Uniquely Nelson

US President Donald Trump has mild symptoms of Covid-19 after he and his wife, Melania, tested positive for the coronavirus, the White House says. The process of tracking all Donald Trump's contacts in recent days has begun in the US. Photo: AFP Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said the president was "on the job" and "in good spirits", adding that he expected him to make a quick recovery. Meadows said the president remains energetic, and gave him his usual five or six tasks this morning. The news comes just over a month before presidential elections, where he will face Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Biden himself and his wife, Jill, tested negative today. "I hope this serves as a reminder," Biden tweeted after the result. "Wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands." Other close members of Trump's family have tested negative. Officials said the process of tracking all the president's contacts in recent days was ongoing, adding that Trump was considering how he might address the nation or otherwise communicate with the American people later today. Yesterday, the first couple said they intended to self-isolate after one of Trump's closest aides, Hope Hicks, tested positive. Soon afterwards, they too received positive test results. But there has been criticism of Trump's decision to go to a fundraiser attended by dozens of people in New Jersey on Thursday, apparently when officials already knew about Hicks's symptoms. Hicks, 31, travelled with Trump on Air Force One to the first presidential TV debate with Biden in Ohio on Wednesday. Some of Trump's family members who attended the debate were seen not wearing masks. Pence negative Vice President Mike Pence, next in line for the Oval Office, has tested negative for Covid-19, hours after Trump announced that he was infected, Pence's spokesperson said. Trump's test result cast a spotlight on Pence, a Christian conservative former lawmaker who has been one of the few constants in the Republican president's tumultuous administration, a little more than a month before the two seek re-election to a second term. Vice President Mike Pence, next in line to Donald Trump, has tested negative to Covid-19. Photo: AFP Pence, 61, is scheduled to debate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden's running mate Senator Kamala Harris on Wednesday (US time), and it was not immediately clear how or if Trump's positive test would change that plan. "This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for Covid-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery," spokesman Devin O'Malley said on Twitter. Trump and Pence will work from separate residences, a White House official told Reuters, and their staffs will also be separated to protect Pence should he need to assume the duties of the presidency. Pence receives the same intelligence briefings as the president. Pence would take over as acting president should Trump become incapacitated while undergoing medical treatment. That has happened three times in US history. Then-President George W Bush temporarily transferred power to Vice President Dick Cheney twice, for a few hours each in 2002 and 2007, while undergoing colonoscopies. Vice President George H W Bush was acting president for nearly eight hours in 1985 while President Ronald Reagan had a pre-cancerous lesion removed. Nancy Pelosi Photo: AP The White House said Trump is "not incapacitated" and is working in isolation while experiencing mild symptoms. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is next in line of succession after Pence. She said on Friday that she had been tested for Covid-19 and should know her results soon. In response to Trump's positive diagnosis, she said: "This is tragic. It's very sad. ... Going into crowds unmasked and all the rest was sort of a brazen invitation for something like this to happen." Pence, a former governor of Indiana, has played a largely behind-the-scenes role in Trump's White House, although he is known to have presidential ambitions of his own. His deference has endeared him to Trump, helping Pence survive in a White House with near-constant turnover among top officials. But he has sometimes been ridiculed for his public obsequiousness to his boss. Earlier this year Trump put Pence in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, a brief that has not gone well. The nation's death toll from the virus is over 207,000. New cases of Covid-19 rose in 27 out of 50 US states in September compared with August, a Reuters analysis showed. World leaders respond UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is among international leaders who have sent their best wishes to the Trumps. Johnson wrote on Twitter: "My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus." Other world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, also sent messages of support to the couple. Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "I am certain that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with this dangerous virus." The president's niece, Mary Trump, who wrote a scathing book about her uncle, had this message: "I reserve my sympathy, empathy, and despair for those who are sick and for those who have died because they were misled, lied to, or ignored." - BBC / Reuters

Scotland's first minister says the actions of an SNP MP who travelled to Westminster despite experiencing Covid symptoms are "utterly indefensible". MP Margaret Ferrier shares a moment with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a function in Dundee last December. Photo: AFP Margaret Ferrier said she made the journey because she was feeling "much better" - but also returned home after getting a positive test result. The Scottish National Party MP, who has been suspended by her party, said there was "no excuse for my actions". First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted her support for the decision to suspend the MP. She said: "This is utterly indefensible. It's hard to express just how angry I feel on behalf of people across the country making hard sacrifices every day to help beat Covid. "The rules apply to everyone and they're in place to keep people safe. @Ianblackford_MP is right to suspend the whip." One of Ferrier's former SNP colleagues, Glasgow East MP David Linden, has also said she "should resign" as an MP. Ferrier said she took a test on Saturday after experiencing "mild symptoms", but travelled to London on Monday as she felt better. The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West spoke in the coronavirus debate in the House of Commons on Monday, and said she received her positive test result that evening. She then took a train back to Scotland on Tuesday. Ferrier said she had informed the police and that she deeply regretted her actions. "I travelled home by train on Tuesday morning without seeking advice. This was also wrong and I am sorry," she said. "I have been self-isolating at home ever since." Police confirm investigation Police Scotland confirmed they had been contacted by Ferrier, saying officers were "looking into the circumstances" and liaising with the Metropolitan Police Service. The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said he had spoken to Ferrier, who accepted that what she had done was wrong. He said: "Margaret will be referring herself to the parliamentary standards commissioner as well as the police. I am tonight suspending the whip from Margaret." The Covid-positive MP has been suspended by the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford. Photo: AFP House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle wrote to MPs on Thursday evening to say he was informed after Ferrier told the SNP whip on Wednesday afternoon that she had tested positive for Covid-19. "The House authorities immediately took all necessary steps in line with their legal obligations and PHE [Public Health England] Guidance," he wrote. "On the basis of the information supplied to the contact tracing system, only one individual has been identified as a close contact in relation to this case and is now self-isolating." A House of Commons spokesperson said the House's priority was to ensure the safety of those working on the estate. 'Dangerous and disgraceful' - train drivers' union Labour MP Ian Murray said Ferrier had shown "astonishing recklessness". "She has put passengers, rail staff, fellow MPs, Commons staff and many others at unacceptable risk," he said. "To breach the rules twice is simply unforgivable, and has undermined all the sacrifices made by her constituents." Train drivers union Aslef described her actions as "both dangerous and disgraceful". The Scottish Conservatives' Holyrood leader, Ruth Davidson, said knowingly taking public transport after testing positive for Covid-19 put lives at risk. Ferrier was one of the MPs who called on the prime minister's adviser, Dominic Cummings, to resign in the wake of the controversy over his visit to the north east of England during lockdown. At the time, she said his actions had "undermined the sacrifices that we have all been making" and described his position as "untenable".

One of US President Donald Trump's closet aides, Hope Hicks, has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus. Hope Hicks. Photo: AFP / Getty The adviser to the president travelled with Trump on Air Force One to a TV debate in Ohio on Tuesday. She was in even closer quarters with him aboard the helicopter Marine One on Wednesday, White House reporters noted. The 31-year-old would be the closest aide to Trump to test positive so far. She was pictured getting off Air Force One on Tuesday in Cleveland without a mask. She travelled with the president a day later to a rally in Minnesota. The White House tests aides and anyone else who comes into contact with the president daily. See all RNZ coverage of Covid-19 Trump mostly spurns mask-wearing and is often pictured not socially distanced with aides or others during official engagements. According to Bloomberg News, Hicks is experiencing symptoms of the disease, and was quarantined on Air Force One on the trip back from Minnesota. But there was no indication the president himself has contracted the disease, which has infected more than 7.2 million Americans, killing over 200,000 of them. White House spokesman Judd Deere did not confirm Hicks' medical condition. But he said in a statement to US media: "The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously." Hicks would be the latest White House aide to contract Covid-19. Vice-President Mike Pence's press secretary Katie Miller tested positive in May and recovered. That same month, a member of the US Navy who was serving as one of Trump's personal valets tested positive for coronavirus. But the White House said neither the president nor vice-president were affected. Hicks was a campaign spokeswoman during Trump's candidacy before becoming communications director in his White House. She stepped down in March 2018 to become chief communications officer at Rupert Murdoch's Fox, before returning to the White House in February. -BBC

Google plans to pay $US1 billion ($NZ1.5b) to publishers globally for their news over the next three years, its chief executive says. Photo: 123RF / Anthony Brown News publishers have long fought the world's most popular internet search engine for compensation for using their content, with European media groups leading the charge. Chief executive Sundar Pichai said the new product called Google News Showcase will launch first in Germany, where it has signed up German newspapers including Der Spiegel, Stern, Die Zeit, and in Brazil with Folha de S.Paulo, Band and Infobae. It will be rolled out in Belgium, India, the Netherlands and other countries. About 200 publishers in Argentina, Australia, Britain, Brazil, Canada and Germany have signed up to the product. "This financial commitment - our biggest to date - will pay publishers to create and curate high-quality content for a different kind of online news experience," Pichai said in a blog post. Google parent Alphabet reported a net profit of $US34.3b on revenue of almost $US162b last year. The product, which allows publishers to pick and present their stories, will launch on Google News on Android devices and eventually on Apple devices. "This approach is distinct from our other news products because it leans on the editorial choices individual publishers make about which stories to show readers and how to present them," Pichai said. German publisher the Spiegel Group welcomed the project. "With News Showcase and the new integration of editorial content like from Spiegel, Google shows that they are serious about supporting quality journalism in Germany. We are happy to be part of it from the start," said Stefan Ottlitz, managing director of the Spiegel Group. News Corp, which has urged EU antitrust regulators to act against Google, was equally enthusiastic. "We applaud Google's recognition of a premium for premium journalism and the understanding that the editorial eco-system has been dysfunctional, verging on dystopian. There are complex negotiations ahead but the principle and the precedent are now established," its chief executive, Robert Thomson, said in a statement. The European Publishers Council (EPC), whose members include News UK, the Guardian, Pearson, the New York Times and Schibsted, however, was critical. "By launching a product, they [Google] can dictate terms and conditions, undermine legislation designed to create conditions for a fair negotiation, while claiming they are helping to fund news production," said EPC executive director Angela Mills Wade. Google is negotiating with French publishers, among its most vocal critics, while Australia wants to force it and Facebook to share advertising revenue with local media groups. Google's funding for news organisations has frustrated other internet publishers, such as weather websites and recipe tools, which say Google has hurt their revenue. - Reuters

The UK's refusal to ditch plans to override sections of its Brexit divorce deal has prompted the EU to start legal action. The UK has a month to respond to the latest EU move, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says. Photo: AFP An EU deadline for the government to remove sections of the Internal Market Bill expired on Wednesday. The "letter of formal notice" could eventually lead to a court case against the UK at the European Court of Justice, the EU's top court. But the EU has not walked away from talks over a post-Brexit trade deal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the UK would have until the end of November to respond to the EU's concerns over the draft legislation. UK-EU trade talks are continuing in Brussels this week. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said both sides should "move on" if a deal was not reached by mid-October. In a brief statement, von der Leyen said the bill was a "full contradiction" of previous UK commitments over how a hard border on the island of Ireland should be avoided. She added that the bill was by its "very nature a breach of the obligation of good faith" contained in the withdrawal agreement that took the UK out of the EU in January. A spokesperson for the UK government said the bill was a necessary "safety net" to protect trade between different parts of the UK. They added the government would respond the EU's letter "in due course". Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte appeared to play down the importance of the Commission's letter, calling the move "more administrative than political". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for both the UK and EU to work together over trade differences, adding: "A deal can be done here". "It's absurd that with weeks to go, the focus and the energy is not on their negotiations, it's on threatened court proceedings," he added. The EU legal action is a distraction from the need to get a trade deal between the EU and the UK, Sir Keir Starmer says. Photo: AFP / WIktor Szymanowicz / NurPhoto MPs gave their final backing to the Internal Market Bill earlier this week. However, it will have to be approved by the House of Lords before it becomes law. In a bid to head off a potential rebellion from Tory backbenchers, ministers have granted the Commons a say before powers to override the Brexit divorce deal could be used. The letter sent to the UK is the first stage in the process the Commission uses against countries it believes have broken EU law. It can end with the Commission taking governments to court at the European Court of Justice. The ECJ continues to have powers over the UK during the transition period, including over the interpretation and implementation of the withdrawal agreement. The court has powers to force countries to comply with its rulings, including imposing financial penalties. However, most cases are settled before then - and it can take many years for a case to move through the court. The bill sets out rules for the operation of the UK internal market - trade between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - after the end of the Brexit transition period in January. It proposes: No new checks on goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of Great Britain Giving UK ministers powers to modify or "disapply" rules relating to the movement of goods that will come into force from 1 January if the UK and EU are unable to reach an alternative agreement through a trade deal Powers to override previously agreed obligations on state aid - government support for businesses. The bill explicitly states that these powers should apply even if they are incompatible with international law. Ministers say the legislation is needed to prevent "damaging" tariffs on goods travelling from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland if negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement fail. - BBC

The commission that oversees US presidential debates says it will change the format to ensure the remaining two encounters between Donald Trump and Joe Biden are more orderly. Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden face off in the first general election presidential debate of 2020 on 30 September, 2020. Photo: EyePress News / EyePress via AFP One new measure could be to cut the microphones if the candidates try to interrupt each other, US media report. The announcement follows Tuesday's ill-tempered debate that descended into squabbling, bickering and insults. Trump's team has already criticised the commission's plans. The tone and tactics of the first presidential debate were criticised across the US and around the world. The fallout, however, has also been dominated by Trump's refusal in the debate to explicitly condemn a far-right group called the Proud Boys. What are the plans for the next debates? In Tuesday's debate, the candidates were given two minutes to answer moderator questions, before being allowed to address each other's response. However, Trump constantly interrupted Democratic candidate Joe Biden leading to a series of chaotic exchanges in which both men talked over each other. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) - a nonpartisan body that has organised presidential debates since 1988 - said it would soon announce new measures to help moderators "maintain order" in the remaining two debates. It said the first debate had "made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues". CBS News, citing an informed source, said the commission would spend the next 48 hours drawing up new guidelines and rules for the second debate on 15 October in Miami, Florida. Controlling the candidates' microphones is at the top of the list, CBS said, in order to prevent them interrupting the moderator or each other. Both campaign teams will be informed of the rules but they will not be subject to negotiation, the source added. What's the reaction? Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh, who had described Tuesday's night's chaotic scenes as a "free exchange of ideas", criticised the plans. "They are only doing this because their guy got pummelled last night," he said. "President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying to work the refs. They shouldn't be moving the goalposts and changing the rules in the middle of the game." Kate Bedingfield, deputy manager for Biden's campaign, said the former vice-president would participate "under whatever set of rules the commission develops to try to contain Donald Trump's behaviour". While one snap poll on the debate gave Biden a slight edge, other opinion polls suggest 90 percent of Americans have already made up their mind how to vote for and the debate may well have made little difference. In his first interview since the debate, moderator Chris Wallace told the New York Times it was "a terrible missed opportunity" and that he "never dreamed it would go off the tracks the way it did". The Fox news anchor has come under criticism for struggling to control the debate. However, the CPD on Wednesday praised his "professionalism and skill". What's the row about Proud Boys? During the debate, Wallace asked whether the president would condemn white supremacists and tell them to stand down during protests. When Trump asked who it was he was being told to condemn, Biden twice said "Proud Boys", referring to a far-right, anti-immigrant, all-male group with a history of violence against left-wing opponents. Yellow smoke fills the air as an American flag is raised at the start of a Proud Boys rally in Portland, Oregon on 26 September, 2020. Photo: AFP / Maranie R Staab The president said: "Proud Boys - stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what... somebody's got to do something about antifa [anti-fascist activists] and the left because this is not a right-wing problem." Proud Boys members called his "stand by" remark "historic" and an endorsement. Biden said Trump had "refused to disavow white supremacists". On Wednesday, Trump appeared to try to walk back on his comments. At a news conference on the White House lawn a reporter asked him about Proud Boys and he said: "I don't know who they are. I can only say they have to stand down and let law enforcement do their work." He did not clarify his use of "stand by" in the debate. When asked whether he welcomed white supremacist support he said only that he wanted "law and order to be a very important part of our campaign". Biden returned to the issue in a tweet on Wednesday, saying: "There's no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night." In his tweet he quoted a comment, addressed to the president, from a Proud Boys online forum that read: "This makes me so happy. We're ready! Standing by sir." - BBC

Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend have said they are in "deep pain" after losing their baby during pregnancy. Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend had been planning on their baby Jack. Photo: AFP "We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we've never felt before," she wrote in a moving Instagram statement. Her post was accompanied by several black and white photos, including one of her crying in her hospital bed. Model Teigen and singer Legend have two children, and in mid-August revealed they were expecting a third. In her latest post, Teigen revealed the Los Angeles-based couple had been planning to call the baby Jack. "We never decide on our babies' names until the last possible moment after they're born, just before we leave the hospital," she wrote. "But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever. "I'm so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn't give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you." Retweeting her, Legend added "We love you, Jack" alongside five black love hearts. Teigen later added: "Driving home from the hospital with no baby. How can this be real." Listen to a five-part podcast by RNZ's Susie Ferguson, which looks at the impact of miscarriages suffered by New Zealand couples Teigen, who is also a TV presenter, had been documenting her pregnancy on social media. She was taken to hospital on Sunday due to excessive bleeding but had reassured fans she and the baby were healthy. In her latest post, however, she revealed that "we were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed". Teigen thanked her followers for their "positive energy, thoughts and prayers" and expressed gratitude for the "amazing" life she enjoyed with her family. "But everyday can't be full of sunshine," she continued. "On this darkest of days, we will grieve, we will cry our eyes out. But we will hug and love each other harder and get through it." Legend, 41, is a multiple Grammy-winning artist whose 2013 track All of Me - a song he dedicated to his wife - spent 92 weeks in the UK singles chart. His parallel careers in film, music and TV work have seen him become an EGOT - one of only 16 people who've won a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. 'Big virtual hug of love' The couple were flooded with messages of condolence and support on social media, with many praising their strength for sharing their grief and some recounting their own experiences of loss. "I know many other women like me who also have experienced miscarriage appreciate your sharing your story to help demystify this all too common occurrence," wrote one Twitter user. Another wrote: "We lost twins at 20 weeks and your bravery for sharing this can hopefully show people to know they are not alone. Thank you." Kim Kardashian West was among the celebrities who sent messages, writing: "We're always here for you and love you guys so much." Actress Viola Davis sent a "big virtual hug of love, love, love", while socialite Paris Hilton said she was "so sorry for your loss". Actress Gabrielle Union added: "We love you guys so much and we will be here for whatever yall need. Always." - BBC

The head of Fiji's Port Denarau Marina said early weather predictions showed up to four cyclones could hit the vicinity this season. Port Denarau Marina in Fiji. Photo: Supplied/Port Denarau Marina Cynthia Rasch said the marina was now full with more than 40 foreign yachts, all seeking shelter ahead of the Pacific cyclone season this summer. The yachts would normally head south out of the seasonal storm zone, but it was now wiser to remain where they were because borders were closed in Australia and New Zealand. It was difficult for yachts to sail against prevailing weather in the northern hemisphere, meaning it was not possible for many to backtrack to home ports. Rasch said the warning from weather experts was causing a few challenges for the marina, but they had a good plan. "I've just been sitting with the meteorologists going through the plan for the season. "We'd normally start working on it at this time but we've brought it forward because we're looking at more and more vessels remaining in our waters and in our marina for the cyclone period, given what's happened in New Zealand." Rasch said the weather experts had indicated an "active season". "It's going to get fairly wet and at this moment there's a prediction of about four cyclones within our vicinity, but we'll see how that pans out." She said the marina had a robust cyclone procedures plan, and was now forming contingencies for yachts unable to shelter in the harbour. In the past many had either hauled out their boats to a yard, or found shelter in various mangrove havens. "We've assisted hundreds of yachts over the years. The challenge of course is what type of vessels are remaining because many would need deep-water shelter because of their draft (the depth to which the hull and keel extended into the water)." She said many were anxious. "There is a lot of chatter on social media and at this moment they are anxious and worried about what might happen, but if they're equipped with the right information and where they might shelter, they just have to work this into their decision-making processes." Fijian maritime safety authorities and weather analysts were now working to identify other areas around Fiji where the yachts might seek shelter. Rasch said while the yachts were insured, it was made void once yachts were in cyclone belts. "Many cannot get insurance for cyclone coverage during our active months, but this is a risk that they take. "So far none of the vessels that have sought shelter in the mangroves adjacent to the marina have sustained any damage, but the challenge now was to accommodate everyone." She said it was becoming increasingly common that underwriters were not willing to cover vessels in active cyclone areas, including the Caribbean.

Even an effective coronavirus vaccine will not return life to normal early next year, a group of leading scientists has warned. Photo: AFP A vaccine is often seen as the holy grail that will end the pandemic. But a report, from researchers brought together by the Royal Society, said we needed to be "realistic" about what a vaccine could achieve and when. They said restrictions may need to be "gradually relaxed" because it could take up to a year to roll the vaccine out. More than 200 vaccines to protect against the virus are being developed by scientists around the world in a process that is taking place at unprecedented speed. "A vaccine offers great hope for potentially ending the pandemic, but we do know that the history of vaccine development is littered with lots of failures," said Dr Fiona Culley, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. There is optimism, including from the UK government's scientific advisers, that some people may get a vaccine this year and mass vaccination may start early next year. However, the Royal Society report warns it will be a long process. "Even when the vaccine is available it doesn't mean within a month everybody is going to be vaccinated, we're talking about six months, nine months ... a year," said Professor Nilay Shah, head of chemical engineering at Imperial College London. "There's not a question of life suddenly returning to normal in March." The report said there were still be "enormous" challenges ahead. Some of the experimental approaches being taken - such as RNA vaccines - have never been mass produced before. There are questions around raw materials - both for the vaccine and glass vials - and refrigerator capacity, with some vaccines needing storage at minus 80C. Prof Shah estimates vaccinating people would have to take place at a pace 10 times faster than the annual flu campaign, and would be a full-time job for up to 30,000 trained staff. "I do worry, is enough thinking going into the whole system?" he says. Early trial data has suggested that vaccines are triggering an immune response, but studies have not yet shown if this is enough to either offer complete protection or lessen the symptoms of Covid. Unanswered questions Professor Charles Bangham, chair of immunology of Imperial College London, said: "We simply don't know when an effective vaccine will be available, how effective it will be and of course, crucially, how quickly it can be distributed. "Even if it is effective, it is unlikely that we will be able to get back completely to normal, so there's going to be a sliding scale, even after the introduction of a vaccine that we know to be effective. "We will have to gradually relax some of the other interventions." And many questions that will dictate the vaccination strategy remain unanswered, such as: will one shot be enough or will boosters be required? will the vaccine work well enough in older people with aged immune systems? The researchers warn the issue of long-term immunity will still take some time to answer, and we still do not know if people need vaccinating every couple of years or if one shot will do. Commenting on the study, Dr Andrew Preston from the University of Bath, said: "Clearly the vaccine has been portrayed as a silver bullet and ultimately it will be our salvation, but it may not be an immediate process." He said there would need to be discussion of whether "vaccine passports" were needed to ensure people coming into the country were immunised. And Dr Preston warned that vaccine hesitancy seemed to be a growing problem that had become embroiled in anti-mask, anti-lockdown ideologies. "If cohorts of people refuse to have the vaccine, do we leave them to fend for themselves or have mandatory vaccination for children to go to schools, or for staff in care homes? There are lots of difficult questions." - BBC