Update 8 Jan: All regions pass April covid patient level, as trust loses two thirds of beds to virus – Health Service Journal
Every region in England now has more covid inpatients than an at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in mid-April.

COVID-19 Hospital Activity – NHS England

Weekly publication of Covid-19 admissions and bed occupancy data. (07.01.21)

Daily publication of Covid-19 admissions and bed occupancy data. (07.01.21)

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine authorised by UK medicines regulator – Department of Health and Social Care 
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised the Moderna vaccine after an extensive analysis of the vaccine’s safety, quality and effectiveness.

Two COVID-19 vaccines: making sense of the guidance – RCN 
Changes to the COVID-19 vaccine roll out have understandably caused some concern and confusion. This blog aims to explain the rationale for these changes.

NHS patients to receive life-saving COVID-19 treatments that could cut hospital time by 10 days -Department of Health and Social Care
Clinical trial results show the drugs reduce risk of death by 24% for critically ill patients and time spent in intensive care by up to 10 days.

Paediatric training and redeployment during COVID-19 surges – RCPCH
The RCPCH recognises that redeployment of trainee paediatricians to adult services may be necessary through the surges of this pandemic. This guidance describes the principles that should minimise disruption that inevitably occurs to paediatric training during a redeployment.

Mandatory negative COVID-19 test result required for all international travel to England – NHS Employers 
Today (8 January) the government has announced that all passengers arriving from all international destinations by boat, train, or plane will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result before departing for England.

Optimising the COVID-19 vaccination programme for maximum short-term impact – Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
This statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation discusses increasing the short-term impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

What have we learnt from COVID-19 research? – RCP 
Summary of plenary sessions from the RCP annual conference focusing on what has been learnt from COVID-19 research. The presentations were by Martin Landray, professor of epidemiology at the University of Oxford, on lessons learnt from the RECOVERY trial, and Anthony Gordon, professor of anaesthesia and critical care, Imperial College London, on REMAP-CAP.

Double or quits: a blueprint for expanding medical school places – Royal College of Physicians
This report outlines a blueprint for the doubling of medical school places that will enable the NHS workforce to get back on a sustainable footing over the next decade. It calls on the government to lift the cap on medical school places in England this year to be maintained with a larger, ongoing increase in the numbers of places, acknowledging that workforce shortages have hampered the NHS’s ability to provide care during the pandemic and placed additional pressure on staff.