UK’s military chief tests positive for Covid-19

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and top military commanders went into selfisolation on Monday after the countryrsquos Armed Forces chief General Sir Nick Carter tested positive for coronavirusThe Cabinet minister and heads of the Royal Navy Royal Air Force RAF and Strategic Command were alerted by the National Health Service NHS Test and Trace app to stay at home for a period of 10 days after coming into close contact with Sir NickThe head of the UK Army General Sir Mark CarletonSmith who is Sir Nickrsquos deputy have also spent the weekend in quarantine while they await the result of PCR tests after also attending the meeting but maintaining a greater distance from the commander the Daily Telegraph reportedA man receives a vaccine in Ankara on Monday PicAFPldquoThe Chief of the Defence Staff has tested positive during routine Covid19 checksrdquo said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence MoDldquoColleagues who were in a senior meeting with him last week including the Secretary of State are selfisolating in line with government guidelinesrdquo the spokesperson said Military business will be conducted remotely while the commanders selfisolate during the periodThe meeting in question was held by Sir Nick at the defence academy at Shrivenham Oxfordshire on Thursday with Ben Wallace ViceChair of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tim Fraser and Sir Mark Also present were First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston and General Sir Patrick Sanders Commander of Strategic CommandNew device to identify SARSCoV2 antibodiesResearchers have developed a tabletsized device that can distinguish between antibodies produced in response to SARSCoV2 and four other coronaviruses with 100 per cent accuracy The team at Duke University in the US demonstrated that the easytouse and energyindependent device can reliably detect multiple Covid19 antibodies and biomarkers simultaneouslyCurrent vaccines less effective against BetaA study of the spike protein of SARSCoV2 the virus which causes Covid19 suggests that current vaccines may be less effective against the Beta variant first identified in South Africa The findings by researchers at Boston Childrenrsquos Hospital indicate mutations in Beta variant also known as B1351 change the shape of the spike surface at certain locations As a result neutralising antibodies induced by current vaccines are less able to bind to Beta virus which may allow it to evade the immune system even when people are vaccinatedS Africa tightens restrictionsSouth Africa has tightened the Covid19 restrictions and moved to level 4 of lockdown procedures including a longer curfew and ban on all gatherings amid an exponential rise in infections and deaths attributed largely to the Delta variant of the coronavirus162743No of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours180654652Total no of cases worldwide3920463Total no of deaths worldwideSource WHOJohns HopkinsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever