ExcludedUK's budget statement from yesterday

THE ExcludedUK campaign group's founder, Sonali Joshi, has responded to budget statement saying:- "ExcludedUK welcomes the extension of SEISS with the inclusion of 2019/2020 Tax Returns in the calculation of trading profits, for which we have been campaigning vigorously over the last year. However, we know that at least 3 million taxpayers and households have been affected and even with this further support it does not account for this last year of decimated incomes and businesses for those who are now included, for whom this may be too little too late. The majority of those who have been shut out of meaningful support thus far will continue to be excluded from the schemes and so many have been plunged into debt and poverty, often in the hardest hit industries and supply chains. It is also vital to recognise that those individuals excluded from support are not just the self employed. They are also:- Limited Company Directors, employees who were denied furlough for a variety of reasons, zero hour contract workers and PAYE freelancers."

Students in Liverpool invited to apply now for finance as the application service launches for 21/22

FULL time undergraduate students in Liverpool are being encouraged to apply now for student finance, as the application service opens for the 21/22 academic year. So far this year, The Student Loans Company (SLC) has funded over 1 million students and anticipates an increase in applications for academic year 21/22.

The quickest and easiest way to apply is online at:- StudentFinance.Campaign.Gov.UK and students should do so as soon as possible to ensure their finance is in place for the start of term. Students should apply now even if they are unsure what course they will be doing or what university they will attend.

The application service opened during SLC's Student Money Week, that runs over 1 March to 5 March 2021. Throughout the week, students and their parents and partners will be able to access information about the application process via a series of online Q&A sessions and Facebook events hosted by SLC's team of expert customer advisors.

Applying for student finance is straightforward and students can make the process easier by following the tips:- Apply Early; Apply as early as possible to make sure your finances are in place before your studies start. The deadline to apply is 21 May for new students and 25 June for continuing students. Even if you don't know what course you are doing, you should apply now, just use the course you think you are most likely to do and you can update the application later if required.

Make sure you understand how much funding you may be entitled to:-

► You can apply for Tuition Fee Loans to cover your fees and Maintenance Loans to help with living costs. You can use the student finance calculator to get an estimate of how much you could be entitled to:- Gov.UK/Student-Finance-Calculator.

► Have your important documents at hand; Have your National Insurance Number and UK passport details to hand before you start your application as you will be asked for this information when you apply.

► Provide your supporting evidence online; Don't forget to submit any evidence you are asked for. All evidence apart from some forms of ID or residency evidence can be submitted digitally via your online account.

► Ensure that you tell us if you have studied before; If you have studied before it could affect your eligibility, even if your previous course was self funded. Make sure to submit your application early so your entitlement can be confirmed.

► Check if you are eligible for extra support; There may be circumstances where you are able to access some extra money, for example if you are disabled, have children or are studying for a medical, social work or teaching course. You can find out more about what is available on the:- Gov.UK website.

► Follow Student Finance England (SFE) on Facebook and Twitter; Students can get all the latest information on student finance and put their questions to our customer advisors via the SFE social media channels.

Derek Ross, SLC Executive Director of Operations, said:- "The launch of the application service signals that it is time for students to get on with the important business of organising their finances. We expect it to be a busy year with more applications than ever and are urging students to apply now. Students that apply before the deadline can be confident knowing their finance will be in place for the start of term. Resources are available online to help students and their parents and partners with their applications and they can also follow Student Finance England on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest student finance information."

New and returning students can apply online at:- StudentFinance.Campaign.Gov.UK.

UK Government invests ₤5m to develop 'library' of mRNA vaccines to help fight new Covid19 variants

THE CPI has received a ₤5 million investment to support the development of an mRNA 'Vaccine Library' as part of the Government's vaccine support package announced in the Budget by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

"Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlines continued partnership with CPI in the Budget announcement on Government's vaccines package"

The vaccine library will form the basis of a rapid response facility, which will enable mRNA vaccines to be developed to help protect against new variants of Covid19 as and when they emerge. As Covid19 is such a new virus and vaccines have been developed at speed over the past year, it is unclear how effective they may be against new variants. Research is ongoing into their effectiveness, and although experts believe the current vaccines will combat the recently identified:- Kent, Brazil and South African strains of the disease, new variants will likely continue to emerge in the future that are resistant, which means new vaccines will be needed.

When new variants of Covid19 are identified, their DNA can be used to develop mRNA vaccines in a matter of days. The vaccines will be banked in a:- 'vaccine library,' ready for future manufacture and scale up when needed. CPI, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, has been working with the UK Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) since March 2020, applying its world leading expertise in the development of mRNA vaccines to support the fight against Coronavirus. CPI is currently the only company based in the UK capable of batch developing MRNA vaccines ready for use in clinical trials and manufacture.

CEO Frank Millar said:- "We're delighted to be a key part of the UK's ongoing fight against Coronavirus, which has had such a devastating impact over the past year. It's essential that we prepare for a future living with the threat of Covid19 and the library of vaccine candidates we are building here in Darlington will help future proof against further outbreaks caused by new strains of the disease. It will mean that as soon as a new strain of Covid19 is identified, the relevant vaccine can be selected and rapidly manufactured for use in clinical trials, in a very similar way that we see flu vaccines developed each year."

The North East of England has proven to be a powerhouse in the UK life sciences sector following a decade of investment through the UK industrial strategy, which set out to build skills and infrastructure to support high value industries. ⅓ of the UK's GDP in pharmaceutical manufacturing comes from the North East and the Fujifilm facility, in Billingham, is manufacturing the Novavax Covid19 vaccine. This latest investment demonstrates the global importance of the world leading science and innovation developed here in the UK.

Total UK cases Covid19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (Covid19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by:- 6,573 cases and the total number now stand at:- 4,201,358 that includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National totals.

The total number of Covid19 associated UK fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be:-242 within 28 days of positive test, according to the Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS laboratory is:- 124,025, within 28 days of positive test. Deaths with Covid19 on the death certificate:- 140,062.

The number of Covid19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 12,136. The current number of Covid19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 1,647 Daily number of Covid19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 757.

In England, there are a total of:- 3,679,671 confirmed cases. North West - total of:- 579,427 confirmed cases.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

Area and number of confirmed cases:- Risen by:-

Liverpool City Region

Nation Lockdown

National UK Restrictions.

► Liverpool, 47,532 confirmed cases.
50

► Halton, 11,623 confirmed cases. 16

► Knowsley, 17,045 confirmed cases. 14

► Sefton, 23,266 confirmed cases.
21

► St. Helens, 16,542 confirmed cases.
30

► Wirral, 23,820 confirmed cases.

22

Colour Key:- 0 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 41 to 50 51 to 100 100 to 199 200 & over

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within Local Authorities around the Liverpool City Region, since start of the Pandemic, are as follows:-

► Blackburn with Darwen, 17,231 confirmed cases.

► Blackpool, 8,927 confirmed cases.

► Bolton, 24,461 confirmed cases.

► Bury, 16,454 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire East, 19,901 confirmed cases.

► Cheshire West and Chester, 20,778 confirmed cases.

► Lancashire, 93,427 confirmed cases.

► Manchester, 50,162 confirmed cases.

► Oldham, 21,734 confirmed cases.

► Preston, 13,019 confirmed cases.

► Rochdale, 20,011 confirmed cases.

► Salford, 21,901 confirmed cases.

► Stockport, 19,713 confirmed cases.

► Tameside, 17,107 confirmed cases.

► Trafford, 15,733 confirmed cases.

► Warrington, 17,088 confirmed cases.

► Wigan, 27,483 confirmed cases.

Total UK people who have received vaccination

1st Dose 2nd Dose

20,982,571 963,862

Jab Stats correct as of 3 March 2021

The vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020 with people receiving the Vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, and people began receiving the Oxford University / AstraZeneca Vaccine from 4 January 2021. Both Vaccine s are given as 2 doses, at least 21 days apart, for a full vaccination course.

Daily reported Covid19 deaths are now measured across the UK as deaths that occurred within 28 days of the 1st laboratory confirmed positive Covid19 test. Daily and cumulative numbers of Covid19 patients admitted to Hospital. Data are not updated every day by all 4 nations and the figures are not comparable as Wales include suspected Covid19 patients while the other nations include only confirmed cases.

The latest R number is estimated at:- 0.6 to 0.9 with a daily infection growth rate range of:- -6% to -2%, as of 26 February 2021.