancellor Rishi Sunak says there is 'no truth' in the claims PPE is being prioritised to England over Scotland

  • Scotland's health secretary has received assurances from Matt Hancock that PPE suppliers were not asked to prioritise England

  • The total official number of coronavirus-related deaths in Scotland stands at 615 - but the true figure is thought to be much higher

  • The latest UK figures show 778 more people have died in hospital

  • A new helpline has opened for vulnerable Scots at high risk of coronavirus

  1. Fears for children's safety as pools stay shutpublished at 09:15 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    Ceredigion council will keep leisure centres shut until at least July while others in Wales are open.

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  2. Testing call after South Africa variant discoveredpublished at 08:49 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    People living in Redditch are being encouraged to get tested for Covid 19, after people in the town tested positive for the South Africa variant.

    The affected area is mainly in the west and south west of the town, but people are being asked to check their postcode on the county council's websites.

    RedditchImage source, Google

    A mobile testing van is being set up at the Abbey Stadium this morning and home testing kits will also be available.

  3. Long Covid: 'Incredible to see the progress'published at 08:32 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    Michele Paduano
    Health correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

    A nurse who has been diagnosed with long Covid says she is slowly getting better, more than a year after being diagnosed.

    Felicia Selvaraj

    Felicia Selvaraj was admitted to hospital in April 2020 and her family said they feared they might lose her.

    Having survived the worst of the illness, she said recovery has been slow: "Last year, I thought one step, I cannot walk, even I could not put my feet down."

    There is no universally agreed definition of long Covid, but it covers a broad range of symptoms., external

    An NHS Service set up in the BMI Hospital in Edgbaston has been assessing her and they hope soon she can come off oxygen.

    Her son, Rev Emmanuel Selvaraj, said: "Mum has always been active, she never just sits there doing nothing.

    "Today, to see her running up and down, making the doctors chase her, that was incredible to see the progress."

  4. As it happened: Indian variant being closely watched amid UK risepublished at 08:13 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    There are concerns the variant may be more transmissible and infectious than the UK variant.

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  5. Coronavirus: Morning updatepublished at 07:41 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.

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  6. On The Beach pulls all summer holidays from salepublished at 06:50 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    The online travel agent will not be selling summer holidays due to Covid uncertainty.

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  7. Kenya records more cases of Indian Covid variantpublished at 06:41 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    Rhoda Odhiambo
    BBC health reporter, Nairobi

    coronavirusImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Seven African countries have so far detected the variant

    Kenya has confirmed 15 more cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant.

    Dr Rashid Aman from the health ministry says this now brings the total number of cases from this mutation to 20.

    "The new cases were confirmed from a genome sequencing conducted on 17 samples picked from travellers from India last week. From the analysis 15 had this strain," Dr Aman said.

    The B.1.617 variant has been blamed for India’s rise in cases that has seen the country record more than 20 million infections.

    The variant has also been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a variant of concern.

    Preliminary studies show the mutation spreads more easily than other variants and requires further study.

    Seven African countries have so far confirmed the presence of the variant with Kenya confirming most of the cases.

  8. Home deliveries 'saving grace' for cull-risk henspublished at 06:34 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    A farm was left with thousands of surplus eggs and its hens faced being culled due to lockdown.

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  9. St Paul's could close without tourism cashpublished at 06:27 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    The world-famous cathedral has seen its finances devastated by the pandemic.

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  10. Why lockdown is no joke for comedy clubspublished at 06:10 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    For comedy promoters, the experience of the past year has been anything but amusing.

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  11. Australia secures Moderna vaccine in rollout boostpublished at 04:39 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    The US company agrees to supply 25m vaccine doses as Australia struggles with its vaccination drive.

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  12. Ohio vaccine lottery offers residents shot at $1mpublished at 02:43 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    The US state's governor tries to boost flagging demand for jabs with government-funded cash prizes.

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  13. Do India reinfections pose a challenge to vaccines?published at 00:29 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    India has fully vaccinated only 3% of its people, but vaccine breakthrough cases appear to be rising.

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  14. I love being a mogul: The Hollywood stars going into businesspublished at 00:14 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    With the pandemic shutting down Hollywood over the past year, actors have been starting companies.

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  15. The race against the variantspublished at 00:06 British Summer Time 13 May 2021

    What happens when vaccines are slow to arrive - and what it means for ending the pandemic.

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  16. Indoor eating and drinking is back on the menupublished at 22:29 British Summer Time 12 May 2021

    After a fall in Covid rates, indoor hospitality can finally reopen on Monday.

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  17. Ruthie Henshall: Lack of visits 'took her down so quickly'published at 22:15 British Summer Time 12 May 2021

    The actress pays tribute to her mother Gloria, who died in a care home on Tuesday.

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  18. Renter eviction ban to finish at end of Maypublished at 21:37 British Summer Time 12 May 2021

    A ban on property evictions will end on 31 May, the government has confirmed.

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  19. Cases of South Africa variant found in Redditchpublished at 21:18 British Summer Time 12 May 2021

    Worcestershire County Council said the cases have not been traced back to international travel.

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