Greater Manchester MP tells Parliament how battle with 'long Covid' has left his short-term memory 'shot to pieces'

direct to your inboxIt was March 2020 and Tony Lloyd had returned home from London as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and the country was ordered to avoid 'all unnecessary social contact'.Just a few days later the Prime Minister would declare what, at the time, was an almost unthinkable national lockdown, with a strict ‘stay at home' message.The 70-year-old Rochdale MP had not been feeling 100 per cent, in the days leading up to the announcement that put Parliament - and much of the rest of

Manchester Evening News heard from the remarkable men and women who not only escaped the Holocaust with their lives, but survived the coronavirus pandemic to carry on making their voices heard. Werner and Ruth Lachs feel 'lucky' to be here.

The service is being broadcast live from 10am and you can watch it live in the video above.Those who join will hear from speakers including Holocaust survivor Tomy Komoly and Rehma Muguyeneza, survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.There will also be musical performances from Chazan Yossi Muller and Choir and Chazan Michael Isdale.This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day takes place under the theme of ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’, encouraging people to reflect on the individuals and communities

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates are dropping in every borough in Greater Manchester.All 10 boroughs are below the national average, the latest figures from Public Health England show.And nine out of the 10 boroughs saw a double figure percentage drop in the week up to January 19.Only Manchester now has an infection rate of over 400 cases per 100,000 people.The national average is currently 437.1.Oldham, which once had the highest rate in the country, is currently the least

direct to your inboxThe Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is to open emergency Covid beds for adults in a sign of the unprecedented pressure facing Greater Manchester’s hospitals.Sir Richard Leese, the region’s health chief, said the situation in the system was now ‘critical’ as NHS bosses have scrambled to discharge as many people as possible ahead of a sustained peak over the coming three weeks.Crisis meetings have been held to determine the ability to scale up beds, as Salford Royal and

direct to your inboxYasmin Qureshi comes across as nothing if not stoic.Even now, months after being discharged from Royal Bolton hospital, her voice is still sometimes breathy; the aftermath of her lungs being battered by coronavirus and accompanying pneumonia. Nonetheless, the MP for Bolton South East seems so calm about it that it would be easy to underestimate the severity of her experiences, like those of so many of her constituents.In the midst of her time in hospital, it is the moments of

direct to your inboxA year ago I would not have expected to be standing in front of a masked uniformed soldier while he mixed a vial containing some of my saliva.But this is 2021, and rapid coronavirus testing for people without symptoms is set to become a normal part of life in Oldham.The council and British army have teamed up to roll out four new testing sites which will offer lateral flow tests to residents who cannot work from home, similar to the mass testing programme which began in

direct to your inboxThe NHS has sadly confirmed the deaths of 29 more patients in hospitals in Greater Manchester who had tested positive for Covid-19.The region's hospital death toll now stands at 4,757.NHS bosses said on Friday a further 993 people who tested positive for the virus have died in hospitals across England.It brings the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 65,104.In the north west, a further 94 hospital deaths were reported, the NHS said on Friday.A

direct to your inboxTorrential rain across Greater Manchester is set to continue into the night as Storm Christoph hits the region.The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings across the UK, with an amber warning in place for rain.It's in force until Thursday lunchtime, with forecasters warning of potential flooding.Flood alerts are already in place for some areas surrounding the River Mersey, River Irwell and River Bollin in Greater Manchester for the next 48 hours.Chief Meteorologist

direct to your inboxA further 23 people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.It means the region's hospital death toll has now reached 4,583, the latest NHS data shows.In the last 24 hours seven more deaths were recorded at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, while another five people died at both Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester

direct to your inboxA flood 'alert' has been put in force in Greater Manchester today after hours of heavy rainfall overnight.The alert warns of 'possible' flooding around the area of the middle River Mersey catchment area.It includes areas near Bramhall in Stockport, Sale, Altrincham and Urmston.The Environment Agency warned: "Flooding is possible - be prepared."And Transport for Greater Manchester said: "With heavy rain in Greater Manchester this morning, expect flooding in some areas.

Wigan by the deadly impact of Covid-19. Two other areas in Greater Manchester - Tameside and Rochdale - are also among the ten boroughs in the country with the highest death rates.

direct to your inboxThe latest data on the coronavirus infection rates for each local authority in England show that 98 pc of the country has seen a rise. Of the 315 local areas in England, 309 have seen an increase in Covid-19 case rates and only six (2 pc) have seen a fall.

direct to your inboxThese maps show how Covid-19 cases are rapidly increasing across Greater Manchester.The striking images show a big increase in less than a week.And the latest data shows just one neighbourhood in the whole conurbation with an infection rate below 100 per 100,000 people.The first map shows rates for the week ending on Boxing Day, December 26.While the second map shows rates in the week ending January 2.They show that during that period, the area with an infection rate below

direct to your inboxThe latest infection rates for every local authority in England have been published with one area toppling 1,500.Large numbers of areas of London and the South East are recording rates of more than 1,000 per 100,000 people while all Greater Manchester boroughs continue to fall below the national average of 606.9 per 100,000. However, coronavirus infection rate in Wigan has almost doubled in a week with rises continuing to be recorded in every borough.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester Police responded to 1,500 reports of ‘stupid and selfish’ people breaking Covid-19 laws over the New Year period.More than 1,000 callouts involved officers breaking up house parties held inside residential homes, properties rented for the night and short-term lets.‘Hundreds’ of fines have been handed out to those attending illegal gatherings in the past week, including people who went to a rave on an industrial estate.Rising infection rates are also

direct to your inboxA Greater Manchester Police officer who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl has been jailed.Farooq Ahmed, 37, walked into a police station with a confession note before Christmas.

Salford flat on September 14. The 23-year-old said he was unhappy in his retail job in the weeks leading up to his death. His mother urged him to go home to Plymouth so she could help 'bring him out of the darkness he was suffering'. Tragically, he was found hanged just weeks later.  An inquest into Mr Kelly's death was held at  Bolton Coroners' Court  by area coroner Alan Walsh today (January 5).

Follow our dedicated live blog hereThe ones that are closed are providing places for key worker and vulnerable children, as they did during the first lockdown.And some that were due to reopen later this week are warning parents they'll be staying closed.If your child's school has closed, get in touch with us on our Manchester Family Facebook page here, let us know in the comments here, or email [email protected] are the schools that have closed by boroughMount Carmel RC, BlakleyOswald