3 Fun Ways You Can Use LEGO to Teach Road Safety to Children (Collaborative Post)

 3 Fun Ways You Can Use LEGO to Teach Road Safety to Children

Years have passed since LEGO was born, but its charm remains unfaded. This collaborative post by Daniel Washington shows how LEGO can be used to teach your children important life skills - which will last as long as their LEGO...

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 3rd February 2023

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 3rd February 2023

World COVID Statistics: 675,852,150 reported cases and 6,768,076 losses of life.

"Three years ago today, I declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) over the global spread of COVID-19 - the highest level of alarm under the International Health Regulations. 

On Friday the Emergency Committee met to consider whether that remains the case. The committee has advised me that in its view, COVID-19 remains a global health emergency.

In the past 8 weeks, more than 170,000 people have lost their lives to COVID-19, and that's just the reported deaths; we know the actual number is much higher." 

Dr Tedros, Head of the World Health Organisation, speaking on Monday.

Lets start with some good news. Ambulance handover times have improved dramatically. I don't know which genius sorted this out, but someone somewhere fixed this, and they should probably be in charge (as long as it isn't a cover up and all those people are piling up in a caretaker's closet.) 

Down from highs of almost 4 hours of wasted time per handover (on average) in mid December and early January, to less than 15 minutes for most of the UK for the 3rd week of January. Even the South West is down to around 40 minutes. 

Serious credit to all involved, and to numbers bloke Paul Mainwood for keeping his eye on it. 

ZEROWATER 5 Stage Advanced Water Filter Jug Review (sent for review)

We were recently sent the ZEROWATER 12 Cup / 2.8l Jug to review. This is a jug with a combined 5 stage ion-exchange water filter to remove all kinds of dissolved solids from your water before you drink it - and it fits neatly into the door pocket of a fridge. It also has a TDS (total dissolved solids) meter included, so you can see how effectively it works.

As soon as you open the packaging, you see an important message - the filter should be replaced once the meter registers 6 or more. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 16th / 17th / 18th March 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 16th / 17th / 18th March 2022

Today's stats error is.... "Reported case numbers for Scotland cover more than 24 hours" (Irrelevant as we are given a 7 day average).

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 552,198 (average 78,885 per day, UP a lot from 59,117 a week earlier)
In hospital yesterday 17th March: 14,671 (UP a lot from 11,944 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 292 (UP from 253 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 753 (average 107 per day, similar to 104 a week earlier)
Tests last 7 days: 4,997,040 (average 713,862 per day, UP from 650,544 a week earlier, despite less tests being distributed)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 91.7% of UK aged 12+
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 85.7%
Boosted / 3rd dose: 67.1%

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,365,467 cases and 6,638 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 467,256,593 reported cases and 6,090,530 losses of life.

"The Peace Bell in Mariupol.
It rings no more.
Until the evil is defeated."
Illia Ponomarenko, Ukrainian journalist at the Kyiv Independent.
His home town is Volnovakha, which has been razed to the ground. Every building has been damaged, including his family home and the maternity hospital where he was born.
His university in Mariupol and everywhere he made his student memories has been destroyed. 90% of the buildings in Mariupol are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed.
His new flat, which he moved into 1 month ago in Bucha, has been destroyed.
He is left in Kyiv, wondering how long he has left there, and where to go next.
This is a young man who will never forget, and how can he ever forgive?
No-one wins a war, and it continues long after it ends.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 19th / 20th February 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 19th / 20th February 2022

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 18,605,752 (+25,696)
Losses of Life: 160,581 (+74)
Tests: 900,352
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 52,566,648 (91.4% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd Dose: 48,871,729 (85%)
Boosted / 3rd Doses: 37,989,163 (66.1%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,265,124 cases and 6,417 losses of life.

World: 424,519,181 reported cases and 5,904,075 losses of life.

"Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms.
We’ve built up strong protections against this virus over the past two years through the vaccine rollouts, tests, new treatments, and the best scientific understanding of what this virus can do.
Thanks to our successful vaccination programme and the sheer magnitude of people who have come forward to be jabbed, we are now in a position to set out our plan for living with Covid this week."
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 5th / 6th and 7th January 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 5th / 6th and 7th January 2022

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 14,193,228 (+178,250)
In Hospital Yesterday Thursday 6th January: 18,454 (up from 11,918 last Wednesday 29th December - 8 days ago).
Using A Ventilator Yesterday: 868 (exactly the same as 8 days ago).
Losses of Life: 149,744 (+229)
Tests: 1,820,674
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 51,897,289 (90.2% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd Dose: 47,600,028 (82.8%)
Boosted/ 3rd Dose: 35,066,144 (61%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 930,598 (+21,926) cases and 5,952 losses of life.

World: 301,642,122 reported cases and 5,492,986 losses of life.

"While Omicron does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as ‘mild’.
Just like previous variants; Omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people.
In fact, the tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world.
Hospitals are becoming overcrowded and understaffed, which further results in preventable deaths from not only COVID-19 but other diseases and injuries where patients cannot receive timely care."
Dr Tedros of the World Health Organisation, feeling very strongly that the words "Omicron" and "Mild" together in the same sentence are giving a lot of people a false illusion of security. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus English Briefing With Boris 4th January 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus English Briefing With Boris 4th January 2022

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases INCLUDES BACKLOG from N.I. and WALES: 13,641,520 (+218,724)
In Hospital on Friday 31st December: 14,126
Using A Ventilator: 883
Losses of Life: 148,941 (+48)
Tests: 1,703,612
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 51,820,652 (90.1% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd Dose: 47,482,789 (82.6%)
Boosted: 34,363,986 (59.8%)

Boris did a virtual press conference from Downing Street today, to address the fact that several NHS hospitals and trusts have declared critical incidents due to high demand, staff absence and rapidly rising COVID admissions.
Among the hospital trusts which are reportedly struggling are:
Blackpool
Lincolnshire (includes Lincoln, Boston and Grantham)
Morecambe Bay (includes Lancaster and Kendall)
Great Western (Swindon)
Plymouth (includes Derriford)
Gloucestershire (includes Cheltenham)
West Midlands Ambulance Service
North East Ambulance Service
Whole Norfolk and Waveney (including ambulance, community, hospitals and social services)
West Suffolk

The Humble Co. Eco-friendly Toothcare Review (sent for review)

I love anything which reduces single-use plastic and waste, and my family have been using compostable bamboo toothbrushes for the last couple of years. We hadn't tried Humble before though. They've sent us a selection of eco-friendly tooth and mouth care products to review.... 

The Humble Company products have been developed by dentists and designed in Sweden, and they all use minimal plastic without compromising on hygiene and safety.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 11th / 12th October 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 11th / 12th October 2021

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 8,231,437 (+38,520)
In Hospital yesterday 11th: 7,003
Using A Ventilator yesterday: 747
Losses of Life: 137,944 (+181)
Tests: 936,288
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 49,216,092 (85.6% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations Fully Vaxxed: 45,212,813 (78.6%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 405,970 (+1,456) cases and 5,280 losses of life.

World: 239,261,170 reported cases and 4,876,704 losses of life.

6,000 people a week in the UK are being referred to Long COVID clinics, and papers are reporting that even Sajid Javid has finally noticed it might be a bit of a "huge" issue.
The ONS figures released last week show 1.1m people in the UK self-report symptoms lasting over 3 months, (including over 125,000 NHS staff). 405,000 people say symptoms have lasted over a year, and 211,000 people say it significantly reduces their ability to carry out daily activities. 

COVID UK and World News Update 22nd / 23rd September 2021

COVID UK and World News Update 22nd / 23rd September 2021

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 7,565,867 (+36,710)
In Hospital on Tuesday 21st: 7,588
Using A Ventilator on Tuesday 21st: 943
Losses of Life: 135,803 (+182)
Tests: 969,173
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 48,674,154 (89.6% of UK aged 16+)
Vaccinations Fully Vaxxed: 44,600,070 (82.1%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 380,720 (+1,354) cases and 5,209 losses of life

World: 231,117,855 reported cases and 4,736,455 losses of life

The UK Government have learnt a few lessons from the pandemic, and have been in consultation about how to improve things for British workers.
They have made a proposal to make the right to request flexible working a day one entitlement - meaning employees can go to their boss and reasonably ask for flexibility over when and where they work - obviously this isn't possible for everyone.
The Government will also introduce "a day one right to one-week’s unpaid leave for carers balancing a job with caring responsibilities"- if you are a carer and have a disaster which keeps you off work, or need to attend an important meeting, you really shouldn't be risking your job for it.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 26th to 31st August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 26th to 31st August 2021

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 6,789,581 (+32,181)
In Hospital: 7,015 (on Friday 27th)
Using A Ventilator: 988 (on Friday 27th)
Losses of Life: 132,535 (+50)
Tests: 672,479
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 48,048,009 (88.4% of UK population aged 16+)
Fully Vaxxed: 42,790,585 (78.7%)

Area: Cases last 7 days / Rate per 100,000 population last 7 days
Wales: 13,014 / 410.6
Scotland: 35,215 / 644.3
Northern Ireland: 11,664 / 615.3
England: 178,267 / 315.2

Rep. Of Ireland: 351,065 cases and 5,092 losses of life (not yet reported today.)

World: 218,223,304 reported cases and 4,528,320 losses of life. 

I'm back! There hasn't been too much COVID news while I was away on a relatively remote farm in Scotland thankfully, so I managed entire days without even reading a single news article, press release or study. And crikey, how amazing it was to see Grandma and Grandpa after 2 years apart! (Thanks for having us x.)

Sadly I'm not Boris, so I don't get another break this week... (who knew Prime Minister was such a part time position?)

While I was gone:
- The UK Government announced a study to see the effect of 3rd 'Booster Doses' in people with weakened immune systems (about time guys... tsk).
- We had movement in the UK travel 'Traffic Light' lists - Montenegro and Thailand move to the red list. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland move to the green list.
- There was extra COVID support sent to South West England. Holidaymakers arrived en masse bearing gifts. As a result, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay will receive help for around another month.
- The UK Government have announced a study to try and discover why some people are reinfected, and some are not. Data will be collected via the SIREN Study, the PITCH study and other studies with capital letter acronym names.
- The UK (and I suspect a few other places) is facing an 'unprecedented crisis' recruiting and retaining social care staff. Historically underpaid and undervalued, I think throwing them to the lions while their service users feared for their lives might have been a straw too many. Well, that... and Brexit plus a global pandemic saw a lot of staff wave goodbye and leave for elsewhere in the world. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th August 2021.

The UK added 37,314 cases today (Up from 32,700  a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 6,429,147 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 822,777 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,516,505 people (87.4% of UK population over age 16) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 41,332,128 people (76%) had received 2 doses.

6,441 people were in hospital yesterday 19th August (Up from 5,875 a week earlier), with 928 using a ventilator (Up from 882 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 114 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 131,487 losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 6th August, 154,811 people had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Area: Deaths / Rate per 100,000 population
Wales: 7,928 / 250.1
Scotland: 10,405 / 190.4
Northern Ireland: 3,045 / 160.6
England: 132,369 / 234.1

Rep. Of Ireland 333,304 (+2,098) cases and 5,074 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 211,155,597 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,422,710. Already 189,046,199 people have recovered.

The latest Public Health England estimates suggest that the vaccination programme has "prevented over 82,100 hospitalisations in those aged 65 and over in England. Further data suggests that it has also prevented 95,200 deaths and 23,957,000 COVID-19 infections more widely."
Excellent stuff.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd July 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd July 2021

The UK added 36,389 cases today and now has reported a total of 5,637,975 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,013,261 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,476,845 people (87.9% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 36,762,646 people (69.5% of UK adults) had received 2 doses and will be fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose.

5,001 people were in hospital yesterday Thursday 22nd (up from 3,964 a week earlier), with 699 using a ventilator (up from 551 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 64 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 129,044 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 290,525 (+1,386) cases and 5,026 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 193,701,849 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,156,111. Already 175,919,238 people have recovered.

“I think the word irreversible about anything is probably best not used.”
NHS England head Sir Simon Stevens (in today's Financial Times).

"North East and Yorkshire becomes the first of seven regions in the English NHS to record over 1000 covid+ hospital patients. [It had 80 on 5 June]."
Alistair McLellan, Editor of the HSJ (Health Services Journal).

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21st / 22nd July 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21st / 22nd July 2021

The UK added 39,905 cases today and now has reported a total of 5,602,321 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,038,954 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,433,845 people (87.8% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 36,587,904 people (69.2%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

4,861 people were in hospital yesterday, 21st July, with 647 using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 84 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,980 losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 9th July, 153,070 people had COVID written as a cause on their death certificate.

Area: Deaths / Rate per 100,000 population
Wales: 5,594 / 177.4 (1 in 565)
Scotland 7,842 / 143.5 (1 in 697)
Northern Ireland 2,166 / 114.4 (1 in 877)
England 113,378 / 201.4 (1 in 497)

Rep. Of Ireland 289,139 (+1,188) cases and 5,026 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 193,134,081 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,147,246. Already 175,540,253 people have recovered.

"NHS staff are rightly receiving a pay rise this year.
I’m pleased to accept the independent pay review recommendation in full - with a 3% pay rise for all staff in scope, from doctors and nurses to paramedics and porters."
Sajid Javid, winner of worst promotion ever, new UK Health Secretary.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 9th June 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 9th June 2021

The UK added 35,707 cases today and now has reported a total of 5,058,093 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,114,234 tests yesterday.
Between 3 July 2021 and 9 July 2021, 206,046 people had a confirmed positive test result. This shows an increase of 30.7% compared to the previous 7 days.

The counter says 45,697,875 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 34,374,246 people had received 2 doses and will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after that 2nd dose.

2,731 people were in hospital yesterday, Thursday 8th July, with 417 using a ventilator.
Between 29 June 2021 and 5 July 2021, 2,872 people went into hospital with coronavirus. This shows an increase of 55.9% compared to the previous 7 days.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 29 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,365 losses of life in all settings.
Between 3 July 2021 and 9 July 2021, there have been 176 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. This shows an increase of 43.1% compared to the previous 7 days.

Rep. Of Ireland 276,735 (+631) cases and 5,006 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 186,618,031 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,030,970. Already 170,698,970 people have recovered.

“It's about preventing being exposed to the virus, and preventing you exposing others to the virus.
Look around in your community.
Know the local numbers.
If the virus is present in your community and you're a vulnerable person and you're not vaccinated, then you are potentially going to be exposed.
So the idea that everyone is protected and it’s “kumbaya” and everything goes back to normal, I think right now is a very dangerous assumption anywhere in the world.
We’d ask governments to be really careful at this moment, not to lose the gains that we’ve made.
This virus is evolving. This virus is changing, and we need to be very careful at this moment, so that the gains that have been hard won by the behaviours and actions of our populations are sustained. Individual behaviour and government support to that behaviour is extremely important.
And I would urge extreme caution in the complete lifting of public health and social measures at this time, because there are consequences for that."
Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director, the World Health Organisation.
The UK Government can never say they weren't warned. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 5th / 6th July 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 5th / 6th July 2021.

The UK added 28,773 cases today (up from 20,479 a week earlier: 11,625 two weeks earlier) and now has reported a total of 4,958,868 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,160,738 tests yesterday.

The counter says 45,428,681 people (86.2% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 33,874,176 people (64.3% of UK adults) had received 2 doses.

2,140 people were in hospital on Sunday 4th (up from1,585 a week earlier: 1,378 two weeks earlier), with 369 using a ventilator yesterday, 5th July (up from 297 a week earlier: 227 two weeks earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 37 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,268 official losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 274,641 cases and 5,000 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

The number of people who have officially lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 has passed the grave milestone of 4 million - 4,003,860 humans.
There have now been a total of 185,135,819 reported cases worldwide, and already 169,432,743 people have recovered.

"Before we started putting jabs into arms, whenever we saw a rise in cases, it would inevitably be followed by a rise in hospitalisations, and tragically a rise in deaths too.
Yet today, even though cases are heading upwards, in line with what we expected, hospitalisations are at a much lower rate, and deaths are at just 1% of the figure we saw at the peak."
(At first his maths didn't work at all, then I remembered we lost twice as many hospitalised people during the peak as we did at other times. So in reality - 2% of more usual numbers, which is horrific for all involved, yet still excellent, at around 0.04%, or 1 in every 2,500 cases. I hope that's true. I hate that they fudge numbers.)
"Our vaccines are building a wall of protection against hospitalisations , and jab by jab, brick by brick, that wall is getting higher. And for those people, who sadly do find themselves having to go to hospital, we have better treatments than ever before."
{Related story about Dexamethasone being a game changer.}
"And taken together, the link between cases, hospitalisations and deaths is being severely weakened, and this means we can start to learn to live with COVID."
Sajid Javid,  UK Health Secretary.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 28th / 29th June 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 28th / 29th June 2021.

The UK added 20,479 cases today (up from 11,625 a week earlier: 7,673 two weeks earlier) and now has reported a total of 4,775,301 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,095,973 tests yesterday.

The counter says 44,581,771 people (84.6% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 32,721,762 people (62.1%) had received 2 doses.

1,585 people were in hospital on Sunday 27th (up from 1,378 a week earlier: 1,136 two weeks earlier), with 297 using a ventilator yesterday, 28th June (up from 227 a week earlier: 188 two weeks earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 23 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,126 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 271,589 cases and 4,989 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 182,333,954 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,948,238. Already 166,874,107 people have recovered.

"New analysis suggests the vaccination programme has prevented between 6.4 and 7.9 million infections and 26,000 and 28,000 deaths in England alone."
Public Health England.
Yes - really. Excellent stuff. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd / 24th June 2021.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd / 24th June 2021.

The UK added 16,703 cases today and now has reported a total of 4,684,572 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,150,834 tests yesterday.

The counter says 43,656,327 people (82.9%) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 31,908,103 people (60.6%) had received 2 doses and will be fully vaccinated from 2 weeks after their 2nd dose.

1,533 people were in hospital on Tuesday 22nd, with 246 using a ventilator yesterday, 23rd June.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 21 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,048 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 270,097 (+304) cases and 4,989 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 180,555,472 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,911,136. Already 165,251,093 people have recovered.

"The COVID19 situation in Africa is worrisome. Both the number of cases & deaths are almost 40% higher than the week before.
Vaccines donated next year will be too late for those who are dying, infected, or at risk today. VaccinEquity - if not now, when?"
Dr Tedros, Head of WHO, reminding us that fortune often depends entirely on where you were born.
In Europe 25% of people are fully vaccinated and 14% are partly vaccinated.
In Africa 1% of people are fully vaccinated and 2% partly vaccinated.
Most of the cases sequenced from Congo (DRC) and Uganda over the last month have been Delta Variant. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21st / 22nd June 2021.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 21st / 22nd June 2021.

The UK added 11,625 cases today (up from 7,673 a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 4,651,988 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 1,019,739 tests yesterday.

There's an I.T. issue, so England's vaccination figures haven't been updated today: At least 43,148,843 people in the UK (81.9% of adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 31,489,240 people (59.8% of adults) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

1,378 people were in hospital on Sunday 20th (up from 1,136 a week earlier), with 227 using a ventilator yesterday, Monday 21st June (up from 188 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 27 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,008 losses of life in all settings.

Nation / Cases last 7 days / Cases total
Wales 1,091 / 215,380
Scotland 7,302 / 257,742
Northern Ireland 928 / 125,084
England 53,242 / 4,053,782

Rep. Of Ireland 269,321 cases and 4,979 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 179,693,775 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 3,891,246. Already 164,383,401 people have recovered.

Couple of deliberate mistakes in the post on Sunday - well done to everyone who spotted that it was in fact Ascot, not Cheltenham, which took place last weekend (can't think why I had Cheltenham on my mind...) and the young maskless person asked to sit at the back of a theme park ride was apparently a young lady. (Apologies if that was you!)
I blame it all on the kids, and father's day, and the weather probably. 

Ad| PerfectAir Sense Home / Office Air Purifier Review (sent for review by AquaPerfecta)

Aqua Perfecta are well known and respected for their water filtration, but they also make air purifiers, and we've been sent the freestanding air purifier, the PerfectAir Sense, to review. I've had a full 5 weeks to get to know my air filter. We've tested it properly and seen performance under different conditions. We've tried it in different rooms and positions, and at different times of the day and night... I love a proper review, so it's really a pleasure to have that luxury. 

Air purifiers filter out airborne particles such as pollen and pollutants, and they also actively clean the air, killing many different bacteria, and viruses - including the Coronavirus. The PerfectAir Sense is recommended for rooms up to 50m2, and the average UK home has rooms around 25m2, so this purifier would also do the trick for smaller offices. (The full technical specs are at the bottom of this post.)

EDIT: 19/07/21 - after using the Air Purifier during the recent UK heatwave, I have to add that this is brilliant for cooling too. I'll explain more below.

I also have a 10% Discount Code on all Air Purification from AquaPerfecta for all of my readers: thebrickcastle10