The Latest: UK health secretary quits in wake of scandal

The Latest: UK health secretary quits in wake of scandal

U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned after breaking social distancing rules with an aide he was allegedly having an affair with

By The Associated Press

June 26, 2021, 5:56 PM

• 7 min read

Medical workers carry a patient suspected of having coronavirus on a stretcher at a hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia, Saturday, June 26, 2021. Russia on Saturday reported its highest daily COVID-19 death toll of the year as the country grapples with a sharp spike in infections that has brought new restrictions in some regions. The national coronavirus task force said 619 people died over the past day, the most since Dec. 24. There were were 21,665 new infection cases, nearly 1,300 more than on the previous day and more than double the 9,500 reported on June 1. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

LONDON — U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned after breaking social distancing rules with an aide he was allegedly having an affair with.

The tabloid Sun newspaper had run images appearing to show the married Hancock and senior aide Gina Coladangelo kissing in an office at the Department of Health.

Hancock said in his letter of resignation to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the government owes “it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down.”

Johnson had been facing widespread calls to fire Hancock, who had apologized for breaching social distancing rules. Coladangelo is a friend of Hancock’s from their days together at Oxford University and was appointed to his department last year.

The Sun late Friday also published a video of the embrace, which had prompted the main opposition Labour Party to deem his position “hopelessly untenable.” Some Conservative lawmakers had also called on Hancock to quit because he wasn’t practicing what he has been preaching during the pandemic.

“The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis,” Hancock said in his letter of resignation.

“I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologize to my family and loved ones for putting them through this,” he said. “I also need (to) be with my children at this time.”

———

MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— States are hesitant to adopt digital vaccine verification policies.

— Finland sees spike in virus cases from returning soccer fans

— As virus surges in Uganda, hospitals accused of profiteering

— Mexico reopens temporary hospital space as virus surges

———

Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

———

HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

WASHINGTON -- Product information about the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines now warns about the increased risk for heart inflammation, a rare side effect of the shots.

Government health officials say, however, that the benefits of the vaccines against COVID-19 outweigh the risk posed by the side effect, which appears most common among people under 30.

The Food and Drug Administration said the risk particularly follows the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, and symptoms usually appear within a few days of vaccination. The fact sheets say people should seek immediate medical care if they have chest pain, shortness of breath, or a fast, fluttering or pounding heart after vaccination.

The FDA noted the change in fact sheets for patients and health care providers in a website post dated Friday. The action followed discussion of the issue Wednesday by a committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccinations.

After that meeting, top government health officials and medical organizations issued an unusual joint statement saying that the side effect is “extremely rare” and usually mild in young people, and that many recover on their own or with minimal treatment.

———