Five things Matt Hancock might say at today’s Covid briefing UK News

The Health Secretary will address the nation later today to provide an update on the coronavirus pandemic.

Matt Hancock is set to lead a briefing in Downing Street at the usual time of 5 p.m. alongside government scientists and health experts.

It comes amid high hopes that the lockdown roadmap remains on track due to low infection rates and deaths across the UK.

Here are four things the Health Secretary will likely address at tonight’s press conference:

Travelling abroad

The question of when people will be allowed to travel abroad will be a key topic on the agenda today following the announcement by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that the NHS app will be used to prove a person’s coronavirus status while traveling abroad.

Mr Shapps also hinted that some overseas travel would be allowed by mid-May, with travel to a country dependent on its infection rate.

Mr Shapps told Sky News: ‘I have to say that so far the data continues to look good from a UK perspective, despite these concerns about where people might be going and for ensure that we are protected from disease during reimportation. ”

Indian variant of Covid

Mr Hancock will likely address the current crisis in India, which is in the midst of a second wave of infections.

The UK has offered to help amid concerns over oxygen supplies in the country.

But attention also remains on the situation at home after the discovery of three more cases of the newly discovered Indian variant Covid in Leicester.

City council said the cases were all linked to overseas travel and that further testing in the area will be done to ensure there has been no community transmission.

India is now on the government’s travel red list, but questions will undoubtedly be asked if more needs to be done to prevent variants from entering the country.

State-of-the-art vaccine

The Secretary of Health will be keen to support a new campaign launched this week to encourage people to get vaccinated.

More than 42 are now urged to reserve their vaccine and despite a drop in the number of first doses given each day, the government insists it remains on track to deliver a vaccine to all adults by the end July.

Mr Hancock will give the latest figures on the number of vaccines issued, as well as the number of hospitalized patients with Covid and daily deaths.

When will hugs be allowed?

A government science adviser has hinted that hugging loved ones again could be allowed by June.

This would coincide with the complete end of the lockdown and possibly social distancing restrictions.

Dr Mike Tildesley, of the University of Warwick, said vaccines were effective in keeping most people from getting seriously ill and he hoped hugs would be back on the agenda by the date that the government has set legal limits on social contact for lifting.

This is a new study from Public Health England (PHE) which shows that a single dose of Pfizer / BioNTech or Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines can halve the transmission of the virus.

Mr Hancock can provide an update on the lockdown roadmap and whether the latest data shows the country remains on track to ease restrictions in the future.

Boris Johnson lockdown comments

Despite numerous denials, pressure continues to mount on the prime minister over claims of ‘letting the bodies pile up’ in anger response to plans for yet another nationwide lockdown.

Mr Johnson has denied the allegations, but many media have maintained their reports of the comments.

Concerns over how the renovation of Mr Johnson’s Downing Street apartment has been paid for means the Prime Minister is under intense pressure this week, and Mr Hancock will no doubt be asked to comment on the allegations.