Covid cases ‘expected to rise’
According to the deputy medical officer of health, who has urged eligible Islanders to schedule a booster shot, the Covid threat has not abated and cases are anticipated to increase in the autumn and winter months.
Despite the severity of Covid infections declining, according to Dr. Ivan Muscat, the virus had not yet reached an “endemic stage” at which point the disease’s cases would be maintained at a baseline level.
The Covid-19 original strain as well as the extremely infectious but milder Omicron variant will both be targeted by the autumn booster, which is referred to as a “bivalent vaccine.”
It will be given to those who are most at risk to help lower the chance of serious illness throughout the autumn and winter. Provided at least three months have passed since the recipient’s last vaccination dose.
The autumn vaccination should be received as soon as possible by eligible Islanders, who missed the previous booster shot.
Islanders are urged to assist their older family members and friends in scheduling their vaccination appointments, which can be done by visiting gov.je/vaccine or by calling the coronavirus helpline at 0800 735 5566.
EasyJet refuses compensation claim for delayed flight
Passengers on an EASYJET flight were perplexed when the airline rejected their compensation claim since the flight from Jersey had been delayed “due to snow” last month.
On August 15, low clouds and fog caused the flight to Gatwick to experience lengthy delays.
However, when customers attempted to file a claim for compensation, the airline claimed that the delay was caused by Jersey’s runway being closed ‘for snow clearance’.
An EasyJet representative admitted that passengers were given the incorrect information due to human error but reiterated that they would still not be compensated because the delay was due to bad weather.
The spokesperson said: ‘EasyJet can confirm the flight EZY5104 from Jersey to London Gatwick on 15 August was delayed due to poor weather conditions and fog.
‘We are sorry passengers received incorrect information regarding the precise weather conditions which caused the delay.
‘Our operations control centre manually logs the reason for the delay in our system and so this was as a result of human error.
‘Nevertheless, it remains the case that compensation is not due as the delay was as a result of the weather.
‘We always pay compensation when it is due.’
UK to enter recession this year
According to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the UK economy will experience a recession this year if it has three consecutive quarters of decline.
Contrary to the Bank of England, the BCC anticipates a very modest 0.2% economic growth in 2023, with a small increase to 1% in 2024.
Also predicted was a 3.8% unemployment rate this year, before rising to 4.1% next year and in 2024.
The Bank of England’s target rate of 2% is predicted to be reached by the end of 2024 after declining to 5% by the end of 2023 from an anticipated peak of 14% in the fourth quarter of this year.
On September 5, the UK will determine whether Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak will be the country’s next prime minister, with Ms Truss currently in the lead.
Mixed Markets
London’s FTSE 100 is up 0.65% today.
European markets are also broadly higher with shares in Germany leading the region. The DAX is up 1.26% while France’s CAC 40 is up 0.69%.
U.S. stocks rallied into the close Thursday, with the Dow industrials and S&P 500 reversing early declines to finish higher, whilst The NASDAQ Composite Index was down 31.08 points or 0.26% to 11785.13
Asian markets finished mixed as of the most recent closing prices. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.05%, while the Hang Seng led the Nikkei 225 lower. They fell 0.74% and 0.04% respectively.