WHATS NEWS
Did you know that..? Global economy faces slow recovery. The global economy faces a “long, uneven and uncertain” road to recovery, the head of the International Monetary Fund said. In June, the IMF forecast a 4.9% contraction in GDP for 2020, the sharpest fall since the Great Depression. Kristalina Georgieva said the global economy was “coming back from the depths of this crisis,” as the IMF prepares to make a small upward revision to its world economic forecasts due to be unveiled next week. But the managing director warned policymakers against cutting off support too soon. Financial Times Latest data shows vaccine reduces transmission. There is “early data” showing a reduction in transmission in people who have had a coronavirus vaccine, the health secretary has said. The Health Secretary said hospital admissions were falling “much more sharply” than they were in the pandemic’s first wave. The government aims to offer a first jab to all adults in the UK by the end of July, with one in three adults already vaccinated. Boris Johnson will unveil his plan for ending England’s lockdown by close of business today. BBC One dose ‘gives 90% protection’. A single vaccine shot reduces the risk of being hospitalised by Covid-19 by more than 90 per cent. Public health officials have told the government that the statistic applies for both the Pfizer and Oxford-AastraZeneca vaccine. The UK rollout has now achieved nearly 20 million first injections. Mail on Sunday
14
www.webexpressguide.com
Death rates back to ‘normal’. Covid infections have fallen by one third in a week and death rates are back to normal. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that there were 248,000 infections in the week ending 27 February, compared to 373,700 the previous week. The latest report from Public Health England shows that there is now no statistically significant excess mortality in Britain. Daily Telegraph Liams are taking over the world. The short form of the Irish name Uilliam, which, in turn, is derived from the Germanic name William meaning resolute protector, is already one of the most popular boys’ names in the US and Canada, and it is also gaining ground in Europe. Although only 334 Liams were born in the Republic of Ireland last year, an estimated 3,800 were recorded in Germany, along with 962 in Spain, and 760 in Sweden. Metro Oxford dictionary updates its definition of ‘woman’. The Oxford English Dictionary has updated the definition of “woman” amid claims it was sexist. Following a review, the dictionary’s editors have acknowledged for the first time that a woman can be a “person’s” wife, girlfriend or lover as opposed to only a “man’s”. Oxford University Press said that The Oxford Dictionary of English is “driven solely by evidence of how real people use English in their daily lives”. The Guardian
LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS ON OUR BLOG ONLINE AT FOOT OF ARTICLES
