Summary
Here’s a roundup of this evening’s Covid-19 news.
- Infections in South Africa have hit record levels. The latest figures showed 24,270 new infections, higher than the previous record of 21,980 in January. A total of 2 million people have now had the virus in the worst-hit country in Africa.
- At least 26,000 out-of-date Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines have been given out in Brazil, newspaper Folha de S Paulo reported on Friday.
- A new initiative has meant that tourists have been able to visit the holiday island of Phuket, in Thailand without having to quarantine for the first time in a year.
- Slovakia has sold most of its Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines back to the country of origin, its health ministry has said. Uptake has remained low among the public over the vaccine that lacks European regulatory approval.
- The US has administered nearly 329m doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Friday morning, according to its Centres for Disease Control and prevention.
- In its latest global vaccination distribution, the US will donate 4 million doses of the Moderna Covid jab to Indonesia.
- Another 1,857 people have died of Covid in Brazil, according to Reuters.
- Mexico has reported 5,879 new Covid-19 cases and another 177 deaths, according to government data.
- The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Ocugen’s Indian partner, Bharat Biotech, has been found to be 93.4% effective against severe cases of the virus, according to a trial in the US.
Mexico has reported 5,879 new Covid-19 cases and another 177 deaths, according to government data.
The country has now recorded 2,531,229 infections and 233,425 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The government said the real number of cases is likely to be significantly higher. Separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll could be 60% higher than official figures.
Updated
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Ocugen’s Indian partner, Bharat Biotech, has been found to be 93.4% effective against severe cases of the virus.
Reuters reports that the US drug developer said on Friday that the results had come from a late-stage trial.
Another 1,857 people have died of Covid in Brazil, according to Reuters.
The death toll has now reached 521,952 and there have been 65,165 new cases.
A total of 18.6 million people in the country have now had the virus.
Updated
Reuters has more on the story from earlier (see 20:24) that at least 26,000 doses of expired Covid jabs were used in Brazil.
Cities and regions have denied giving out the jabs, with one, the southern city of Maringá saying the out-of-date jabs only appeared on public databases due to delays in them being registered on the health ministry’s system.
Local governments in other Brazilian cities; São Paulo, Juiz de Fora and Belo Horizonte were mentioned in the original story, run by newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
In its latest global vaccination distribution, the US will donate 4 million doses of the Moderna Covid jab to Indonesia.
According to Reuters, the US national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed the news to the Indonesian foreign minister in a call earlier on Friday.
Updated
South Africa infections hit record high
South Africa has set a new record for daily Covid-19 cases after another tightening of restrictions.
The latest figures showed 24,270 new infections, higher than the previous record of 21,980 in January. A total of 2 million people have now had the virus.
The country is the hardest hit in Africa, according to official figures.
Its death toll now stands at 61,332 after another 303 deaths were registered on Friday.
“We are indeed … in the eye of the storm of the third wave of the Covid-19 … As we can see over the last 14 days, we have surpassed the levels of daily infections” seen during the first two waves, the deputy health minister, Joe Phaahla, told a news briefing on Friday.
Restrictions have been reimposed for a fortnight on alcohol sales, schools have been closed, and gatherings apart from at funerals banned.
Updated
More than 26,000 expired jabs used in Brazil
At least 26,000 out-of-date Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines have been given out in Brazil, newspaper Folha de S Paulo reported on Friday.
Health ministry data showed that the expired jabs came from batches imported from India by the public Fiocruz biomedical institute, or acquired through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The news, reported by Reuters, represents the latest blow to Brazil’s vaccine rollout, which has been met with widespread criticism and concern. It was slow to buy vaccines and is now dealing with an alleged corruption scandal over procurement.
Updated
Tourists visiting the Thai island of Phuket have been able to roam freely without quarantine for the first time in a year.
The country has launched a special programme for vaccinated visitors to the popular holiday destination.
People were seen swimming in hotel pools and walking along the island’s famous beaches after having a Covid test result within 24 hours of arrival, according to Reuters.
The Phuket Sandbox initiative allows free movement for fully vaccinated tourists, with no quarantine, although masks are needed in most public places.
Updated
Slovakia has sold most of its Russian Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines back to the country of origin, its health ministry has said.
Public interest in the jab has remained low, after months of government hesitation over using the product that lacks European regulatory approval.
The country shipped back 160,000 of the 200,000 doses that arrived in March, at the same price as the original purchase.
Slovakian health authorities approved the vaccine last month, but uptake has been low.
The deal for the jab had been a fiasco for then-prime minister Igor Matovic, who bought them without telling his coalition partners.
He later resigned, but has returned to a reshuffled cabinet as finance minister.
Brazil’s top prosecutor has agreed to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro for dereliction of duty in the process of procuring an Indian Covid-19 vaccine, according to Reuters.
The agency reports:
Bolsonaro has been caught up in allegations of irregularities surrounding the 1.6 billion reais ($316m) contract signed in February for 20 million doses with a Brazilian intermediary of the Covaxin vaccine’s maker, Bharat Biotech. The government suspended the contract on Tuesday after a senate commission raised suspicions of overpricing and corruption.
Federal prosecutors and the comptroller general’s office are also investigating the alleged irregularities in a deal that has caused public outrage in Brazil, home to the world’s second highest number of Covid-19 deaths.
The scandal involving Bharat’s Covaxin vaccine has become a political nightmare for Bolsonaro in part because it allegedly involves the government’s chief whip in the lower house of congress, Ricardo Barros.
The prosecutor general, Augusto Aras, who was appointed to the job by Bolsonaro, had wanted to delay an investigation until the senate inquiry was over, but Justice Weber declined his request.
Bolsonaro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation sought by Aras.
Updated
The US has administered nearly 329m doses of Covid-19 vaccines as of Friday morning, according to its Centres for Disease Control and prevention.
The overall figure – 328,809,470 – is a rise of 657,166 compared with Thursday. A total of 156,255,896 people have had both doses, Reuters reports.
This is Harry Taylor taking you through the latest Covid-19 news for the rest of tonight. Any news or tips, feel free to get in touch by email: harry.taylor.casual@guardian.co.uk or Twitter, where I’m @HarryTaylr.
Updated
Here’s a summary of today’s key developments
- Bosnia reportedly confirmed its first Delta variant case today in a visiting pilgrim from Spain. The woman who contracted it had visited the Catholic pilgrimage site of Medjugorje.
- 27,125 new people tested positive for Covid in the UK today and cases rose by 74% in the last week. Government figures show there were 27 new Covid deaths and 304 people in hospital with coronavirus.
- German chancellor Angela Merkel said fully vaccinated people should soon be able to travel from the UK to Europe on holiday without quarantine in the “foreseeable future”. On her last visit to the UK, she also said that the Delta variant was now spreading “very rapidly” in Germany.
- England’s R number (Covid-19 reproduction number) lowered slightly to between 1.1 and 1.3. Last week, it was estimated at between 1.2 and 1.4.
- The Delta variant now accounts for around a third of all Covid cases in France. The French health minister said there was a “real risk” of the pandemic gaining traction again this summer and urged as many people as possible to get vaccinated.
- Maria van Kerkhove, of the World Health Organization, said they were “learning from Euro 2020” to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. But she urged caution and warned that everybody should take a “risk-based approach”.
- The Vatican called for an all-out effort to combat vaccine hesitancy and the “myths and disinformation” surrounding it. The Vatican’s bioethics academy and the World Medical Association released a joint statement.
- The world is in a “very dangerous period” of the pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general warned. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Delta has been detected in at least 98 countries and was “spreading quickly”.
- The UK saw an almost fourfold increase in cases of the Delta variant in less than a month, new data from Public Health England showed.
- One in 260 people in England had Covid in the last week, said the ONS, a rate similar to that last seen in February. In Wales the figure was 1 in 450, in Northern Ireland it was 1 in 670, and in Scotland it was 1 in 150.
- A man was charged with common assault after accosting England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, in a London park. Lewis Hughes, 23, from east London, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on 30 July.
That’s it from me for today, thanks for reading. I’m now handing over to my colleague Harry Taylor.
Updated
France recorded 2,683 new Covid-19 cases today.
Updated
In the US, the White House has said it will send 1.5m doses of the Moderna vaccine to El Salvador, reports Reuters.
McClatchy journalist Michael Wilner also reports:
The United States has made initial deliveries to Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Honduras, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador so far, and on Sunday will send 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine to El Salvador, White House officials told us. https://t.co/diKkXbCjmd
— Michael Wilner (@mawilner) July 2, 2021
Data from Public Health England shows that Covid cases have risen in the vast majority of local authorities in England and cases are highest in Hyndburn, Lancashire, according to an analysis by PA.
According to the data, for the seven days to June 28, 308 of England’s 315 local areas have seen a week-on-week rise. Hyndburn had the highest rate with 614.5 cases per 100,000 people and Newcastle upon Tyne had the second highest with 574.3 cases per 100,000 people. The third highest was Tamworth in Staffordshire which had 554.1 cases per 100,000 people.
The biggest week-on-week rises were Tamworth, Oxford, South Tyneside, Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Coronavirus cases climbed in Spain today, with 12,563 new infections and 28 new deaths as the Delta variant spread. It marked a rise on the figures from yesterday, when there were 12,345 new cases and eight new deaths.
Health ministry data shows that this week’s daily increases are at their highest level since mid-April, Reuters reports.
The infection rate measured over the last two weeks has also risen to 153 cases per 100,000; yesterday it was 134.
It comes as coronavirus restrictions are being relaxed, including the country’s outdoor mask mandate, which was lifted on Saturday.
Updated
First case of Delta variant confirmed in Bosnia
Bosnia reportedly confirmed its first Delta variant case today in a visiting pilgrim from Spain.
The woman diagnosed with it visited the Catholic pilgrimage site of Medjugorje in the southern Herzegovina region, Reuters reported.
There is no official data on how many people in Bosnia have been vaccinated, but the number is believed to be small because its regional governments have failed to purchase enough vaccines.
There have been a total of 205,047 coronavirus cases so far and 9,667 deaths.
Updated
Europe’s medicines regulator has approved a scale-up of Johnson & Johnson’s plant in Leiden, the Netherlands, that manufactures drug substance used in its Covid-19 vaccine.
Updated
Italy has reported 794 new coronavirus cases and 28 new deaths today.
The figures show a decline in cases and a rise in deaths compared to yesterday, when the figures were 882 and 21.
27,125 new people tested positive in the UK today and cases rose by 74% in last week
UK government figures show that 27,125 new people tested positive for coronavirus today and in the last week cases have risen by 74%.
There were 27 new covid deaths today and 304 people were in hospital with coronavirus. In the last week, 123 people have died - an increase of 11.8% on the previous seven days.
In the last week, 157,675 people confirmed a positive test.
As of the end of yesterday, 45,013,503 people had received one dose of the vaccine and 33,241,265 had received two.
Updated
The Delta variant is gaining ground in Italy, the National Health Institute (ISS) said today.
ISS data shows that the variant accounted for 22.7% of cases on June 22. In a previous survey, using data from May 18, Delta accounted for just 1%, Reuters reports.
The institute said: “In Italy, where the vaccination campaign has not yet achieved sufficient coverage, the spread of more transmissible variants may have a significant impact”.
Here’s the latest AP report on Africa’s third coronavirus wave, being led by South Africa:
Driven by the delta variant, a new wave of Covid-19 is sweeping across the African continent where new cases, hospital admissions, and deaths are increasing.
South Africa is leading the new surge in Africa, where case numbers are doubling every three weeks, according to the World Health Organization.
“The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave is like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa.
The delta variant, reported in 16 African countries, has become dominant in South Africa, which accounts for more than half of Africa’s new cases. It was detected in 97% of samples sequenced in Uganda and in 79% of samples sequenced in Congo, said WHO.
“The rampant spread of more contagious variants pushes the threat to Africa up to a whole new level,” Moeti said in a statement. “More transmission means more serious illness and more deaths, so everyone must act now and boost prevention measures to stop an emergency becoming a tragedy.”
Less than 2% of Africa’s 1.3 billion people have received even one dose of a vaccine.
With more than 20,000 new cases reported Friday, South Africa’s total of 1.9 million cases, including 66,323 deaths, represents more than 30% of the 5.5 million cases reported by Africa’s 54 countries, representing 1.3 billion people, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Johannesburg and the surrounding Gauteng province are South Africa’s epicenter with its hospitals reaching 91% capacity and 5,500 additional health workers deployed, the health department announced Friday.
Updated
Merkel says quarantine-free travel to Europe for fully vaccinated Britons possible in "foreseeable future"
German chancellor Angela Merkel has said that fully vaccinated people should be able to travel from the UK to Europe on holiday without quarantine in the “foreseeable future”.
In her final visit to the UK, Merkel said that travel restrictions were being reviewed and said the Delta variant is now spreading “very rapidly” in Germany.
She said:
We have adopted certain protective measures when we were not so familiar with the Delta variant.
We now see that the share of the Delta variant in Germany is increasing very rapidly.
We’re reviewing continuously our travel restrictions and we think that in the foreseeable future those who have received double jabs will then according to our classification, and Britain now obviously is a high incidence area, will be able travel again without having to go into quarantine.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson said sporting events are being opened up in a “very careful and controlled manner” and that there has been a “big change” in the relationship between cases and serious illnesses and deaths as a result of the vaccine.
Speaking at a joint news conference following their talks at Chequers, he said:
The crucial point is that here in the UK we have now built up a very considerable wall of immunity by our vaccination programme.
In the UK almost 85% have had a first dose and more than 63% have had two jabs. Since you get more than 80% protection from one dose and 93% protection from two doses there is a very great degree of resistance to (the) virus in the UK population.
He added:
I want to stress that we have been very cautious at every stage. But that’s why I think it’s been effective and it’s why it’s been an irreversible road map [out of lockdown].
For more news on Merkel’s visit, follow the Guardian politics blog:
Updated
R number in England has dropped slightly to between 1.1 and 1.3
The R number (Covid-19 reproduction number) in England was today estimated to have dropped slightly to between 1.1 and 1.3, according UK government figures.
This means that on average, it is estimated that every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 13 others. Last week, the R value was estimated between 1.2 and 1.4.
The rate of growth of infections was also estimated to have dropped slightly – from 3-5% last week to 2-5%.
Updated
The Delta variant now represents approximately a third of Covid-19 cases in France, the French health minister said today.
This marks a considerable rise on a previous estimate, made on Thursday, which put it at about 20% of cases in France, reports Reuters.
Olivier Véran said “there is a real risk that the epidemic will pick up again this summer in France” and urged as many people as possible to get the vaccine.
Updated
Van Kerkhove said the WHO is tracking the Lambda variant and that it is a “variant of interest at a global level”.
On the Tokyo Olympics, Maria Van Kerkhove, of the WHO, said “we are learning from Euro 2020” that if the coronavirus is present and precautions are not taken, it will spread. “We urge caution … We urge everybody to take a risk-based approach.”
Updated
Dr Tedros says the coronavirus is a “common enemy” that must be fought globally “in unison”. But he says it affects the small island countries especially. It’s “a matter of survival for the world”, he says.
He has also urged world leaders to work together to ensure that 10% of all people in every country is vaccinated by September and 70% by this time next year.
"This is the best way to slow the [#COVID19] pandemic, save lives, drive a truly global economic recovery and along the way prevent further dangerous variants from getting the upper hand."-@DrTedroshttps://t.co/piygNnMPYg
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 2, 2021
A scientist advising the UK government has suggested that soaring case rates is creating lockdowns by stealth over the summers because of the number of people who could end up self-isolating.
Dr Adam Kucharski, who sits on the government’s Spi-M group, told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme:
If we get to a situation over the summer where there’s 30-40,000 cases per day you’ll be potentially looking at maybe even over a million contacts per day who may be eligible for quarantine.
In situations where you’re quarantining large numbers of people you do end up with similar outcomes to lockdown.
In the longer term there are alternatives being considered.
He said his colleagues are looking into whether rapid daily testing over five days could work as an alternative to longer quarantines.
These measures are reducing transmission considerably and I think if we have an alternative that gives a similar reduction in transmission but less disruption, we do need to seriously consider if that’s going to be a better option.
Vatican calls for all-out effort to combat vaccine hesitancy and "myths and disinformation"
The Vatican’s bioethics academy and the World Medical Association has called for all efforts to be made to combat vaccine hesitancy and “myths and disinformation” surrounding it.
AP reports:
In a joint statement, the groups said some vaccine reluctance in poorer countries is rooted in historical inequalities and suspicions of Western pharmaceutical companies. But they said “a more pernicious form” of hesitancy is being driven by fake news, myths and disinformation about vaccine safety, including among religious groups and some in the medical community.
They demanded that “all relevant stakeholders exhaust all efforts to ... confront vaccine hesitancy by sending a clear message about the safety and necessity of vaccines and counteracting vaccine myths and disinformation.”
The statement also repeated calls from the Vatican and the medical establishment for vaccine equity, to make sure the poorest nations have the same access to shots as wealthier ones.
World in "very dangerous period" of pandemic, warns WHO
The world is in a “very dangerous period” of the pandemic and “no country is out of the woods yet”, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general, has warned.
He said in a briefing today that Delta has been detected in at least 98 countries and is “spreading quickly”.
He also said there are some vaccinations being shared, but “only a trickle”. He also urged vaccine makers to share information.
"Compounded by more transmissible variants, like Delta, which is quickly becoming the dominant strain in many countries, we are in a very dangerous period of this #COVID19 pandemic."-@DrTedros
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 2, 2021
Updated
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently doing a briefing with Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. You can watch the feed at the top of this blog.
Updated
Four-fold increase in Delta cases in the UK in less than a month
The UK has seen an almost four-fold increase in cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in less than a month, new data from Public Health England shows (see also 09:51).
Here’s the latest from PA:
The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, continues to account for approximately 95% of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK.
On June 9, there were 42,323 confirmed and probable cases. The latest figure of 161,981, as of June 30, is nearly four times as high.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist from the University of Warwick, said: “This data is important to consider in the decision to open up on the 19 July.
“We may have weakened the link between infections, hospitalisations and deaths but this significant increase in infections with the Delta variant raises serious concerns.
“As the virus continues to spread in those who are unvaccinated or have only received one jab, it will result in more disease, including increasing the burden of long Covid.
“We are already seeing some of those who have been fully vaccinated getting infected and some of those become sick.
“And there is another worry - that as the virus spreads it will continue to generate new variants, increasing the risk that one will pop up that is more vaccine-resistant.”
Updated
Russia today said it will not impose a new lockdown - despite four days of record coronavirus deaths (see 10:07).
The government has refused to impose a full lockdown since the first wave last year, reports AFP, and is hosting mass events including Euro 2020 football fixtures (including the quarter final match between Spain and Switzerland tonight).
President Vladimir Putin has urged Russians to get vaccinated, but the Kremlin today said “nobody wants any lockdowns” and said it is “not up for debate”.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
It [lockdown] is not being discussed, which is why... we must all be vaccinated as soon as possible.
Updated
Scientists in Italy have created a device that they claim could be used to make indoor spaces safer by using a laser to kill coronavirus particles.
The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste and Eltech K-Laser’s invention forces air through a sterilisation chamber that pulverises viruses and bacteria with a laser beam filter in less than 50 milliseconds, reports Reuters.
Serena Zacchigna, group leader for Cardiovascular Biology at the ICGEB, said:
I thought lasers were more for a shaman rather than a doctor but I have had to change my mind. The device proved able to kill the viruses in less than 50 milliseconds.
Some experts have warned against light-based technologies. A study published by the Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology in November 2020 raised concerns including potential cancer risks and expense.
But the creators of this latest invention say it is “100% safe” and the laser doesn’t come into contact with human skin.
Health officials in Thailand said they will speed up vaccinations of the elderly and medically vulnerable as the country reported its third successive day of record deaths (see 06:24)
Reuters reports:
Health authorities had initially aimed to vaccinate those groups first, but supplies were diverted to factory workers, communities with big outbreaks, and the population of the island of Phuket ahead of this week’s reopening to foreign tourists.
“We have to vaccinate at least 50% of the two groups by the end of July,” senior health official Sopon Mekton told a briefing, referring to the elderly and those with underlying conditions.
The two groups combined have a population of 17 million, but only 0.7% or 83,000 of over 60s and 3.1% of people with health conditions have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
1 in 260 in England had Covid in the last week, says ONS
The UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that 1 in 260 people in England had Covid-19 in the last week, rates similar to those last seen in February.
It marks a steep rise on the previous week, when the figure was 1 in 440.
Across the rest of the UK, the ONS estimated figures are: 1 in 450 in Wales, 1 in 670 in Northern Ireland and 1 in 150 in Scotland.
#COVID19 infection rates have increased in England, Wales and Scotland, with rates similar to those last seen in February 2021.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 2, 2021
These changes are mostly driven by a large increase in the number of cases compatible with the Delta variant https://t.co/Y3OnQ704tz pic.twitter.com/7XqTKpsm0v
Infections have increased across most regions of England, the ONS said, with the highest rates in the North East and the North West.
#COVID19 infections have increased across most regions in England, with the highest rates of positive cases in the North East and North West https://t.co/v7VM1AphpN pic.twitter.com/BLvvZNmqcq
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 2, 2021
But hospital admissions in England remained similar to the previous week:
According to our #COVID19 latest insights tool, hospital admissions remained similar in the week ending 26 June 2021.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 2, 2021
Registered deaths involving COVID-19 increased in the week ending 18 June https://t.co/244BD863xZ pic.twitter.com/anAzXtuoKt
Sarah Crofts, an ONS spokesperson, said although infection rates are similar to what they were in February, vaccinations will “hopefully mean fewer people will have severe symptoms.”
Updated
Ireland is to speed up vaccination of 18 to 34-year-olds by offering the vaccine one to two months earlier than initially planned in an attempt to slow the spread of the Delta variant, which now accounts for around 70% of cases.
The country, which this week delayed the reopening of indoor dining and drinking, was working its way down age groups and recently started vaccinating 35-39-year-olds.
But today health minister Stephen Donnelly said it would offer 18-34-year-olds AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs from Monday after lifting restrictions on the vaccines, reports Reuters.
Donnelly told parliament:
To be able to pull forward a huge number of people is incredibly valuable and is really going to help us in protecting our population from the Delta surge that we know is coming.
Nearly 45% of Ireland’s 3.7m adult population has so far been fully vaccinated and 65% have received one dose.
Updated
Indonesia reported two new records today with 25,830 new infections and 539 deaths. The record highs bring the overall totals to 2,228,938 cases and 59,534 deaths.
Indonesia’s health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said today that under-18s will be given the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.
He said the island of Java – which is home to around half the country’s more than 270 million people – has the most outbreaks of the Delta variant in the country, Reuters reports.
Updated
Man charged with common assault after England's chief medical officer accosted in London
A man has been charged with common assault after England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, was accosted in a central London park, PA reports.
Lewis Hughes, 23, of Romford, east London, was charged on Thursday evening and would appear at Westminster magistrates court on Friday 30 July, the Metropolitan police said.
Hi, I’m taking over the blog from Martin now. Please get in touch with any tips or suggestions: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk
Updated
Today so far…
- India’s health ministry has said that 853 people died in the past 24 hours, raising the official number of total fatalities to 400,312. It also reported 46,617 new cases, taking the country’s pandemic total past 30.4 million. Experts believe India’s reported deaths and infections are massive undercounts.
- Japan could be forced to reverse a decision to allow up to 10,000 local sports fans to attend events at this summer’s Olympics, as a rebound in coronavirus cases has made it less likely that restrictions now in place in Tokyo can be lifted, as planned, before the Games open.
- Russia has again reported a record number of daily Covid deaths – 679. This is up slightly from yesterday’s previous record high of 672. There were 23,218 new cases, including 6,893 in Moscow. Moscow’s deputy mayor said the city’s hospital capacity was under pressure.
- Cambodia reported 32 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, a record daily increase, as authorities warned of the risk of a new wave of infections driven by the Delta variant.
- Indonesia will increase spending on social assistance and healthcare in response to a rise in Covid cases and to soften the blow on the economy with tougher restrictions set to take effect this week, its finance minister said.
- Thailand reported on Friday the third straight day of record coronavirus deaths, with 61 fatalities.
- South Korea’s daily count of coronavirus cases topped 800 on Thursday, the highest in nearly six months, due to new cluster infections and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, officials said.
- Taiwan’s election commission said that four referendums scheduled for 28 August would be postponed until 18 December due to the Covid situation.
- Public Health England have issued their latest data bulletin. It shows that the number of Delta variant cases in the UK has risen by 50,824 since last week to a total of 161,981. This represents a 46% increase.
- A night-time curfew will be imposed in several Portuguese municipalities, including the capital Lisbon and the city of Porto, as authorities scramble to bring under control a surge in Covid-19 infections.
- Spain reported 12,345 new coronavirus infections and eight deaths, with health ministry data showing daily increases this week at their highest levels since mid-April.
- Ryanair’s passenger numbers surged in June, with the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination programmes across Europe boosting confidence in air travel.
- The African Union’s head of vaccine procurement has said “not a single” Covid jab has so far left the EU for Africa, hitting out at the bloc for hoarding supply.
- The number of international flight arrivals into Australia will be halved nationwide in a blow to Australians stranded abroad, while Scott Morrison attempts to reassure the public that the federal government is working with states and territories on a plan out of the Covid crisis.
That is your lot this week from me, Martin Belam. I’m handing over to Miranda Bryant now. She’ll bring you the latest UK and worldwide Covid news. Nicola Slawson has our UK blog, which is very much looking at politics today. You can find that here…
Updated
Aya Elamroussi at CNN reports on the situation in Arkansas, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US. She writes:
“We are now going in the wrong direction yet again with Covid-19 infections here in the state of Arkansas,” said Dr. Cam Patterson, chancellor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
“With July 4th holiday coming up and eventually kids going back to school, we have to be concerned that this would be a trend that could continue. And if it does, it would appear that we may be in the beginning of the third surge of Covid-19 here in the state of Arkansas,” he said.
More than 90% of active virus cases are people who have not been vaccinated, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during the briefing. Arkansas has fully vaccinated 34.3% of its total population, federal data shows.
Read more here: CNN – Local officials sound the alarm over another possible wave of Covid-19 infections
There’s a tiny little bit more detail from Russia here, with some quotes from Moscow’s deputy mayor Anastasiya Rakova. Reuters report she said that the capital is at the centre of the new outbreaks, and is rushing to repurpose hospitals to treat an influx of patients.
“Now, with this explosive growth in infections, this hospital capacity is no longer enough and we will additionally add other hospitals again to combat the virus, as fast as possible, I hope,” Russian news agencies quoted Rakova as saying.
“We’ll do everything possible not to declare a lockdown,” she said.
Russia reports another daily record for Covid deaths
Russia has again reported a record number of daily Covid deaths – 679. This is up slightly from yesterday’s previous record high of 672.
Reuters note that the official case tally has also increased by 23,218 new infections in the last 24 hours, including 6,893 in Moscow.
Delta variant cases in the UK have risen by 46% since last week
Public Health England have issued their latest data bulletin. It shows that the number of Delta variant cases in the UK has risen by 50,824 since last week to a total of 161,981. This represents a 46% increase.
Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency said in the data release:
Cases across the UK continue to rise and it is incredibly important that we do not forget to be careful. The best thing we can do to protect ourselves and the people we love is to get the vaccine if eligible, get tested twice a week and practice ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times.
Although cases are rising, we are not seeing a proportional rise in the number of people who are being admitted to hospital. The data suggest this is testament to the success of the vaccination programme so far and clearly demonstrates the importance of getting both doses of the vaccine. Come forward as soon as you are eligible. It will help us to break the chain of transmission, and it will save lives.
Taiwan postpones referendums over Covid fears
Taiwan’s election commission said that four referendums scheduled for 28 August would be postponed until 18 December due to the Covid situation.
“Given that the referendum day will be the country’s largest movement and gathering of people, at this time of the pandemic spreading it is advisable to avoid the serious consequences of an outbreak from people getting together,” commission chairman Lee Chin-yung said.
Reuters report that the two most important ones are on whether to ban pork containing a leanness-enhancing additive, while another concerns whether to change the site of a planned new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to protect the maritime environment.
Ryanair passenger numbers soar as vaccines restore travel confidence
Ryanair’s passenger numbers surged in June, with the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination programmes across Europe boosting confidence in air travel.
The no-frills airline, which in June reported the biggest annual loss in its 35-year history, carried 5.3 million passengers on 38,000 flights last month. In June 2020, Ryanair carried only 400,000 passengers.
There has been a steady increase in passengers for Europe’s biggest airline in recent months – in April there were 1 million travellers and 1.8 million in May – as the easing of travel restrictions across parts of the continent fuels a gradual recovery in the hard-hit aviation industry.
The green shoots of recovery are also evident in traffic figures issued by Ryanair’s rival Wizz Air, which carried 1.55 million passengers last month. This is more than triple the 502,000 passengers who flew in the same month last year.
Last month, Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group, the UK’s largest airport group, which also operates Stansted and East Midlands airports, launched a legal challenge calling for transparency in the government’s handling of its contentious traffic light travel system for grading countries safe to visit.
Read more of Mark Sweney’s report here: Ryanair passenger numbers soar as Covid vaccine restores travel confidence
There’s been some reaction in the UK to the news that the EU is not including people who have received AstraZeneca doses manufactured in India among the vaccinated for the purposes of travel restrictions.
Professor Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said people should not be concerned, and that the issue with the EU was “an administrative hurdle”.
“The most important part of this is that people who have received these batches should be reassured that they have received exactly the same stuff as people who have received other batches made elsewhere,” PA media report he told the Today programme.
“This is an administrative hurdle that needs to be straightened out but people should not be concerned that they are in some way less well protected.
“We’re in the early days of this new world of needed vaccine passports and there are lots of aspects of this that are still being sorted out for the first time. But it’s clearly, ultimately not in anyone’s interest, including the European Union, to create hurdles that don’t need to be there.”
He added: “I would anticipate that this will get straightened out in due course.”
With the Indian death toll passing 400,000, AFP have this assessment of the vaccination situation there. The government has said it aims to vaccinate all of the country’s 1.1 billion adults this year. But because of shortages, administrative confusion and hesitancy, only around 5% have had two doses so far.
On 21 June the government tried to jumpstart the drive by making vaccines free for all adults, leading to a surge in demand with more than nine million shots being given in a day.
Daily inoculation rates have since slowed again, however, averaging just over four million per day over the past week, according to government figures.
A government affidavit filed with the Supreme Court this week slashed the number of doses the government expects to be available between August and December to 1.35bn, from a previous projection of 2.16bn, according to media reports.
The filing mentioned five kinds of vaccine, down from eight in its forecast in May, the reports said, and cut the number of predicted AstraZeneca doses to 500m from 750m previously.
On Tuesday, India approved the Moderna vaccine for domestic use, taking to four the number available along with AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Russia’s Sputnik V.
Cambodia reported 32 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday, a record daily increase, as authorities warned of the risk of a new wave of infections driven by the Delta variant.
The Southeast Asian country has recorded one of the world’s smallest virus caseloads, but an outbreak first detected in late February has driven up total cases to 52,350, with 660 deaths.
Prak Chan Thul reports for Reuters that in a speech yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned of the risk of another wave.
“There could be a third wave if no action is taken in time, because now there is a new outbreak caused by the Delta variant, and not just in Cambodia, but in the world,” Hun Sen said.
Hun Sen said patients with the variant, which was first detected in India, will be treated separately and be quarantined for 21 days after recovery.
Katharine Murphy writes for us this morning and is scathing of Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s attempt to reset Australia’s Covid response with his four-point exit plan:
The central problem with Morrison’s “new deal” is it’s the old deal. Friday’s “new deal”, boiled down to the very essence, is the quicker we all get vaccinated, the quicker we get out of this; less an insight than a statement of the bleeding obvious.
We already know what to do to push past the pandemic. That’s not rocket science. What has been lacking is not the announcement, but the tools to execute it. So when the prime minister says his plan is vaccinations, and the quicker the better, we encounter two practical problems straight up.
One. Australia doesn’t have enough available vaccines, because the government didn’t hedge against the risks of AstraZeneca being problematic, and we weren’t fast or aggressive enough when the US and the UK were racing to grab vaccine supply to counter the uncontrolled pandemic raging within their borders.
Two. Governments have compounded the lack of supply problem by supercharging vaccine hesitancy at various points. Even before Queensland absolutely dug in its heels this week about the risks of giving AstraZeneca jabs to people under the age of 40, the Morrison government was telling people getting vaccinated wasn’t a “race”.
Rise in Tokyo cases may prompt rethink of spectator limits at Olympics
From Tokyo: Japan could be forced to reverse a decision to allow up to 10,000 local sports fans to attend events at this summer’s Olympics, as a rebound in coronavirus cases has made it less likely that restrictions now in place in Tokyo can be lifted, as planned, before the Games open.
The Tokyo 2020 organising committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced last month that attendances would be capped at 50% of a venue’s capacity or up to 10,000 spectators. They had already decided not to allow overseas visitors to attend.
The Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, said having no spectators remained an option, with Covid-19 infections rising steadily since he ended a full state of emergency in the capital and other regions towards the end of last month.
“I have made clear that having no spectators is a possibility,” Suga said. “We will take steps as we prioritise the safety and security of the people.”
Tokyo reported 673 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, up from 570 from the same day a week earlier. That was the 12th straight day of week-on-week rises. On Wednesday, infections in Tokyo exceeded 700 for the first time since late May.
Japanese media reported Friday that organisers, the IOC and other parties would meet on 8 July to discuss the spectator cap, with the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper claiming that fans could be banned from Olympic events held at night or in larger venues.
Concern is growing that the arrival of tens of thousands of athletes, journalists, officials and other Games-related staff could trigger a new wave of infections after the Olympics open on 23 July, despite reassurances by organisers that they have taken steps to ensure a “safe and secure” event.
Tokyo is currently under “quasi” emergency measures that include requests for restaurants and bars to stop selling alcohol at 7 pm and to close an hour later. But the restrictions, which are due to be lifted on 11 July, have failed to prevent cases from rising.
The Olympic attendance cap is contingent on Tokyo exiting the quasi state of emergency before the Games open. The government could reinstate full emergency measures for Tokyo depending on how much pressure the rise in cases is placing on Tokyo’s hospitals, Reuters quoted a government source as saying.
On Thursday, Dr. Mitsuo Kaku, a medical advisor to the Tokyo metropolitan government, said the situation in the capital was becoming “critical” as the latest upsurge is being driven by the more transmissible delta variant of the virus.
A study published this week said that under the “most optimistic” scenario, new cases in Tokyo could reach 1,000 a day in July and 2,000 in August. If there is an acceleration in infections during or after the Games, hospital bed usage in the capital could reach its limit in August, according to university researchers and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
India's official death toll from Covid passes 400,000
India’s health ministry has said that 853 people died in the past 24 hours, raising the official number of total fatalities to 400,312. It also reported 46,617 new cases, taking the country’s pandemic total past 30.4m.
Experts believe India’s reported deaths and infections are massive undercounts. They say an untold number of people died during the April and May surge outside of hospitals and before they could be tested for the virus.
A model from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimates there may have been more than 1.1m Covid deaths in India, though
Ashok Sharma reports for Associated Press from New Delhi that federal ministers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have dismissed reports of undercounting as exaggerated and misleading.
A country of nearly 1.4 billion people, India is the third country to have crossed 400,000 deaths, after the United States and Brazil.
Reuters report that China says it administered about 19.47m doses of Covid vaccines yesterday alone, bringing the total number administered to 1.26bn.
Indonesia will increase spending on social assistance and healthcare in response to a rise in Covid cases and to soften the blow on the economy with tougher restrictions set to take effect this week, its finance minister said today.
In a bid to contain the wave of cases, Reuters report that “emergency” curbs will take effect from Saturday to 20 July and include tighter restrictions on movement and air travel, a ban on restaurant dining and the closure of non-essential offices.
“There is a potential for the economic outlook to weaken in the third quarter due to the mobility restrictions,” finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a streamed news conference, adding the impact would depend on how long they last.
Sri Mulyani said $8.72bn (£6.34bn) of social assistance will be provided to help tens of millions of households, in the form of cash transfers, electricity discounts, and by accelerating food aid programmes.
Healthcare spending will also rise 8%, including to add more vaccination staff and treat Covid-19 patients, she said.
Here’s a full report on the situation in Indonesia from Rebecca Ratcliffe and Gemma Holliani Cahya: Indonesia triples oxygen supplies as Covid-19 outbreak worsens
Updated
Volcano evacuation efforts in Philippines hampered by Covid fears
Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan have been reporting for Associated Press on the situation in the Philippines where thousands of people were being evacuated from villages around a rumbling volcano near the capital, but officials said they faced another dilemma of ensuring emergency shelters will not turn into centres of Covid transmission.
The alert was raised to three on a five-level scale after Taal Volcano blasted a dark gray plume into the sky yesterday. The five-minute steam- and gas-driven explosion was followed by four smaller emissions but the volcano was generally calm so far today, volcanologists said.
The preemptive evacuations involved residents in five high-risk villages in the lakeside towns of Laurel and Agoncillo. More than 14,000 people may have to be moved temporarily away from the volcano, said Mark Timbal, a spokesman for the government’s disaster-response agency.
Town officials, however, faced an extra predicament of ensuring emergency shelters, usually school buildings, basketball gymnasiums and even church grounds, would not become coronavirus hotspots. Displaced villagers were asked to wear face masks and were sheltered in tents set safely apart, requiring considerably more space than in pre-pandemic times.
In Laurel town, Imelda Reyes feared for her and her family’s safety in their home near the volcano and in the crowded grade school-turned-evacuation center where they took shelter Friday. “If we stay home, the volcano can explode anytime,” Reyes told AP. “But here, just one sick person can infect all of us. Both are dangerous choices.”
Most evacuation camps have set up isolation areas in case anyone began showing Covid symptoms.
“It’s doubly difficult now. Before, we just asked people to rush to the evacuation centres and squeeze themselves in as much as possible,” said disaster-response officer Junfrance De Villa of Agoncillo town.
“Now, we have to keep a close eye on the numbers. We’re doing everything to avoid congestion,” De Villa told AP by telephone.
Australia to halve international arrival cap as PM unveils four-stage Covid exit plan
The number of international flight arrivals into Australia will be halved nationwide in a blow to Australians stranded abroad, while Scott Morrison attempts to reassure the public that the federal government is working with states and territories on a plan out of the Covid crisis.
The prime minister called on Australians to get vaccinated in order to “change how we live as a country” – but he indicated it might take until next year to reach the next stage of the four-stage opening-up plan.
The cuts to caps on international arrivals aim to reduce the pressure on hotel quarantine facilities and are in line with increasingly loud calls from a number of states – but the move was not the preferred approach of the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, nor Morrison.
Speaking after a meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday, Morrison said the halving of the caps would not necessarily prevent further breaches of infection control – but “it is believed that is a prudent action” because of the increased virulency of the Delta variant.
That will see the weekly cap on international passenger arrivals into Australia tighten from 6,070 to 3,035 by 14 July. Within those numbers, the cap on arrivals into Sydney – which takes about half of all arrivals into Australia – will go from 3,010 to 1,505. There are 34,000 Australians registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as wishing to return from overseas.
Read more of Daniel Hurst’s report here: Australia to halve international arrival cap as Scott Morrison unveils four-stage Covid exit plan
Updated
Good morning, it is Martin Belam here in London. First off just to let you know that Andrew Sparrow is already at the helm of our UK live blog – absolutely dominated by the Batley and Spen byelection victory for Keir Starmer’s Labour. That’s over here …
I’ll be carrying both international and top UK Covid top lines here for now. Speaking of which, Reuters have just pushed out the latest figures from Germany. Data from the Robert Koch Institute shows there have been 649 new cases and 69 new deaths.
Updated
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. Thanks, as always, for following along.
For a brief break from pandemic news before my colleague Martin Belam takes the reins, might I suggest the malevolent pastry chef baboon mentioned in the below:
Third day of record deaths in Thailand
Thailand reported on Friday the third straight day of record coronavirus deaths, with 61 fatalities, as authorities struggle to tackle the country’s latest wave of infections.
The Southeast Asian country has now recorded 2,141 deaths from the virus since the pandemic started. The Covid task force also reported 6,087 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections to 270,921.
South Korea confirms highest cases in six months
South Korea’s daily count of coronavirus cases topped 800 on Thursday, the highest in nearly six months, due to new cluster infections and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, officials said on Friday.
Reuters: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 826 cases, up from 762 a day before and the highest since Jan. 7 when the country was grappling with a third wave of Covid.
Almost 81% of the 765 locally transmitted cases came from the capital Seoul and its surrounding regions, KCDA data showed.
The government had said it would relax social distancing measures starting this month as daily new cases hovered around 500 and the vaccination drive accelerated.
But days before the limits on movement were to be eased, case numbers shot up and authorities in Seoul and surrounding areas extended restrictions for another week to 7 July.
“More than 80% of new cases have come from the Seoul metropolitan area for a third straight day on the back of cluster infections from restaurants and private educational institutions,” Interior and Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol told an intra-agency Covid meeting.
“We’re extremely concerned the virus would spread further as there are clear signs of increased outside activity among the people, and a rising number of cases of the strongly transmissible Delta variant.”
Summary
Hello and welcome today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea’s daily count of coronavirus cases topped 800 on Thursday, the highest in nearly six months, due to new cluster infections and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, officials said on Friday.
Meanwhile Thailand reported the third straight day of record coronavirus deaths on Friday, with 61 fatalities, as authorities struggle to tackle the country’s latest wave of infections.
Here are the other key recent developments:
- A night-time curfew will be imposed in several Portuguese municipalities, including the capital Lisbon and the city of Porto, as authorities scramble to bring under control a surge in Covid-19 infections, the government said. Reuters reports that the 11pm to 5am curfew, which starts tomorrow, will be in place in 45 municipalities deemed high-risk including popular tourist town Albufeira in the sunny southern Algarve region.
- Spain reported 12,345 new coronavirus infections and eight deaths on Thursday, with health ministry data showing daily increases this week at their highest levels since mid-April, in part due to the more contagious Delta variant.
- Germany’s vaccine committee recommended that everyone who received an AstraZeneca first dose switch to Pfizer or Moderna jabs for better protection against Covid. Studies show that the immune response is “clearly superior” when an AstraZeneca shot is combined with a second mRNA vaccine, compared with double AstraZeneca jabs, said the German public health vaccine committee.
- The African Union’s head of vaccine procurement has said “not a single” Covid jab has so far left the EU for Africa, hitting out at the bloc for hoarding supply. Strive Masiyiwa criticised the global effort meant to distribute vaccines to less developed countries, accusing Covax of withholding crucial information including that key donors had not met funding pledges – with “not one dose, not one vial, [having] left a European factory for Africa”.
- Dominican health authorities are to begin distributing a third dose of Covid-19 vaccines in an attempt to protect against more contagious new variants of the virus. Turkey also made a similar decision for people over-50 today, despite the World Health Organization saying there is no scientific evidence that more than two doses of Covid-19 vaccines were necessary.
- The Covid vaccine-sharing initiative Covax urged governments to consider equally all people inoculated with WHO-approved products to avoid creating a two-tiered travel and trade regime. It spoke out after an EU-wide Covid certificate took effect that recognises four vaccines but not others, notably the Covishield version of AstraZeneca’s jab widely used in Africa.
- New Covid cases in the World Health Organization’s 53-country European region rose 10% last week after falling for 10 straight weeks, the body has said, warning a new surge could come before autumn and calling for more monitoring of Euro 2020 matches.
- Israel, a world leader in coronavirus vaccinations, reported its highest daily infection rate in three months as it scrambled to contain the spread of the new Delta variant – though there has been no increase in deaths.
- Kazakhstan ordered mandatory vaccinations for a wide range of workers in sectors from the service industry to banking to entertainment who came into contact with others after cases of the Delta variant were discovered in the central Asian country. Otherwise they will be restricted from working face-to-face with others.
- A Pakistan province suspended 70 paramilitary troops without pay after they repeatedly refused to receive Covid-19 vaccines, officials said, after the national government advised all its employees to get vaccinated.
- Romania asked AstraZeneca to extend the shelf life of some 43,000 Covid-19 vaccines that expired on 30 June, as the country has been unable to administer them in time due to the low take-up by the public.
