Tax salt and sugar, and fears over winter viruses and coronavirus

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning. We’ll have another update for you this evening.

People with symptoms of flu, Covid or any other viruses should isolate and stay at home, according to leading medics who warn a surge in these illnesses could put pressure on people’s health and the NHS this winter. As uncertainty remains about what the next few months hold, as Covid restrictions ease and the winter viruses return, the Academy of Medical Sciences report says taking this action would help protect people. It also suggests testing may help doctors treat cases more quickly. “Whilst we expect the peak in deaths to be considerably lower than last winter, under some scenarios we could see hospital admissions rise to similar levels,” says report author Prof Azra Ghani, from Imperial College London.

Doctors and midwives fear next week’s relaxation of Covid restrictions will lead to a big increase in infections among pregnant women, who are at greater risk of getting severely ill. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives say the easing, combined with rising infection rates and vaccine hesitancy, poses a serious risk. Data from the RCOG shows 58% of women have declined a vaccine despite the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation now advising that pregnant women should be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna jabs, at the same time as the rest of the population.

Most of us have been wearing face coverings to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and it’s been a booming business for mask makers. Face coverings will still be used in Scotland and Wales for now but changes in England mean they’ll be used much less. So what will mask makers do next? Find out here.

Everyone at one primary school instinctively thought their end-of-year school play would be cancelled when pupils had to self-isolate. Determined not to let the children down, staff at Hartford Manor Primary School found a way round it. Take a look here.

What are the rules and guidance on face coverings in England, Scotland and Wales now that changes have been announced? Find out here.

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