(Sharecast News) – Every adult in the UK will be offered a vaccine by the autumn, Matt Hancock promised today as he claimed the inoculation programme was on track to meet its first target by February 15. The health secretary said figures to be updated daily from tomorrow would show a third of those aged over 80 had already been offered a Covid jab. Mr Hancock claimed take-up of the vaccine had so far been “fantastic” ahead of tomorrow’s data, which is expected to provide the first detailed breakdown of progress so far. – Sunday Times
Democrats calling for Donald Trump’s removal following the deadly US Capitol riots will introduce articles of impeachment as early as Monday, but may be willing to wait for a Senate trial until long after Joe Biden takes office in nine days’ time. Political chess in Washington continued on Sunday, as the White House belatedly lowered its US flag to half-staff, in honour of those who died on Wednesday. – Guardian
“[Carson] Block, one of the world’s best-known activist investors, said [Jack] Ma’s disappearance is ‘just one of the reasons’ he is betting against Chinese firms. He said his main concern is dodgy accounting practices, but he also hit out at poor oversight of the way companies are run and the huge power of the Chinese regime over the country’s firms. Shares in Alibaba – China’s answer to shopping giant Amazon and one of the world’s biggest companies – have fallen by around 25 per cent since October, when founder Ma made critical comments about China’s regulator and state-owned banks.” – Financial Mail on Sunday
Retailers face a financial “bloodbath” as accountants strained by the pressure of tough audits and lockdown restrictions prepare for talks with regulators over giving companies more time to file their accounts. The difficulties posed by lockdown come as accountants prepare for difficult audits of struggling firms, particularly in the retail sector, where they may not be able to sign off on companies’ ability to continue as a going concern. – Sunday Telegraph
Beijing risks triggering a credit crunch in China as it returns to its drive to slash debt piles after surviving the worst of Covid-19. Analysts have warned the world’s second-largest economy has started to clamp down on corporate credit growth again and risks tightening policy too far under its deleveraging efforts. – Sunday Telegraph
Britain’s economy shrank by more than 3 per cent in the November lockdown, figures are expected to show this week. On average, economists expect GDP to have fallen 3.4 per cent – although some experts think the decline was much steeper. The economy had grown for six consecutive months, with GDP rising 0.4 per cent in October, before the Government ordered bars, restaurants and non-essential shops to close again in November. – Financial Mail on Sunday
Big corporations have handed back billions of pounds in taxpayer-backed Bank of England loans that have been issued since the pandemic hit Britain. A probe by The Mail on Sunday found shopping centre chain Westfield, industrial machinery conglomerate CNH – backed by the Italian dynasty behind Fiat – and UK manufacturer JCB have all settled their loans in the past month. Half of the 14 largest loans from an official list published last June have now been repaid. Those seven loans were worth £4.2billion. – Financial Mail on Sunday
During the first months of the pandemic, up to 1,000 NHS staff received free wellness packs – including vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc – from a voluntary initiative called the Frontline Immune Support Team, after informal demand from clinicians. And as sales of vitamin D supplements significantly increased, some doctors informally recommended it to patients. – Guardian
The new coronavirus variant that is sweeping the UK is extremely unlikely to evade immune responses generated by vaccines or a previous Covid infection, scientists say. Researchers in the US found that antibodies collected from former patients very rarely targeted parts of the virus that were mutated in the new variant. Their work suggests only 0.5% of individuals are at risk of having reduced protection against the variant, named B.1.1.7. – Guardian
