UK TOP NEWS SUMMARY: UK Business Activity Picks Up But Services Suffer
Wed, 16th Dec 2020 11:17
(Alliance News) - The following is a summary of top news stories Wednesday.
COMPANIES
Bunzl expects a strong performance for 2020, with continued growth in Covid-19 related orders during the fourth quarter of the year amid pandemic-driven restrictions in some markets. The London-based distribution firm s revenue for the year is expected to increase by 8% from GBP9.33 billion as a result of similar levels of growth from organic revenue increase and the impact of acquisitions. Looking ahead, Bunzl said it expects revenue in 2021 to be lower than the current year, with minimal benefit from larger Covid-19 related orders which have strongly supported the performance in 2020. The company said it forecasts an underlying recovery in sales of other products to be offset by a decline in smaller Covid-19 related orders, with acquisitions made during 2020 contributing to its 2021 performance.
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Operation Warp Speed s vaccine rollout is off to a bumpy start, with the governors of Illinois and Florida both saying that they were not getting as many doses of the vaccine as the federal government had initially projected.
The Health and Human Services Department has rejected the claims, saying the United States is still on track to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of the year. Previously, federal authorities had notified us that they planned to ship out nearly 8 million Pfizer vaccine doses to states, large cities, and territories across the country next week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said during a Wednesday press conference. However, as of this morning, I m disappointed to learn that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informed us that per the direction of Operation Warp Speed s Gen. Perna, that estimate was tightened significantly, down to 4.3 million doses shipped nationally next week.
Public Information Lacking Amid COVID Vaccine Push medscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from medscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Guy Page
The University of Vermont Medical Center continues to defend an abortion provider who forced a pro-life nurse to participate in an abortion in 2018.
In a press release Wednesday, UVMMC said federal civil rights officials sent correspondence Dec. 11 and Dec. 14 “threatening with federal enforcement” the hospital’s failure to protect the nurse’s civil rights. UVMMC insists it was “in compliance” with federal non-discrimination regs when the incident happened, and has since strengthened an opt-out clause for conscience-stricken health care providers. It refuses to act further, saying “we have an obligation to provide access to safe and legal reproductive health care.”
UAMS begins administering COVID-19 vaccine
UAMS has begun administering the 2,000 does of
COVID-19 vaccine it has received. By 1 p.m., 10 people had received the vaccine and more were in line; so far 300 have signed up, Vice Chancellor Leslie Taylor said. The hospital has received 1,950 doses.
The news release:
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Employees were prioritized based on potential exposure and risk of transmitting the virus, with employees working in intensive care units, the Emergency Department, COVID testing sites and units with COVID-positive patients being given the first opportunity to receive the vaccine. This includes physicians, nurses, therapists and other health care workers along with transport, registration, environment services and nutrition services employees. Other health care workers and students who work directly with patients will be offered the vaccine as additional quantities become available.