Thread by @IndependentSage

LIVE NOW. How optimistic should we be about new vaccine? With @mslucycooke, special guest @JonAshworth, latest figures from @chrischirp & @ProfBambra presenting our new report on inequalities. pscp.tv/w/cn0wbjFNV0V3…

Welcome! We are live and @chrischirp is presenting the week’s figures

It's unlikely deaths will come down over the next week or two

Hospital admissions. Wales has stabilised over the last few weeks. Scotland & N.Ireland are coming down. England still going up

Northeast & Yorkshire hospital admissions still high, Midlands accelerating, coming down in northwest

Number of new confirmed cases by 'specimen date'

Most of the places in Scotland where cases are going down are in tier 3 region

Northern Ireland, cases have been coming down but...

Positivity rates are not coming down

Wales went into lockdown 23 October, it looks like it's working, case numbers are coming down...

But the picture of positivity rates in Wales is less clear

Positivity rates in England are going up

Southwest has overtaken London in cases per head

Out of 30,000 cases reported in England yesterday, almost all of the tests were taken on Mon & Tues, so most infections were probably from last Tues or Weds

Inequalities: people in the most deprived areas are most at risk of getting Covid

Once again Covid is impacting on the most vulnerable communities

COVID-19 disproportionately affects certain populations @kamleshkhunti

@ProfBambra will now present our new report on Health Inequalities

In England mortality rate in most deprived 20% of regions was around double that of the most affluent areas

Those in service occupations and lower income roles had the highest mortality rates

Data shows school closures affected children living in deprived areas more than their more affluent peers

We don't have to trade health for wealth @ProfBambra

Testing services need to be integrated into clinical care and provided locally to address inequalities in ability to get to testing centres @ProfBambra

COVID thrives on inequalities. How can we ensure we roll out the vaccine to the most deprived communities? asks @JonAshworth

The vaccine is exciting news but it is clear that it needs to be used to protect the most vulnerable rather than create herd immunity @DeenanDpillay

Homelessness is such a scourge but we saw in the first wave that transformative action can be taken to get people off the streets @DrTolullah

There is no evidence that the govt has done anything to address the recommendations from the inequalities and disparities report and we must continue to push for that action @Zubhaque

We mustn't let inequalities slip past our gaze when we look back on this pandemic @GabrielScally

We all look forward to the availability and deployment of an efficacious vaccine, one that’s been fully tested. We need to hear how that strategy is being developed, the details of the manufacture of the vaccine and its deployment @Sir_David_King

It's a wrap! Thank you for joining us. Same time next week