Covid-19 news: UK cases level off as R number rises slightly

A-level students preserve a take a seat in express on the Department for Training over the results fiasco

17 August

A-level and GCSE grades in England to be in step with teachers’ predictions as yet any other of controversial algorithm

Pupils in England shall be given A-level and GCSE grades estimated by their teachers comparatively than by an algorithm that sparked protests after it was ragged to common the grades of A-level pupils closing week. The algorithm, which was presented since the pandemic disrupted the same earlier exam course of, resulted in about 280,000 A-level pupils in England seeing their ratings fall by a minimal of 1 grade or more compared with their predicted results.These from disadvantaged backgrounds were worst-affected. UK training minister Gavin Williamson on the brand new time presented that England’s checks regulator, Ofqual is scrapping the algorithm, bringing protection essentially based on the UK’s other countries. Williamson and Ofqual chair, Roger Taylor apologised for the “injure” triggered. 

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England’s neatly being agency, Public Smartly being England, would perchance perchance unbiased be changed by a brand new body particularly centered on going via pandemics. The brand new agency would perchance perchance perchance be modelled on Germany’s Robert Koch Institute and is anticipated to be presented this week by the UK’s neatly being minister, Matt Hancock, essentially based on a yarn in the Sunday Telegraph. The article also indicates that Hancock plans to merge the NHS Take a look at and Hint draw with the pandemic response work of Public Smartly being England. “The experiences in the media of a proposed ‘axing’ of Public Smartly being England is of tall inform,” said Amitava Banerjee, scientific files scientist and cardiologist at University Faculty London. A necessary restructuring of public neatly being purpose, because the worldwide covid-19 emergency continues, will divert restricted sources far from public neatly being measures equivalent to attempting out and tracing, said Banerjee. 

Voters in the US are focused on whether or no longer it is soundless true to put up their ballots, after the nation’s president Donald Trump closing week said he would block further funding required for the postal carrier to handle the expected surge in postal ballots this One year. Many US states were seeking to make postal balloting more easy so that americans are ready to vote safely all the intention via the pandemic.

South Korea tightened social distancing tips on Sunday after 197 new coronavirus conditions linked to a brand new outbreak were confirmed on Saturday. “We’re facing a crisis the establish if the fresh spread isn’t controlled, it would perchance perchance perchance divulge an exponential rise in conditions, which would perchance perchance perchance in turn result in the collapse of our clinical system and big financial injure,” director of the Korea Services for Illness Alter and Prevention, Jeong Eun-kyeong said all the intention via a briefing.

Original Zealand’s usual election shall be postponed by a month because of an on-going coronavirus outbreak in Auckland, the nation’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern presented on the brand new time. 9 new conditions in the brand new cluster were confirmed on the brand new time, bringing the complete to 58 conditions to this level.

A new take a look at for coronavirus-particular T-cells – immune cells that relief the body fight infections – would perchance perchance perchance relief researchers developing vaccine candidates. The take a look at is being developed by UK firm Indoor Biotechnologies, which says early trials stumbled on that some of us who had the coronavirus however examined negative for antibodies went on to verify clear for T-cells. It soundless isn’t clear whether or no longer antibodies or T-cells present prolonged-lasting immunity in opposition to the virus and how prolonged such immunity would perchance perchance perchance closing.

Coronavirus deaths

Matthew Rowett

The worldwide death toll has passed 776,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 21.7 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Most in style on coronavirus from Original scientist

Coronavirus and pets: Studies of pets being contaminated with the coronavirus were rising, however how unnerved will possess to soundless householders be? And would perchance perchance unbiased pets be spreading the virus between of us?

Michel Euler/AP/Shutterstock

14 August

UK guests to France would perchance perchance perchance face restrictions after UK imposed quarantine on arrivals 

Travellers arriving in France from the UK would perchance perchance unbiased be required to quarantine for two weeks after arrival into the nation, Clément Beaune, France’s junior minister for European Affairs, urged journalists on Thursday. His assertion came after the UK added France and the Netherlands to its checklist of countries from which arriving travellers shall be required to quarantine for 14 days. France on the moment has a coronavirus case rate of 34.0 of us per 100,000, essentially based on cumulative figures for the closing 14 days from the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Alter, with 41.6 conditions per 100,000 of us in the Netherlands. The case rate in the UK is on the moment 17.3 per 100,000 of us. The UK’s new tips are effective from 4: 00 BST on Saturday 15 August and can possess to soundless also apply for americans arriving in the UK from Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos and Aruba. Transport minister Grant Shapps said that there are on the moment about 160,000 of us from the UK on holidays in France. 

Diversified coronavirus files

Restrictions affecting parts of northern England and Leicester will quit in recount because of on-going local outbreaks, the UK’s Department of Smartly being and Social Care presented on the brand new time. Of us residing in the affected areas in Higher Manchester, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester aren’t allowed to meet with of us from other households indoors or in deepest gardens. Oldham in Higher Manchester has experienced the greatest week-on-week rise in conditions in England, recording a rate of 107.5 conditions per 100,000 of us between 2 and eight August, up from 57.8 all the intention via the earlier week. The authorities says the limitations shall be reviewed again subsequent week. 

In comparatively a good deal of places in England, easing of restrictions allowing small marriage ceremony receptions, reside indoor performances and class treatments will gallop ahead from Saturday after being delayed from the usual date of 1 August, UK prime minister Boris Johnson confirmed on the brand new time. Bowling alleys, casinos and play centres would perchance also be allowed to reopen.

Despite some local outbreaks, coronavirus conditions across England as a complete appear as if levelling off, essentially based on the most up-to-date results from a random swab attempting out peep by the Region of job for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS estimates that 28,300 of us in England – one in 1900 of us – had the virus in the week ending 9 August, associated to the earlier week.

Original Zealand has prolonged a lockdown in Auckland by a minimal of 12 days, the nation’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern presented on the brand new time. Original Zealand had been freed from locally transmitted coronavirus infections for 102 days except four of us from the same family in Auckland examined clear for the virus earlier this week. The necessity of conditions in the brand new outbreak there has since risen to 29. 

North Korea has lifted a 3-week lockdown in the border city of Kaesong after a suspected coronavirus case there, recount media reported on the brand new time. The World Smartly being Organization closing week said that checks on the suspected case – a man who returned to North Korea after defecting – had been inconclusive. North Korea has no longer reported any other conditions.

Coronavirus deaths

Matthew Rowett

The worldwide death toll has passed 760,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 20.9 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Pictures

13 August

UK authorities has changed the manner deaths from covid-19 are recorded in England

England’s covid-19 death toll has been revised down by bigger than 5000, after the UK authorities presented a brand new UK-huge in style for recording deaths triggered by the coronavirus. The changes mean the elimination of 5377 deaths from Public Smartly being England’s legit yarn, reducing the UK’s complete numbers of deaths from the virus from 46,706 to 41,329 as of 12 August. 

Of us that recovered from covid-19 earlier than dying from other causes bigger than a month later would perchance perchance unbiased were incorporated in the earlier death toll due to the manner Public Smartly being England was gathering its files. “It had turn out to be in fact needless for epidemiological monitoring,” said epidemiologist Keith Neal on the University of Nottingham, UK. To any extent further England’s legit death toll will finest embody of us who died within 28 days of attempting out clear for the virus, bringing it essentially based on the other countries in the UK. 

Diversified coronavirus files

The necessity of sufferers admitted to hospitals in England for routine therapy was down by 67 per cent in June compared with the same time closing One year, essentially based on files from NHS England. The necessity of of us visiting accident and emergency devices was also down, by 30 per cent compared with closing One year, as was the number going to their family doctor with signs of most cancers and being urgently referred to a specialist , at 20 per cent decrease than closing One year. The NHS England files also suggests more of us waited longer than in style for deliberate procedures, equivalent to knee and hip operations. The Smartly being Foundation charity urged the BBC that this capacity the NHS remains to be “nowhere shut to industry as in style following the first outbreak of covid-19,” and warned that prolonged waiting events would perchance perchance perchance result in deterioration in of us’s neatly being.

The coronavirus would perchance perchance unbiased were circulating in Original Zealand for weeks sooner than the nation’s new outbreak, essentially based on Original Zealand’s director-usual of neatly being, Ashley Bloomfield. The necessary individual in the brand new cluster of conditions started showing signs as early as 31 July, Bloomfield said all the intention via a media briefing in Wellington, alongside side that genome sequencing was underway on the usual four conditions to seem at and mark the prepare of transmission. Officials are also investigating the hypothesis that the conditions were imported by capacity of refrigerated freight. Original Zealand had been freed from locally transmitted coronavirus infections for 102 days earlier than four of us from the same family examined clear earlier this week. 

Authorities in two cities in China said they found traces of the coronavirus on imported frozen meals and on meals packaging. Samples of rooster wings imported to town of Shenzhen from Brazil and packaging of frozen little imported from Ecuador to a city in China’s Anhui province examined clear for the virus. It isn’t yet clear when the merchandise grew to turn out to be wicked however China is increasing screening at its ports. The coronavirus can continue to exist for as a lot as two years frozen at -20°C however is destroyed by heating to 70°C. The World Smartly being Organization says that there isn’t on the moment any evidence that americans can assign the virus from meals or meals packaging. 

Coronavirus deaths

Matthew Rowett

The worldwide death toll has passed 750,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 20.6 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Most in style on coronavirus from Original scientist

Sweden’s coronavirus draw: Sweden was one in every of the few European countries no longer to impose a compulsory lockdown. Its unfamiliar draw for tackling the coronavirus outbreak has both been hailed as winning, and condemned as a failure. So which is it?

PAU BARRENA/AFP by capacity of Getty Pictures

12 August

Germany and Spain amongst a rising checklist of western European countries the establish coronavirus conditions are surging

Coronavirus conditions are rising in Germany, Spain and other countries in western Europe, with Spain recording 1418 new infections on Tuesday, and Germany detecting 1200 conditions in the closing 24 hours, the nation’s greatest day after day make bigger for three months. Within the Netherlands, day after day new infections are again to about half the level they were at all the intention via the initial high. Spain now has the ideal rate of coronavirus infections in the sphere, with 94 conditions per 100,000 of us, compared with 38 in the Netherlands, 30 in France, 18 in the UK and 14 in Germany, essentially based on cumulative figures for the closing 14 days from the European Centre for Illness Prevention and Alter. 

Germany’s neatly being minister, Jens Spahn, says of us strolling again from vacation would perchance perchance unbiased be the motive for the increasing need of conditions in Germany, because the UK and Germany proceed to warn of us in opposition to non-necessary plug to parts of Spain. Any holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. The checklist of countries from which all arrivals to the UK must quarantine would perchance perchance unbiased be as a lot as this level this week to incorporate 14 more countries, alongside side France.

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The World Smartly being Organization (WHO) is in talks with Russian authorities about reviewing the coronavirus vaccine candidate whose acclaim for exhaust in Russia the day earlier than on the brand new time sparked criticism from researchers. Russia’s vaccine, Sputnik-V, is now not any longer on the WHO’s checklist of six vaccines which possess reached section III trials captivating scientific attempting out on tidy groups of of us. Russia’s neatly being minister Mikhail Murashko on the brand new time pushed aside safety concerns expressed by international researchers about the rapid approval of the vaccine as “unfounded.”

Lebanon presented its absolute most realistic need of day after day new coronavirus conditions the day earlier than on the brand new time since the begin of the pandemic, with bigger than 300 new conditions and 7 deaths from covid-19. Hospitals in the nation are overwhelmed following the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut closing week. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jarasevic urged a UN briefing the day earlier than on the brand new time that the displacement of of us due to the explosion dangers accelerating the spread of the coronavirus there.

A minimal of 800 of us are estimated to possess died across the enviornment because misinformation about the coronavirus all the intention via the first three months of this One year, a gaze has stumbled on. An additional 5800 of us are estimated to were admitted to clinical institution for the same motive all the intention via this era. The majority of the deaths and hospitalisations were because of of us drinking methanol and alcohol-essentially based cleansing merchandise, incorrectly believing that they were treatments for covid-19, essentially based on the gaze, which was printed in The American Society of Tropical Medication and Hygiene.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide death toll has passed 744,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 20.4 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Most in style on coronavirus from Original scientist

Young of us in danger: A staggering 115 million children in India are in danger of malnutrition, because the enviornment’s greatest college lunch programme has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Who will possess to soundless secure vaccinated first?: It is August 2021, and the moment the enviornment has been expecting has finally arrived – a vaccine in opposition to covid-19 has passed all the checks and is willing to be rolled out. Nevertheless this isn’t the conclude. There are bigger than 7.5 billion of us attempting vaccination however perchance finest a billion doses on hand in the first six months of production. Who will get one?

Staying linked: Greeting neighbours or gossiping with a colleague can enhance your neatly being and neatly-being, however coronavirus lockdowns are inserting that in jeopardy. Here’s the actual draw to quit linked.

Original Zealand authorities

11 August

Original Zealand reimposes Auckland lockdown after first locally transmitted conditions for 102 days

Original Zealand has reported its first new coronavirus conditions regarded as obtained via local transmission, after going 102 days without a single reported case exterior of managed isolation or quarantine. Four of us within one family in south Auckland examined clear for the virus, Original Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern said on the brand new time at a press briefing. Original Zealand has been extensively praised for its aggressive response to the coronavirus, closing its borders to non-nationals and imposing one in every of the strictest lockdowns on this planet, all at a time when the nation had finest 205 conditions and no deaths from covid-19. Checking out is now being ramped up in Auckland and lockdown restrictions shall be reimposed there from the following day. Each person except for necessary workers shall be requested to make money working from house and colleges shall be closed for a good deal of kids. Diversified public facilities, alongside side bars and restaurants, shall be required to shut and gatherings shall be restricted to 10 of us. 

Diversified coronavirus files

Researchers possess expressed concerns about the approval of a coronavirus vaccine candidate in Russia on the brand new time. The virus has been licensed for popular exhaust, irrespective of finest being examined in dozens of of us. “There is no longer a files on the Russian-led vaccine for the worldwide neatly being neighborhood to scrutinise,” said Michael Head, public neatly being be taught fellow on the University of Southampton, UK. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said one in every of his daughters has already been inoculated, and claimed it was true. 

The necessity of contact tracers working for NHS Take a look at and Hint shall be lowered by 6000 in England by the conclude of this month, the UK authorities has presented. The last 12,000 contact tracers will work more closely with local public neatly being authorities to relief with contact tracing within communities. Between 16 and 22 July, NHS Take a look at and Hint finest managed to attain 75 per cent of the contacts of of us who examined clear for the coronavirus in England. Dido Harding, head of NHS Take a look at and Hint said that having a more localised manner will guarantee more contacts of coronavirus conditions within communities shall be reached.

Australia’s far-off Northern Territory will preserve its borders shut to coronavirus-affected states except a minimal of 2022, essentially based on local officials. Of us strolling again from affected states shall be required to quarantine at a resort for 14 days at their have expense.

Coronavirus deaths

Matthew Rowett

The worldwide death toll has passed 737,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 20.1 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Most in style on coronavirus from Original scientist

Quiz about the UK’s new rapid checks: Two 90-minute checks for the coronavirus shall be rolled out by the UK authorities in the arrival weeks – and while both are promising, neither has publicly on hand files to pork up its exhaust.

Total cool virus vaccine: A vaccine that protects in opposition to one in every of the necessary usual cool viruses – respiratory syncytial virus – has been proven to be true and effective in a scientific trial and would perchance perchance unbiased be on hand by 2024.

Sergei Fadeichev/TASS by capacity of Getty Pictures

10 August

No indication there could be seasonality with the coronavirus, says WHO 

There is no indication that the coronavirus is seasonal and it would perchance perchance perchance enhance any time, World Smartly being Organization (WHO) leaders said at a press briefing on the brand new time. Proof suggests the coronavirus is now not like flu, which tends to spike in autumn and iciness. “When you make a choice stress off the virus, the virus will enhance. That’s what we can insist to countries in Europe – preserve the stress on,” said Mike Ryan, WHO executive director of the emergencies program. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead of WHO’s covid-19 response, said that virtually the complete enviornment’s population remains liable to the virus, and WHO director-usual Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the significance of countries taking centered motion to handle local outbreaks via methods love localised lockdowns employed in Leicester, UK. 

Diversified coronavirus files

The WHO says it has finest obtained a fraction of the funding it needs for an initiative aimed at developing and distributing tablets, vaccines and other instruments to relief handle the pandemic. “Whereas we’re grateful for those which possess made contributions, we’re finest 10 per cent of the manner to funding the billions required to comprehend the promise of the ACT [Access to Covid-19 Tools] accelerator,” Tedros said all the intention via a press briefing on the brand new time.

“Greece has formally entered a second wave of the epidemic,” Gkikas Magiorkinis, an epidemiologist at Athens University and one in every of the scientists advising the Greek authorities, urged journalists on the brand new time. This comes after Greece recorded its absolute most realistic number of day after day new coronavirus conditions since the pandemic started, with 203 confirmed on Sunday.

In France, it is now compulsory to establish on a face veil inaugurate air in obvious crowded areas within Paris. Smartly being officials said the rate of clear coronavirus checks was 2.4 per cent in the Paris location compared with the common of 1.6 per cent for americans examined in the nation as a complete. Diversified cities, alongside side Good and Lille, possess also presented new tips making face masks necessary seriously inaugurate air areas.

It has been bigger than 100 days since Original Zealand closing detected a locally obtained coronavirus case. As of on the brand new time, the nation has finest 21 active infections, all of that are being managed in isolation facilities. Authorities are soundless attempting out thousands of of us day to day. “We wish to be willing to hasty establish out any future conditions,” said Original Zealand’s director-usual of neatly being Ashley Bloomfield on Sunday. 

Coronavirus deaths

Matthew Rowett

The worldwide death toll has passed 731,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 19.9 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

Mike Kemp/In PIctures by capacity of Getty Pictures

7 August

The necessity of of us estimated to possess the virus in England would perchance perchance unbiased be levelling off

The necessity of of us estimated to possess covid-19 in England looks to be to be levelling off, after rising a bit in July, essentially based on a random swab attempting out peep of virtually 120,000 of us by the Region of job for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS estimates that 28,300 of us exterior of hospitals and care homes in England had the virus in the week ending 2 August – about one in every 1900 of us. Here is down a bit from the earlier week’s estimate of 35,700. Nevertheless it completely isn’t clear how an infection rates would perchance perchance unbiased fluctuate across comparatively a good deal of regions. In Wales, which was incorporated in the peep for the first time, an estimated 1400 of us had covid-19 in the week ending 2 August, equivalent to 1 in every 2200 of us.

The proportion of of us in the UK who insist they possess got been wearing face coverings has long gone up for the second week in a row, essentially based on a separate ONS peep. Within the week ending 2 August, 96 per cent of of us said they’d earlier a face covering exterior their house, up from 84 per cent in the earlier week and 71 per cent the week earlier than. The peep also stumbled on that 72 per cent of of us said they’d socialised with others in individual, honest over half of whom said they’d repeatedly maintained social distancing. 

Diversified coronavirus files

Coronavirus vaccine trials would perchance perchance unbiased be undermined by the lack of vary amongst people, essentially based on researchers. Within the fresh trial of a coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca, fewer than 1 per cent of the approximately 1000 people were sunless and finest about 5 per cent were Asian, compared with 91 per cent of individuals who were white. In a smaller trial of a vaccine candidate being developed by US firm Moderna, 40 out of 45 people were white. “Diversity is necessary to guarantee pockets of of us don’t possess detrimental aspect-results,” Oluwadamilola Fayanju, a surgeon and researcher at Duke University urged the Guardian.

The city of Preston in England is being placed under stricter local lockdown measures following an elevate in coronavirus conditions. From heart of the night on 7 August residents from comparatively a good deal of households aren’t allowed to meet indoors or in deepest gardens. These new measures are essentially based on those on the moment in recount in east Lancashire, Higher Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire.

Larger than one million of us in countries across Africa were identified with the coronavirus, even supposing neatly being officials insist this is mainly an underestimate. “We haven’t considered the conclude in Africa yet,” Mary Stephen, technical officer on the World Smartly being Organization’s regional place of job for Africa urged Al Jazeera. Even supposing the bulk of conditions confirmed to this level are in South Africa, it’s also performing enormously more checks than other African countries.

India has recorded its absolute most realistic number of day after day new coronavirus conditions since the begin of the pandemic, with 62,538 conditions confirmed on Friday. There were bigger than 2 million conditions recorded in the nation since the pandemic started.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide death toll has passed 715,000. The necessity of confirmed conditions is bigger than 19.1 million, essentially based on the design and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, even supposing the apt need of conditions shall be powerful increased.

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