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Hi, Helen Sullivan joining you now. You can get in touch with me on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
I’ll be bringing you the latest for the next few hours. First and foremost:
Fantastic headline. Hats off to the @theipaper pic.twitter.com/Nv1ZtasnIN
— Mark Downie (@markmdownie) September 8, 2020
Updated
Summary
If you’re just catching up, here’s a quick recap of the latest coronavirus developments over the last few hours:
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Gatherings of more than six people to be banned in England. Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday after the number of daily positive Covid-19 cases in the UK rose to almost 3,000.
- Tour de France director tests positive. The Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, has tested positive for coronavirus. However, all 166 remaining Tour de France riders were cleared to continue racing after Covid-19 tests.
- France records 6,544 new daily cases. The number of new, confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to stand at a total of 335,524.
- Three migrant camps near Athens placed in quarantine as concerns mount over spread of virus. Three migrant camps near Athens were placed in quarantine on Tuesday as concerns mounted over the spread of Covid-19 among thousands of asylum seekers living in squalid conditions in Greece.
- Spain reports 3,168 new cases in past 24 hours. Spain’s health ministry reported 8,964 new Covid cases on Tuesday, 3,168 of them diagnosed over the past 24 hours.
- Coronavirus bill has cost UK government £210bn, spending watchdog says. The government response to the coronavirus pandemic is on track to cost £210bn for the first six months of the crisis, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said.
- Hong Kong eases coronavirus curbs. Hong Kong will expand the size of public gatherings to four people and reopen more sports venues from Friday as the Asian financial hub relaxes strict curbs against a third wave of the coronavirus.
- School disruption could have century-long economic impact: OECD. Disruption to schooling stemming from the Covid-19 epidemic will cause a skill loss that could result in a 1.5% drop in global economic output for the rest of this century, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has estimated.
That’s all from me for now, I’m now handing over to my colleague Helen Sullivan in Australia.
Updated
Greek islands added to Wales quarantine list hours before coming into force
The Welsh government has added three more Greek islands to its quarantine list just hours before restrictions come into force.
From 4am on Wednesday, travellers arriving in Wales from Santorini, Serifos and Tinos will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Health minster Vaughan Gething said in a statement on Tuesday evening that he reviewed the latest assessments by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) before making the decision.
This follows an announcement made on Thursday in which travellers arriving from Portugal, Gibraltar, French Polynesia as well as the Greek islands of Mykonos, Zakynthos, Lesvos, Paros, Antiparos and Crete were told to self isolate from 4am the following day.
This latest measure comes after the Department for Transport announced quarantine measures for travellers arriving in England from the named Greek islands – with the exception of Paros and Antiparos – on Monday.
This forms part of the government’s new regional approach to quarantine policy, in which islands can be added or removed from the quarantine list should infection rates differ from their mainland countries.
Updated
AstraZeneca has put a hold on the late-stage trial of its highly-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine candidate after a suspected serious adverse reaction in a study participant in the UK, health news website Stat News has reported.
It quoted an AstraZeneca spokesperson as saying in a statement that the “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data”.
Brazil has recorded 14,279 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, as well as 504 deaths from the disease, the health ministry said.
Brazil has registered more than 4.1 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 127,464, according to ministry data.
A crown court judge has refused to extend the custody time limit for keeping a man in prison awaiting trial and accused the UK government of under-funding the criminal justice system during the pandemic.
Amid a growing backlog of cases, Judge Raynor at Woolwich crown court on Tuesday issued a highly critical 24 page ruling on the case of a 19-year-old who has already been held for almost a year. He also contrasted the Ministry of Justice’s “inadequate” efforts with the success of emergency courts in Spain and South Korea.
It is the second time in the past month that the same judge has warned that he cannot repeatedly order defendants to remain behind bars if the justice system is failing to bring them to trial.
At the weekend the government announced it would have to extend custody time limits to cope with delays caused by the partial shutdown of the courts during lockdown. The MoJ also pledged £80m, and an extra 1,600 court staff, and towards more emergency “Nightingale” courts.
Jordanian authorities confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in a refugee camp hosting Syrian refugees since the pandemic was first reported in the kingdom, the UN refugee agency has said.
The two Syrians, who were transferred to an isolation site, tested positive during random testing done by Jordanian health authorities in the Azraq camp, said Rula Amin, UNHCR spokeswoman for the Middle East and north Africa.
There have been several other infections of Syrian refugees living outside the camps, among around 2,500 cases in Jordan since the first was reported on 2 March, Amin said.
Most of the 655,000 United Nations-registered Syrian refugees live in urban centres.
A majority of Syrian refugees who fled their homeland since the start of the nearly decade long conflict in 2011 have remained in Jordan.
Updated
Gatherings of more than six people to be banned in England
Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday as the government seeks to curb the rise in coronavirus cases.
Prime minister Boris Johnson will use a press conference on Wednesday to announce the change in the law after the number of daily positive Covid-19 cases in the UK rose to almost 3,000.
The legal limit on social gatherings will be reduced from 30 people to six. It will apply to gatherings indoors and outdoors – including private homes, as well as parks, pubs and restaurants.
Gatherings of more than six people will be allowed where the household or support bubble is larger than six, or where the gathering is for work or education purposes.
Exemptions will also apply for weddings, funerals and organised team sports in a Covid-secure way.
Johnson is expected to tell the press conference:
We need to act now to stop the virus spreading. So we are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contact – making them easier to understand and for the police to enforce.
It is absolutely critical that people now abide by these rules and remember the basics – washing your hands, covering your face, keeping space from others, and getting a test if you have symptoms.
Downing Street said chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and the government had jointly agreed that urgent action was needed after the rise in coronavirus cases.
Some 2,420 new lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus were recorded in Britain as of 9am on Tuesday, following the 2,988 reported in the UK on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May.
The government hopes that the change to the law will make it easier for the police to identify and disperse illegal gatherings. Failure to comply could result in a £100 fine, which will double on each repeat offence up to £3,200.
Number 10 said Johnson held a virtual roundtable with police forces last week where officers expressed their desire for rules on social contact to be simplified.
The Police Federation of England and Wales urged the government to “play its part” through a public information campaign after “so many changes in legislation”.
The association’s national chairman John Apter said:
With the increase in confirmed Covid cases, it’s no surprise the government has made this announcement.
For policing, these constant changes to legislation are becoming the norm. The pressures on policing have increased significantly over recent months and this latest change will add to this pressure.
My colleagues will support the public through what is going to be a very difficult time. At all times they will also remind people that a breach of these regulations means breaking the law.
However, the government needs to play its part. With so many changes in legislation, an effective public information campaign must be a priority - as there’s been so much confusion for the public and many people don’t know exactly what the law says.
We would urge the public to do the right thing and comply with the new rules, to help protect each other and prevent the further spread of this deadly virus.
Updated
The CEOs of nine companies developing vaccines against Covid-19 have pledged to “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” amid concern Donald Trump will pressure regulators to approve a vaccine ahead of the presidential election in November.
“We, the undersigned biopharmaceutical companies, want to make clear our ongoing commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for Covid-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles,” said the CEOs.
The statement was signed by AstraZeneca, BioNTech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer and Sanofi.
Specifically, the companies said they would only seek emergency authorisations for vaccines “after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA,” the Food and Drug Administration.
Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for president, has accused Trump of “undermining public confidence” by regularly raising the possibility a vaccine will be ready ahead of the election on 3 November.
Stephen Hahn, the head of the FDA, has also guaranteed that only science will decide when a vaccine is ready.
In theory, the FDA has to rely on independent expert committees that oversee clinical trials before they give their green light. The makers themselves must also apply for authorisation.
Among the companies, Moderna and Pfizer are in the most advanced stages of their trials, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked states to have distribution networks ready by 1 November.
China’s leaders staged a triumphant ceremony to celebrate beating the coronavirus on Tuesday as billions of people around the world still suffer the fallout from the pandemic and the global death toll nears 900,000.
The upbeat mood in Beijing comes as concerns grow about a resurgence of the virus across Europe, with France tightening restrictions, cases in Britain spiking and schools resuming around the region.
Worldwide infections to date now stand at more than 27 million and over 890,000 people have died from the disease.
But in China the virus has been all but banished through lockdowns and travel restrictions earlier in the year that have officials touting the nation as a coronavirus success story.
President Xi Jinping said China had passed “an extraordinary and historic test” during an awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with bugle calls and applause.
We quickly achieved initial success in the people’s war against the coronavirus.
We are leading the world in economic recovery and in the fight against Covid-19.
The nation’s propaganda machine has been attempting to seize the narrative surrounding the pandemic, reframing the episode as an example of the agility and organisation of the Communist leadership.
Beijing is also touting progress on its vaccines as a sign of global leadership and resilience.
China put its homegrown vaccines on display for the first time at a Beijing trade fair this week and authorities hope the jabs will be approved for use by the end of the year.
The vaccines are among a handful to have entered phase 3 trials, typically the last step ahead of regulatory approval, as countries race to stub out an illness that continues to ravage large parts of the globe.
Jordan has resumed regular international flights after being suspended for nearly six months because of the coronavirus epidemic, officials said.
They said Queen Alia international airport would initially handle six flights a day before expanding to ensure that airport authorities can enforce strict social distancing and other health rules.
The government had repeatedly postponed reopening Jordan’s main airport, a regional hub which normally handles around nine million passengers annually, over fears that travellers could bring about an increase in infections.
The airport, however, was open for repatriation flights arranged for citizens in the Gulf and Europe, and also for foreigners resident in Jordan who want to leave.
Passengers entering Jordan will need proof of a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of travel, alongside a compulsory test on arrival, officials said.
The rules would include a minimum of one-week of self-isolation to a maximum two weeks of quarantine for foreign travellers depending on the severity of the pandemic in countries they came from.
Although Jordan has seen a spike in infections in the last few weeks, the country remains one of the least affected in the Middle East, with 2,581 infections and 17 deaths.
The closure of the airport since mid March has worsened the economic damage wrought by the pandemic on Jordan’s aid-dependent economy.
Tourism is a major source of foreign currency and had been enjoying an unprecedented boom before the pandemic.
UK opposition leader Keir Starmer has warned the coronavirus test-and-trace system is “on the verge of collapse”, as ministers conceded that a lack of laboratory capacity which has prevented many people getting a test could take a fortnight to be resolved.
The hold-up in processing Covid results, which has seen some people asked to travel from London to Scotland for tests, prompted alarm from council leaders who said it could be calamitous in the period that pupils and students return to education.
With some care homes also warning about a lack of tests for staff and residents, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, urged the government to get a grip, saying the country faced “a critical moment” in avoiding a full-scale resurgence in the virus.
Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Boris Johnson reiterated warnings for young people to socially distance after daily infection numbers shot up to nearly 3,000 for two consecutive days.
EasyJet has announced it is cutting flights following the government’s decision to impose quarantine restrictions for seven Greek islands.
The UK’s largest airline said it will reduce its schedule as “customer confidence to make travel plans has been negatively affected”.
This means it will have flown “slightly less” than the 40% of pre-coronavirus pandemic capacity it previously said it would operate between July and September.
From 4am on Wednesday travellers arriving in England from Lesbos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini or Zakynthos (also known as Zante) must self-isolate for 14 days.
This is part of the government’s new regional approach to quarantine policy.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said that, should infection rates differ from their mainland countries, islands can be added to or removed from the quarantine-exemption list.
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said:
Following the imposition of additional quarantine restrictions to seven Greek islands and the continued uncertainty this brings for customers, demand is now likely to be further impacted and therefore lower than previously anticipated.
We know our customers are as frustrated as we are with the unpredictable travel and quarantine restrictions.
We called on the government to opt for a targeted, regionalised and more predictable and structured system of quarantine many weeks ago so customers could make travel plans with confidence.
The news pushed the low-cost airline’s shares down by around 6% as markets opened in London on Tuesday morning.
Lundgren is one of a host of aviation and travel industry leaders calling on the government to commit to a coronavirus testing regime to reduce self-isolation requirements.
Gloria Guevara, chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said the regional quarantine policy is “just scratching the surface”. She said:
We must abandon wholesale ineffective, destructive and costly quarantines and replace them with rapid, cost-effective testing on departure at airports.
The longer we wait, the more the ailing travel and tourism sector faces collapse.
A spokesman for British Airways’ owner IAG criticised the government for being “too slow” in decision-making, urging ministers to “get on with it” on testing. The spokesman said:
For most families summer is now over and the damage to the industry and the economy is done. On testing, we need to get on with it. We are way behind other countries on what has to be a more nuanced approach.
Shapps said his department is “working actively on the practicalities of using testing to release people from quarantine earlier than 14 days”.
Bangladesh’s preparations for their forthcoming Test series against Sri Lanka have suffered a setback after opening batsman Saif Hassan tested positive for Covid-19 before a planned training camp.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed on Tuesday that the 21-year-old opener as well as one of the coaching staff had tested positive, and that both had immediately gone into self-isolation.
“As they had no visible symptoms leading up to the sample collection, the BCB’s medical team has advised the player, Saif Hassan, and BCB’s head of physical performance, Nicholas Lee, to go into self-isolation immediately in accordance with the Covid-19 management protocol until they undergo another test,” BCB said in the statement.
The BCB collected test samples from 24 individuals, including 17 players in Dhaka on Monday.
The BCB noted that Englishman Lee had earlier reported positive on 14 August in Dubai, UAE and negative on 23 August after 10 days in isolation. He also completed a 14-day self-quarantine on arrival in Dhaka prior to Monday’s test.
“Our consultant for Covid-19 is reviewing Lee’s case to determine whether it is a new or previous infection before advising on the management plan,” BCB’s sports physician Debashis Chowdhury said in the statement.
Bangladesh cricketers resumed training in July, but only one player and one trainer are allowed inside Dhaka’s main stadium at a time because of coronavirus restrictions.
Hassan made his Test debut in February playing two matches against Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
The BCB suspended individual training on Friday after some support staff showed signs of contracting the virus.
Bangladesh were to hold a short training camp next week before their scheduled departure for Sri Lanka, where they will play three Tests in October-November.
The UK government response to the coronavirus pandemic is on track to cost £210bn for the first six months of the crisis, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has said.
Reflecting the scale of the emergency since March, the National Audit Office (NAO) said ministers had instigated more than 190 measures in response to the crisis so far, including emergency job support, additional NHS funding, and business grants.
Equivalent to almost a quarter of the government’s annual budget for running the public sector, making welfare payments and investing in infrastructure, the £210bn sum, the NAO said, was the office’s latest cost-estimate of the government response.
The analysis covers spending promises made by ministers up to 7 August, indicating that the final costs of the Covid-19 crisis could be much higher. The NAO had previously estimated a price tag of more than £120bn for the period up to 4 May.
Updated
Canada is seeing a worrying increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus as schools across the country are starting to reopen, a top medical official has said.
Chief public health officer Theresa Tam said an average of 545 new cases had been reported daily over the last week, up from around 300 in July. She told a briefing:
This is concerning and I want to underscore that when cases occur, including in schools, it is a reflection on what’s happening in the community.
This week is a really critical week.
Several of the 10 provinces have started to reopen schools this week for the first time since March after investing millions in added protections. Quebec, which welcomed back pupils last month, has already reported several cases.
Tam noted that the increase in infections was concentrated among younger adults and cited the risk posed by private functions and family gatherings.
The coronavirus reproduction number, which shows how many people someone with Covid-19 is infecting, has risen to just above one, an indication that the virus is spreading.
“That is not a good sign,” Tam said.
Canada has recorded a total of 132,142 Covid-19 cases and 9,146 deaths.
The rising number of cases prompted Ontario, the most populous province, to announce on Tuesday a one-month suspension of efforts to lift remaining restrictions that had been imposed to fight the outbreak.
Quebec unveiled a four-step alert system for measures to curb Covid-19 that would introduce restrictions such as limiting the number of people allowed to gather depending on the risk of transmission.
Further west, Saskatchewan announced C$51m ($38.6m) in one-time Covid-19 related funding to schools.
Hi everyone, this is Jessica Murray, I’ll be running the coronavirus blog for the next few hours.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any story tips or personal experiences you would like to share.
Email: jessica.murray@theguardian.com
Twitter: @journojess_
I will shortly be handing the blog over to my colleague for the evening. Below is a summary of some updates today:
- President Xi Jinping says China has passed “an extraordinary and historic test” and is “leading the world in economic recovery and in the fight against Covid-19.”
- Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme tests positive for Covid-19 and will have to go into quarantine. French footballer Kylian Mbappe also tested positive and is out of France’s Nations League game against Croatia on Tuesday.
- World Tennis women’s number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia also announces she will not defend her French Open crown, citing coronavirus fears.
- The pandemic has killed at least 893,524 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to an AFP count at 11.00am GMT on Tuesday based on official sources. More than 27.3 million cases have been confirmed. The United States has the most deaths with 189,221, followed by Brazil with 126,960, India with 72,775, Mexico 67,781 and Britain 41,554.
- The European Parliament cancels plans to hold a plenary session in Strasbourg next week, shifting it to Brussels, after the French city was placed in a coronavirus “red zone”. The costly and time-consuming trek for MEPs and their staff between Brussels and Strasbourg has often been criticised but France insists on its right - enshrined in the EU treaty – to host the assembly.
- Gross domestic product in South Africa shrank by 51% in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, battered by the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, the country’s statistics agency says.
- India’s top tourist attraction the Taj Mahal is set to reopen on 21 September, more than six months after closing down, say officials in the nation of 1.3 billion people which has the world’s second-biggest number of cases.
- Spain’s health ministry reported 8,964 new Covid cases on Tuesday, 3,168 of them diagnosed over the past 24 hours (delays in receiving and processing information from Spain’s 17 autonomous regions mean that there are often lags when it comes to updating figures).
Updated
France records 6,544 new daily cases
The number of new, confirmed cases of Covid-19 in France rose by 6,544 over the last 24 hours to stand at a total of 335,524, said the French health ministry on Tuesday. The number of deaths also climbed by 39 over the last 24 hours, to reach a total of 30,764.
France has the seventh-highest Covid-19 death toll in the world.
Updated
Spain reports 3,168 new cases in past 24 hours
Spain’s health ministry reported 8,964 new Covid cases on Tuesday, 3,168 of them diagnosed over the past 24 hours (delays in receiving and processing information from Spain’s 17 autonomous regions mean that there are often lags when it comes to updating figures).
The latest figures from the ministry bring Spain’s total number of cases to 534,513. To date, the country has logged 29,594 deaths.
The region in and around Madrid accounts for almost a third of the 52,138 cases detected over the past seven days, and 87 of the 261 deaths over the same period.
On Monday, Spain became the first western European country to record more than 500,000 coronavirus infections.
Updated
Turkey is to scale back plans to reopen schools later this month, Reuters reports, with only the youngest pupils beginning classes at first, for up to two days a week as coronavirus fatalities have climbed to their highest level since mid-May when lockdowns were in place.
The government has said it does not plan to reintroduce a full lockdown but has urged Turks to follow social distancing and hygiene measures to curb the virus. Masks have been made mandatory.
Last month, education minister Ziya Selcuk announced that schools, mostly shut since March, would start to reopen on 21 September. On Tuesday, however, he said only pre-school and first year pupils would attend in-person classes at first, with further reopening plans to be determined during an evaluation period of three weeks.
Updated
The French prime minister, Jean Castex, has tested negative for Covid-19, according to his Matignon department. He had taken a test as a precaution after sharing a car during Saturday’s stage to Loudenvielle in the Pyrenees with the director of the Tour de France cycle race, who has since tested positive for the virus. “They were both wearing masks and respecting social distancing,” a spokesman for Castex said.
Updated
New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has said colleges must report when they have more than 100 Covid-19 cases and could be switched to remote learning at that point.
“Colleges across the country are seeing outbreaks,” Cuomo said, in comments reported by Reuters. “This is going to be a problem.”
Cuomo also accused Donald Trump of “trying to kill New York City” by not advocating for additional federal aid to help states deal with the economic fallout from coronavirus, including funds to clean schools and trains.
Ireland has reported 307 new cases of Covid-19, an increase on the seven-day average of 139 new cases per day. The country’s 14-day cumulative incidence of Covid-19 cases has risen to 34.7 cases for every 100,000 people, higher than the UK and Italy but still far behind Spain.
There was surprise earlier at the Irish government’s decision to allow “wet” pubs – those serving just alcohol and not food, which had experienced the longest lockdown in Europe – to reopen from 21 September.
“I’m surprised at the decision, given the case numbers are creeping up and the chief medical officer is warning people in Dublin and Limerick to be specially vigilant,” Professor Ivan Perry told the Irish Times, dean of the school of public health in University College Cork, told the Irish Times. “I’m sceptical too. Now is not the time to be opening pubs.”
Namibia has further eased restrictions for international tourists to try to prevent the collapse of a sector hit by the coronavirus pandemic after the country closed its borders in March.
The Tourism Ministry said on Tuesday tourists could go to their pre-booked destinations and take part in activities for up to five days, after which they will be tested for the virus.
If they stay at their pre-booked destination for less than five days they can proceed to another destination without a test.
In rules introduced in July, tourists had to quarantine at their first destination for seven days, which resulted in a large number of cancellations.
The tourism sector in the southwest African country has not seen any new bookings since the beginning of the month, leading to 115.7 million Namibian dollars ($6.85 million) in cancellations, the ministry estimates.
In the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed something about the people severely ill from Covid-19: Many were obese.
The link became more apparent as coronavirus swept across the globe and data mounted, and researchers are still trying to figure out why.
Excess weight increases the chances of developing a number of health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. And those are among the conditions that can make Covid-19 patients more likely to get very sick. But there’s some evidence that obesity itself can increase the likelihood of serious complications from a coronavirus infection.
One study of more than 5,200 infected people, including 35% who were obese, found that the chances of hospitalization rose for people with higher BMIs, even when taking into account other conditions that could put them at risk.
Scientists are still studying the factors that might be at play the way obesity affects the immune system may be one but say it’s another example of the pandemic illuminating existing public health challenges.
Obesity may be one reason some countries or communities have been hit hard by the virus, researchers say. In the United States, the obesity rate among adults has climbed for decades and is now at 42%. The rate is even higher among Black and Hispanic Americans.
A person who is 5 feet, 7 inches tall is considered obese starting at around 190 pounds, or a body mass index of 30. The increased risk for serious Covid-19 illness appears more pronounced with extreme obesity or a BMI of 40 or higher.
Researchers say multiple factors likely make it harder for people who are obese to fight a coronavirus infection, which can damage the lungs. Carrying around a lot of extra weight strains the body, and that excess fat could limit the lungs’ ability to expand and breathe.
Another issue is chronic inflammation, which often comes with obesity. Inflammation is a natural way our bodies fight harmful intruders like viruses. But long-lasting inflammation isn’t healthy and could undermine your body’s defences when a real threat arises.
“It’s like pouring gasoline on a smouldering fire”, said Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, an obesity researcher and dean of Tufts University’s school of nutrition science and policy near Boston.
The health of Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is continuing to improve, his doctor said on Tuesday, after the flamboyant tycoon was taken to hospital last week with coronavirus.
The 83-year-old media mogul is being treated for a lung infection at San Raffaele hospital in Milan, where he has been since Thursday night.
“All monitored parameters... are reassuring,” said his doctor Alberto Zangrillo, adding that his medical condition was in “constant favourable evolution”.
Berlusconi tested positive for the Covid-19 illness last week after returning from a holiday at his luxury villa in Sardinia.
Two of his children - daughter Barbara, 36, and son Luigi, 31 - have also contracted the virus, as has his companion Marta Fascina.
Following a check-up on Thursday evening at Berlusconi’s home, Zangrillo insisted that the former PM go to the hospital the same night, later saying his patient was “at risk because of his age and previous illnesses”.
Three migrant camps near Athens placed in quarantine as concerns mount over spread of virus
Three migrant camps near Athens were placed in quarantine on Tuesday as concerns mounted over the spread of Covid-19 among thousands of asylum seekers living in squalid conditions in Greece.
The government said in a statement that “total sanitary confinement” has been imposed on the camps of Malakassa, Schisto and Eleonas until September 21.
Greece’s migrant camps have technically been under lockdown since March, with restrictions on who can leave and enter, prompting criticism from rights groups.
The Greek authorities last week detected the first case of coronavirus in the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, where nearly 13,000 asylum seekers live in dismal conditions - more than four times the camp’s capacity.
The migration ministry said the camp - where 35 people have now tested positive - would be placed in quarantine until September 15, with only security personnel, granted access after temperature tests.
Two other camps on mainland Greece were also placed in quarantine after experiencing their first cases last week.
Updated
From sports stars to world leaders and artists, most-lately French footballer Kylian Mbappé, the coronavirus has infected millions around the world.
Some high-profile figures affected by coronavirus include Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian premier who tested positive for Covid-19 last week after returning from a holiday at his luxury villa in Sardinia.
Also, Usain Bolt. On 24 August the Jamaican sprinter Bolt announced on Instagram he had gone into quarantine while awaiting results of a test. Two days later his agent confirmed that the eight-time Olympic gold medallist has tested positive for the coronavirus, but was not showing any symptoms.
The Brazilian footballer Neymar was one of three Paris Saint-Germain stars to have contracted the coronavirus, apparently during a holiday in Ibiza. The attacker later posted a picture on Instagram showing him and his son grinning, with the caption: “Thank you for your messages. We’re all fine!”
Mbappê on 7 September followed Neymar, becoming the seventh PSG player to contract the virus. He took part in that evening’s training session before learning the result of his test.
In the midst of the celebrated Tour de France cycling race, director Prudhomme had to leave on 8 September and quarantine for a week after a positive test. He shared his car four days earlier with the French prime minister, Jean Castex, who watched the eighth stage in the Pyrenees.
Updated
A major testing and contact-tracing operation at Greece’s largest migrant camp on the eastern island of Lesbos has so far detected 35 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among the overcrowded facility’s 12,500 residents, authorities said Tuesday.
Health and migration ministry officials said medical teams have carried out 1,900 tests for the coronavirus on migrants at the Moria facility, which was initially designed to hold 2,800 people. Another 100 staff members have been tested, and none were found to have Covid-19.
Gkikas Magiorkinis, a member of a scientific committee advising the government, told a media briefing Tuesday that some optimism was allowed by the fact that most of the 35 migrants were relatively young and didn’t belong to high-risk groups.
Although this doesn’t mean we should pay less attention and strive less to fight the epidemic in Moria, he said. Out of the 35 cases, 18 were recorded Tuesday. The camp has been quarantined until 15 September, with a police cordon to enforce the entry and exit ban.
Migration minister Notis Mitarachi said late on Monday the infections were all linked with one Somali man who left the camp after being granted asylum in Greece, went to Athens but failed to find work and housing there and returned to Moria. Health officials weren’t immediately able Tuesday to confirm that the virus had been spread by the one man.
Updated
Up to 95% of the coronavirus cases in Karachi have been asymptomatic, researchers said Tuesday, shedding possible light on why Pakistan has been able to weather the pandemic.
Research by the Aga Khan University in Pakistan’s largest city found that more than nine out of 10 people who contracted the coronavirus showed no sign of the disease.
Public health experts tested 2,000 people from several neighbourhoods across the sprawling metropolis of about 20 million.
“Ninety-five per cent of those who tested positive for Covid-19 reported feeling no symptoms of the illness such as a cough, fever or sore throat,” Imran Nisar, the study’s lead researcher, told AFP.
Researchers said more surveys were needed to understand why so many cases appear to be asymptomatic in Karachi, but they suggested Pakistan’s young population might have been a factor.
The country’s median age is only 22, and the coronavirus is known to disproportionately impact older people with prior health complications.
“The proportion of asymptomatic cases in Pakistan is much higher than the developed world. Since asymptomatic people do not seek hospital treatment, this may help explain why Pakistan’s hospitals have not been under the same strain as in Spain and the UK,” the study found, according to a statement.
Pakistan’s low number of cases compared to other South Asian nations has baffled public health experts.
The country has a long history of failing to contain several infectious diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and hepatitis, while successive governments have underfunded its healthcare sector for decades.
Updated
South Africa has reported fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus infections, the lowest daily increase in three months, as health authorities warn that a second wave remains a risk.
The country is the hardest-hit in Africa, registering around half of the continent’s more than 1.3 million coronavirus cases. But the number of new infections has been declining steadily since an average daily peak of around 12,000 in July.
South Africa recorded 845 new cases on Monday, taking its total number to 639,362, according to a health ministry report released overnight.
It also registered 115 more Covid-19 related deaths, raising its total toll to 15,004.
Updated
As the number of Covid-19 cases rises sharply around Europe, Guardian correspondents have looked into how health authorities from the UK to Spain are calling on young people to do more to halt the spread of the virus.
Spain
According to the latest official figures, 25% of new cases are being detected in people aged 15-29, while those aged 15-59 account for 71% of new cases. The most overrepresented groups are men and women aged 15-44 and women aged 89 and over. Over the past week, the number of cases in every 100,000 in people aged 15-29 was 158.2, compared with an all-age average of 102.5.
France
The biggest increase in new cases in the week to 1 September compared with the previous week was a 44% rise among 0- to 14-year-olds – this was a week before the return to school – followed by a 33% rise among 15- to 44-year-olds, a 30% rise among those aged 45-64, and a 36% rise in those aged 75 and over.
Ireland
The section of the population more likely than any other to get coronavirus, and to expose others to infection, are those aged 15-24. Ireland’s 14-day cumulative incidence of cases has risen to 34.7 cases for every 100,000 people, higher than the UK and Italy but still far behind Spain.
Italy
The health minister, Roberto Speranza, has called on young people to “lend a hand” to help contain coronavirus as the median age of people becoming infected dropped to 32 over the past 30 days. Data from the country’s Higher Health Institute on Monday showed that 62.1% of those who tested positive within the last 30 days were aged between 19 and 50.
Germany
Increasing numbers of young Germans are becoming infected and currently more than half of new infections registered are of people under the age of 30. The incidence of 20- to 24-year-olds is now more than 30 out of 100,000, compared to just 10 for 40- to 49-year-olds and two among the 70- to 79 age group. While the 80-plus age group accounted for 17% of new infections in April, now it is just 4%.
Read more detail here:
Updated
Hello - it’s Amelia Hill here, taking over the live blog briefly. PA have reported a list of major potential job losses announced by Britain’s biggest employers since 23 March.
The list of the 185,143 jobs that have been included in announcements since the pandemic began was so heartbreakingly long that I’ve only kept in figures over 2,000. But it’s thought-provoking enough, even in this shortened format:
August 27 - Pret a Manger - 2,800 (includes 1,000 announced on July 6)
August 18 - Marks & Spencer - 7,000
August 11 - Debenhams - 2,500
July 9 - Boots - 4,000
July 1 - SSP (owns Upper Crust) - 5,000 at risk
June 25 - Royal Mail - 2,000
June 24 - Swissport - 4,556
June 17 - HSBC - unknown number of jobs in UK, 35,000 worldwide
June 15 - Travis Perkins - 2,500
June 11 - Johnson Matthey - 2,500
June 11 - Centrica - 5,000
June 10 - The Restaurant Group (owns Frankie and Benny’s) - 3,000
June 8 - BP - 10,000 worldwide
May 28 - EasyJet - 4,500 worldwide
May 20 - Rolls-Royce - 9,000
May 19 - Ovo Energy - 2,600
May 13 - Tui - 8,000 worldwide
May 5 - Virgin Atlantic - 3,150
May 1 - Ryanair - 3,000 worldwide
April 28 - British Airways - 12,000
March 30 - BrightHouse - 2,400 at risk
• This post was amended on 9 September 2020 to clarify that the figures referred to potential, not actual, job losses.
Updated
In England, the health secretary has warned of a possible second peak of coronavirus following a “concerning” rise in the number of cases.
Matt Hancock’s warning came as he imposed further restrictions in Bolton. A recent spike in cases across the country should be a reminder that the virus “remains a threat”, he said.
“This is not over,” he told the House of Commons. “Just because we have come through one peak doesn’t mean we can’t see another one coming towards our shores.”
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has also warned that if people stop social distancing then “Covid comes back”.
It came after a senior official at NHS Test and Trace issued an apology to people unable to get a Covid-19 test.
Director of testing Sarah-Jane Marsh said there is capacity at testing sites but laboratories processing the tests are at a “critical pinch-point”. There have been reports of people being told there are no appointments available at test centres in England and that there are no home tests kits available to send out.
Updated
A further eight people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,619, NHS England said on Tuesday.
The patients were aged between 43 and 92 and all had known underlying health conditions. The dates of the deaths were between 5 September and 7 September. A further three deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Updated
Christian Prudhomme, the race director of the Tour de France, has tested positive for coronavirus and left the race after 650 swab tests were carried out on race officials, riders and team staff during Monday’s first rest day.
“The testing campaign revealed that Christian Prudhomme has tested positive for Covid-19. The director of the Tour will now quarantine for seven days,” read a statement from race promoters ASO.
“Although he was not part of the ‘race bubble’ and had not been in direct contact with any of the riders and their entourage, Christian Prudhomme still decided to get tested.”
Prudhomme’s positive test has now sparked concerns for the health of the French prime minister, Jean Castex, who was a VIP guest in Prudhomme’s car during Saturday’s stage to Loudenvielle in the Pyrenees.
“They were both wearing masks and respecting social distancing,” a spokesman for Castex said. “The prime minister is to undergo a new test, just in case.”
Read more here:
Updated
The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, told his cabinet team of top ministers on Tuesday they must work to stop the spread of coronavirus from the young to older people to prevent hospitalisations, his spokesman said.
The cabinet was updated on the coronavirus response by England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, and the UK’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, after an increase in cases.
“The prime minister cautioned that in other countries which had seen an increase in infections this was followed a number of weeks later by a rise in hospitalisations,” his spokesman said.
“The PM said that what had taken place elsewhere was that young people had gone on to infect older generations, who had become seriously ill, and it was vital to ensure that did not happen here,” he said, adding that Johnson said the government must remain “extremely vigilant”.
Updated
After days of wrangling, the Israeli government finally decided which towns will be put under curfew later on Tuesday, as authorities grapple with a record number of new coronavirus cases.
A total of 40 communities will face the week-long curfew from 7pm until 5am, during which residents must stay within 500 metres of their homes and non-essential businesses will be shut.
Localised shutdowns to tackle coronavirus were initially announced on Thursday but were met with fierce protest from community leaders and politicians, prompting the government to opt for a curfew instead.
“We are at a high level of morbidity and it is very likely that we are also on a high level of morbidity increase at a heightened pace,” Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a televised address on Monday evening.
Israel registered 3,425 new coronavirus cases in one day, according to data published on Tuesday, a record high for the country of 9 million. More than 1,000 people have died.
The government says the curfew targets areas with high infection rates, with the list including many ultra-Orthodox and Arab towns within Israel and some settlements in the occupied West Bank.
While Jerusalem’s Old City has escaped the curfew, nine neighbourhoods in the city have been included in the list.
Under the new measures, schools will also be closed in these areas and restrictions set on gatherings.
After swiftly imposing a shutdown at the start of the pandemic, the reopening of schools and the economy in May have been blamed for Israel’s resurgence in coronavirus cases.
Over the summer there has been a fall in public trust in the leadership, which has repeatedly mulled new coronavirus measures before backtracking.
Israel pressed ahead with starting the school year on 1 September, excluding 23 areas with high infection rates.
While the government says it wants to avoid a repeat of the nationwide lockdown imposed in March, there is widespread speculation that further measures will be imposed when the Jewish holidays start later next week.
Updated
The French prime minister, Jean Castex, is to undergo a Covid-19 test as a precaution after he shared a car with the director of the Tour de France cycle race, who has since tested positive for the virus, the prime minister’s office said on Tuesday.
Castex followed the route of the Tour de France on Saturday and spent time in a car following the race with Tour director Christian Prudhomme. Tour organisers said on Tuesday Prudhomme had tested positive.
Asked by Reuters about the contact, a representative of the prime minister’s office said: “They were both wearing masks and respecting social distancing. The prime minister is to undergo a new test, just in case.”
A Reuters photographer following the Tour de France said that Castex and Prudhomme spent several hours in each other’s company during Saturday’s stage of the race, in the Pyrenees mountain range.
Updated
The British government faced pressure on Tuesday to act fast to keep a lid on coronavirus infections after a sharp rise in the number of new cases across the UK over recent days stoked concerns about the pandemic’s prospective path during winter.
In the wake of figures showing that the UK recorded nearly 3,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day running, there is mounting speculation the British government is considering tightening some restrictions, such as reducing the number of people who can gather indoors in England from the current limit of 30.
Talk of new lockdown restrictions comes as government ministers and scientists have voiced concerns that the easing of the lockdown during the summer has prompted many people, particularly young adults, to let their guard down in a country that has recorded Europe’s deadliest virus outbreak.
This is a big change, it is now consistent over two days and it is of great concern at this point, said Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, the government’s deputy chief medical officer.
Updated
Malaysian authorities on Tuesday reminded the public to avoid physical contact, including fist bumps as a form of greeting, as the number of new coronavirus cases in the country climbed to a three-month high.
The fist bump, where two people briefly press their closed fists together, has replaced the traditional handshake in popularity as people around the world sought to limit the spread of the pandemic.
But Malaysia’s top health official said any form of physical contact presents the risk of infection and reminded people to maintain a distance of at least 1 metre (3.3ft).
“This is why we’re telling people not to fist bump,” the director general of health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, told reporters.
The south-east Asian country recorded a three-digit rise in new infections for the first time since early June, with 100 cases reported on Tuesday.
Malaysia has so far avoided the level of outbreaks seen in neighbours the Philippines and Indonesia, which have 241,987 and 200,035 cases respectively. Indonesia’s death toll of 8,230 is the region’s highest.
Malaysia has reported a total of 9,559 infections, including 128 deaths.
Updated
Tour de France director tests positive
The Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, has tested positive for coronavirus. However, all 166 remaining Tour de France riders were cleared to continue racing after Covid-19 tests.
#TDF2020 Christian Prudhomme positif au COVID-19. Le patron du Tour est en train d’être retesté et n’a pas été aperçu ce matin au village départ.
— Valentin Jacquemet (@valjacquemet) September 8, 2020
Updated
Siberia’s Vector virology institute on Tuesday completed early-stage human trials, known as Phase II, of a second potential Russian vaccine against Covid-19, the state consumer safety watchdog was cited by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Russia registered its first vaccine candidate, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, in August after completing early-stage human trials. “Today … the final group of 20 volunteers was released from the hospital,” watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said in a statement.
“All 100 volunteers were vaccinated with two doses and have completed a 23-day monitoring period in hospital. The volunteers are feeling good.”
Updated
Hello everyone. I am taking over the Guardian’s global live feed today (11am in London), bringing you the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak. Please do get in touch if you want to share any comments, or news tips with me while I work. Thanks so much.
Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
Updated
OECD: school disruption could have century-long economic impact
Disruption to schooling stemming from the Covid-19 epidemic will cause a skill loss that could result in a 1.5% drop in global economic output for the rest of this century, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has estimated. Reuters reports:
For the US, that will represent an economic loss of $15.3tn, the OECD said in a report published on Tuesday, with the bill rising higher still if disruption to education extends into the next academic year. the report’s authors stated:
Learning loss will lead to skill loss, and the skills people have relate to their productivity.
Governments around the world closed schools to curb the spread of Covid-19, in most cases for around 10 weeks, or one-third of a year of schooling.
One impact was to widen the gaps in educational opportunities between the rich and poor. Children with internet access, computers, and supportive families fared better. It said:
Students from privileged backgrounds … could find their way past closed school doors to alternative learning opportunities. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds often remained shut out when their schools shut down.
Even as schools in many countries re-open, big challenges remain for education, according to the OECD report. Schools must navigate how to re-open without causing a new spike in infections.
With economies contracting, there is a risk education budgets will shrink, the report said. And universities will have to reinvent themselves so they stay attractive to students even when they can longer offer the traditional campus experience.
You can read the full Education at a Glance report from the OECD here.
Updated
In France, the health minister, Olivier Véran, has called an increase in cases in the country “worrying”. On Monday, there were 4,203 new cases.
Véran said the R-rate in the country was around 1.2, compared with around 3.2 in the spring.
France’s science council backs a seven-day isolation period, rather than 14 days for people who test positive, he added.
Updated
In England, the government is considering whether to reduce the maximum permitted size for social gatherings following a sudden rise in coronavirus cases, and warnings that people have “relaxed too much” in their precautions.
The UK government is looking at the current guidelines, which allow up to 30 people to meet outdoors, whether in a public outdoor space, or in a garden, to see whether the limits should be reduced, a source said.
Read the full story by my colleague Peter Walker here:
Updated
More from Ireland:
Young people are playing a disproportionate role in Ireland’s surging rate of infection, prompting warnings about the reopening of college campuses.
The section of the population more likely than any other to get coronavirus, and to expose others to infection, are those aged 15 to 24.
Ireland’s 14-day cumulative incidence of Covid-19 cases has risen to 34.7 cases for every 100,000 people, higher than the UK and Italy but still far behind Spain. Ronan Glynn, the acting chief medical officer, on Monday expressed “growing concern” at the rise, especially in Dublin and Limerick.
Without strict measures reopening college campuses would multiply physical interactions and extend and amplify social contact chains among those most likely to become infected and to spread the virus, Seán L’Estrange, a social scientist at University College Dublin, wrote in a research note.
“Colleges committing to recreating the ‘campus experience’ pose a very particular challenge to public health. Measures to counter this threat have evolved piecemeal over recent months and continue to be elaborated in local settings in a largely ad hoc manner, leaving many hostages to fortune.”
In Northern Ireland, a former health minister, Jim Wells, warned that the region was facing a second wave driven by young people.
He told the BBC the Stormont executive should “hammer home that message, that just because you’re between 18 and 30 doesn’t mean you’re not a carrier”.
Updated
Breaking the rules around coronavirus cost Phil Hogan his job as European trade commissioner, who resigned his post after an outcry over his breaches of coronavirus rules during a golfing break in Ireland.
He has been replaced by Mairead McGuinness, who takes up the financial services portfolio.
I propose @MaireadMcGMEP as future Commissioner for financial services. She has great qualifications & my full trust for this post. It is now for the EU Parliament to organise the hearings. Executive Vice-President @VDombrovskis will take on the trade portfolio. pic.twitter.com/OwGxwvpBad
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 8, 2020
Updated
The death rate in the US from Covid-19 among African Americans and Latinos is rising sharply, exacerbating the already staggering racial divide in the impact of the pandemic, which has particularly devastated communities of colour.
Here’s an excerpt from a piece by my colleague Ed Pilkington:
New figures compiled by the Color of Coronavirus project shared with the Guardian show that both total numbers of deaths and per capita death rates have increased dramatically in August for black and brown Americans. Though fatalities have also increased for white Americans, the impact on this group has been notably less severe.
The latest figures record that in the two weeks from 4 to 18 August the death rate of African Americans shot up from 80 to 88 per 100,000 population – an increase of 8 per 100,000. By contrast the white population suffered half that increase, from 36 to 40 per 100,000, an increase of 4 per 100,000.
For Latino Americans the increase was even more stark, rising from 46 to 54 per 100,000 – an increase of 9 per 100,000.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Global economy seeing sharper V recovery, raising case for inflation: Morgan Stanley https://t.co/CjgEnORnME pic.twitter.com/Dytkf1R0J9
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 8, 2020
The global economy is likely to recover to pre-pandemic levels by early next quarter, about three months earlier than previously expected, according to economists at Morgan Stanley. In a note to clients, economists said the recovery had continued to gather momentum as countries get better at managing the virus:
The evidence indicates that the virus/economy equation has shifted decisively from the early days of the outbreak.
The US economy could reach its pre-Covid 19 levels by the second quarter of next year, while the entire developed markets could reach that level by the third quarter of next year, they said.
Coupled with unprecedented levels of fiscal and monetary support and possible disruptions to trade, the prospective recovery is likely to be accompanied by stronger inflation, they said.
Updated
The Philippines’ health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 3,281 new coronavirus infections and 26 additional deaths.
In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases have reached 241,987 while deaths have increased to 3,916.
A call for nations to resist “vaccine nationalism” from Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust.
Most importantly, fair access to any vaccine must be addressed. No matter where the first vaccines originate, they must initially reach priority groups worldwide, particularly frontline healthcare workers and the most vulnerable. Global cooperation is key to advancing these vaccines and restarting the economy. If large parts of the world remain shut down because of the selfish hoarding of initial supplies by richer nations, we all suffer for it.
Russia reported 5,099 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, pushing its national tally to 1,035,789, the fourth largest in the world.
Authorities confirmed 122 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 17,993.
Cheers can be heard from Ireland, where the government is likely to authorise the reopening of more than half the country’s pubs that do not serve food on 21 September after health officials advised they should not open before that date, the Irish Times reported on Tuesday.
Ireland exited lockdown at a slower pace than most of Europe and a pausing of the final stage of its initial reopening plan since July has made it the only country in Europe not to fully reopen pubs.
Bars that serve food were allowed to open for the first time since March alongside restaurants at the end of June under strict conditions. The disparity led to small protests from some publicans over the last week.
The cabinet is expected to agree to the reopening date at a meeting on Tuesday, the paper said. National broadcaster RTE reported that cabinet would discuss a range of dates, also including 14 September and 28 September.
Ministers have twice set a reopening date for pubs but postponed it after a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Data on Monday showed that Ireland’s average number of cases has continued to rise slowly over the past week and is at a higher level than when the government significantly tightened nationwide coronavirus restrictions last month.
The country’s chief medical officer warned residents of Dublin and Limerick on Monday to limit their social interactions as much as possible to control concerning spikes in cases in two of Ireland’s largest cities.
Updated
Ukraine registered a record 57 deaths related to the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the national security council said on Tuesday, up from a previous record of 54 deaths registered last week.
The council said a total of 140,479 cases were registered in Ukraine as of 8 September, with 2,934 deaths and 63,546 people recovered.
Updated
Images of people dancing in crowded areas without masks in Covid-struck Rio de Janeiro in Brazil have emerged.
VIDEO: Hundreds shun virus restrictions at street parties in Rio.
— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 8, 2020
Aerial images show hundreds of people dancing maskless at crowded street parties in virus-hit Rio de Janeiro as part of celebrations marking Brazil's Independence Day pic.twitter.com/qzoiqgZCjJ
According to Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has recorded 4,147,794 cases and 126,960 deaths from the disease.
— Alexandra Topping (@LexyTopping) September 8, 2020
Updated
In the UK, the deputy chief medical officer has warned that if the country does not again take coronavirus very seriously it will face “a bumpy ride over the next few months”, after a “big change” in infections.
Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said on Monday the public had “relaxed too much” over the summer and described the rising number of cases were of “great concern”.
Caerphilly in south Wales is preparing to be placed under local lockdown and stricter measures were extended in Scotland.
There were a further 2,948 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Monday, following the 2,988 reported on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May.
In an interview with journalists, Prof Van-Tam said:
This is a big change. It’s now consistent over two days and it’s of great concern at this point.
We’ve been able to relax a bit over the summer, the disease levels have been really quite low in the UK through the summer but these latest figures really show us that much as people might like to say ‘oh well it’s gone away’ - this hasn’t gone away.
And if we’re not careful, if we don’t take this incredibly seriously from this point in we’re going to have a bumpy ride over the next few months.
He said that the rise is “much more marked” in the 17-21 age group, but noted there is a “more general and creeping geographic trend” across the UK.
Other UK coronavirus news:
- The total number of confirmed cases in the UK passed 350,100.
- The seven-day rate of new UK cases has risen to 21.3 per 100,000 people, just above the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 at which the government considers imposing quarantine conditions on people travelling to the UK, if recorded in other countries.
- Train services across England and Wales were increased to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels on Monday, with operators telling commuters they can “travel with confidence”.
- A number of schools have reported confirmed cases of coronavirus, including three around Middlesbrough and one in Suffolk.
- At 11pm on Monday the government’s testing website said that there were no more home testing kits available that day.
Updated
Some people searching for coronavirus tests in England have been told to go to drive-through centres hundreds of miles away as there is no availability locally, while others have had to wait at least five days to receive a home test.
As coronavirus cases rise and the weather turns autumnal, stressed and exasperated workers have described the anxiety of not being able to find out whether or not they or their loved ones have the virus:
Six straight months from the excellent Helen Sullivan - wow. We get lots of lovely emails from readers from all around the world thanking us for our global coverage which we really appreciate. But really, no-one has done more to make sure that coverage is as good, wide-ranging and instant as Helen. So huge thanks to her from London to Sydney!
I’ll be looking after the blog for the next few hours, also keeping an eye on the UK news as we start the day here.
As ever, if you want to get in touch, think there’s a story we’ve missed from where you are - or just give us a bit of love (!) - please do get in touch. I’m on alexandra.topping@theguardian.com and I’m @lexytopping on Twitter. My DMs are open.
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. Thanks for following along – even if you may be reading by peaking through the fingers covering your eyes.
As long as the pandemic rages, we’ll be bringing you the latest:
happy six straight months of coronavirus blogging to me
— Helen Sullivan (@helenrsullivan) September 8, 2020
My colleague Alexandra Topping has the next shift. See you tomorrow.
Hong Kong eases coronavirus curbs
Hong Kong will expand the size of public gatherings to four people and reopen more sports venues from Friday as the Asian financial hub relaxes strict curbs against a third wave of the coronavirus, Reuters reports.
The measures come as new daily cases have dropped into the single digits from three figures. Last week, gyms and massage parlours reopened and night-time dining hours were extended.
Restaurants will be allowed to seat four people, up from two now, while indoor and outdoor recreation spaces will reopen, said Sophia Chan, the city’s health secretary, but swimming pools are to stay shut.
“We must strike a balance. The third wave is entering two months already and we have yet to see an end to it,” Chan told a news briefing, adding that new infections were being reported each day, some of unknown origin.
A mass testing scheme initiated by China for Hong Kong has picked up 16 new cases from more than 800,000 people tested, the government said on Tuesday.
Updated
China has passed “an extraordinary and historic test” with its handling of the coronavirus, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday at a triumphant awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with bugle calls and applause, Reuters reports.
The nation’s propaganda machine has churned out praise for China’s Covid-19 response, reframing the public health crisis as an example of the agility and organisation of the Communist leadership.
Xi doled out gold medals to four “heroes” from the medical field in front of hundreds of applauding delegates on Tuesday, all wearing face masks and strikingly large red flower pins.
“We have passed an extraordinary and historic test,” Xi said, praising the country for a “heroic struggle” against the disease.
“We quickly achieved initial success in the people’s war against the coronavirus. We are leading the world in economic recovery and in the fight against Covid-19.”
China has come under intense global scrutiny over its response to the virus, with the US and Australia leading accusations against Beijing that it covered up the origins and severity of the virus.
Tuesday’s lavish ceremony in the Great Hall of the People began with a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives during the outbreak.
Updated
India sees highest deaths in a month, lowest cases in a week
India recorded its highest daily deaths from the coronavirus in more than a month on Tuesday, even as new infections slowed, data from the health ministry showed.
The health ministry said 1,133 people had died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the highest since July, taking total mortalities to 72,775. But new daily cases were at 75,809, the lowest in a week.
India surpassed Brazil on Monday to become the country with the most number of coronavirus cases outside of the United States and has a cumulative caseload of 4.28 million.
Summary
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- Global deaths passed 890,000. The global coronavirus death toll has passed another sombre milestone, exceeding 890,000, with 890,260 confirmed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The true death toll is likely to be higher, due to differing testing rates and definitions, time lags and suspected underreporting in some countries.
- 60,000 in UK may have ‘long Covid’ for more than three months – study. Up to 60,000 people in the UK may have been suffering from “long Covid” for more than three months, unable to get the care they need to recover from prolonged and debilitating symptoms.
- Japan’s economy shrank slightly more than initially thought in the April-June quarter, official data released Tuesday showed, deepening a contraction that was already the worst in the nation’s modern history. The world’s third-largest economy shrank 7.9% in the second quarter of this year from the previous quarter, more than the initial 7.8% in the preliminary data, the Cabinet Office said.
- Spain passes 500,000 coronavirus cases in western European first. Spain has become the first western European country to record more than half a million Covid-19 cases, logging a total of 525,549 infections.
- World No 1 Ash Barty to skip French Open title defence due to Covid concerns. Ashleigh Barty will not defend her French Open title this year after the world No 1 opted to miss the tournament in Paris due to concerns over coronavirus and a lack of training time spent with her coach.
- France could face “critical situation” in winter if cases keep rising. A leading epidemiologist in France has warned that if the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise at the current rate, the country could face a “critical situation” in several regions in December.
- Rise in UK cases because people have “relaxed too much” says senior health official. England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said the rise in the number of coronavirus cases was of great concern adding: “We have got to start taking this very seriously again”.
- Fatigue and headache most common Covid symptoms in children – study. Fatigue, headache and fever are the most common symptoms of coronavirus in children, with few developing a cough or losing their sense of taste or smell, researchers have found, adding to calls for age-specific symptom checklists.
- France forward Mbappé tests positive for Covid. France footballer Kylian Mbappé has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss this week’s Nations League international against Croatia, the French football federation said.
- Seven Greek islands to be added to quarantine list of England. Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos are being removed from England’s list of locations exempt from 14-day Covid quarantine, in a significant shift in the government’s travel corridor policy.
- Local lockdown to be enforced in Caerphilly, Wales after rise in covid cases. The Welsh government said coronavirus laws would be tightened across the borough to prevent a local outbreak of the virus spreading.
- Scotland could reimpose restrictions amid continuing rise in cases. The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has warned the Scottish government could “put the brakes” on further relaxation of the lockdown, or even reimpose some restrictions later this week, after a continuing rise in Covid 19 cases.
- French ‘anti-maskers’ most likely to be educated women in 50s, says study. French people who reject mask-wearing are more likely to be older, educated women who support the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protest movement and the controversial virus specialist Didier Raoult, and would refuse to have a coronavirus vaccination if one were available, according to a study.
Updated
Podcast: what happens when flu season hits?
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, flu season is quickly approaching. This raises an important question: what will it mean for Covid-19? Could hospitals be overloaded? Is co-infection likely and could it make symptoms worse? Or, will transmission of Sars-CoV-2 prevent the spread of seasonal influenza? In the first of two parts, Ian Sample addresses the question of flu and Covid-19 by investigating how different respiratory viruses interact. Speaking with Prof Pablo Murcia, Ian explores the interplay when viruses meet – both on a population level, and on the human scale:
Following comments by Donald Trump that New Zealand was dealing with a “big surge” of new Covid-19 cases, Kiwis have snapped back with some light social media trolling under the hashtag #NZhellhole, which has trended at number two on New Zealand Twitter:
Most Victorians are experiencing something few other Australians can relate to: being in lockdown for weeks on end, unable to leave their homes between 8pm and 5am, and limited to one hour of fresh air a day within a 5km radius of their homes.
On 24 August, the Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, told the state’s Covid-19 committee that nearly two-thirds of calls and webchats to the national coronavirus mental health helpline Beyond Blue in July came from Victorians. He also said demand to Lifeline rose by 22% in Victoria in July, while demand to Kids Helpline from Victorian youth increased 8% in July compared with the previous month.
A Melbourne-based video production company put a callout to people living in metropolitan Melbourne under stage four restrictions and asked them to share video diaries of their feelings and experiences living under lockdown. They have made the resulting documentary, available to view online. It details some of the anxiety people are feeling as their usual activities have been disrupted or cancelled:
To give you more of an idea of the feeling in Victoria at the moment, here is the ending of a clip from an Australia Broadcasting Corporation report on strict lockdown – it is striking, in particular, that these measures are being taken while there are fewer than 100 cases each day, while countries like the US continue to see cases in their thousands in some states.
During Monday’s White House press briefing, US president, Donald Trump, asked a reporter to remove his mask, complaining that the reporter’s question was “muffled”:
WATCH: President Trump told Reuters reporter Jeff Mason to take off his mask at a White House press conference, saying he was "very muffled." Mason refused and said he would just speak louder https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/MfrsjkXaeL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 7, 2020
Updated
Dreaming about February 2021:
bloody hell, look how satisfying feb 2021 is pic.twitter.com/tHklgtbQNJ
— Curtis Parker-Milnes (@CPMilnes) September 6, 2020
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,499 in the past 24 hours to 252,298, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported.
The reported death toll rose by four to 9,329, the tally showed.
A spike in coronavirus infections in Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali and Thailand’s first locally transmitted case in 100 days have dealt further blows to Southeast Asian hopes of reviving vital tourism industries.
Plans to reopen Bali to foreign tourists from September have been postponed indefinitely, while Thailand’s proposal for the cautious reopening of Phuket island has come into doubt.
As well as trying to encourage domestic tourism industries, some Southeast Asian countries have been considering “travel bubbles” with others as a way to get businesses restarted.
Bali initially appeared to weather the health crisis better than other parts of Indonesia, which has suffered Southeast Asia’s biggest death toll by far. But coronavirus cases have spiked after it reopened its borders to domestic tourism at the end of July.
Epidemiologists and public health experts said the arrival of tourists in Bali not only made infection from other parts of Indonesia more likely, but underscored the country’s shortcomings in tackling the pandemic, namely a lack of testing and contract tracing.
Public health experts also said another likely contributing factor was the arrival of the more infectious mutation of the virus, known as D614G.
Bali posted a record 196 coronavirus cases on Friday, the fifth consecutive daily record. Daily cases in the holiday island almost tripled on average over the past six weeks, while the death tally doubled to 116 over that period.
Indonesia’s economy had its first quarterly contraction in over two decades in the second quarter - with Bali’s economy shrinking even more than the rest of the country at nearly 11%.
Thailand, where foreign visitor spending made up over 11% of GDP last year, has been even harder hit by the collapse in tourism despite better managing the pandemic - also contracting the most since the Asian financial crisis in the second quarter.
Updated
In Australia, the states of South Australia and Victoria have extended the moratorium barring landlords from evicting tenants or hiking rents, as tenant advocates in other states warn of a looming “cliff’s edge” when the national ban expires.
Matilda Boseley reports:
China reported 10 new Covid-19 cases for 7 September, down from 12 a day earlier, the national health authority said on Tuesday.
The National Health Commission said in a statement that all new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas, marking the 23nd consecutive day of no local infections.
The commission also reported 13 new asymptomatic infections, down from 17 a day earlier. China does not count symptomless patients as confirmed cases.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases for China now stands at 85,144. The death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.
Seen anything (coronavirus-related) that sparks joy lately? Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan@theguardian.com.
Here is an excerpt from a short film made in a Paris apartment under lockdown:
We're thrilled to present the latest from the great Mati Diop, an ingenious film shot in her Paris studio during lockdown and based on recordings of her late grandmother. https://t.co/P7DTNsfn56 pic.twitter.com/sCwooPmt7M
— MUBI (@mubi) September 7, 2020
Mexico reported 3,486 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 223 additional fatalities on Monday, bringing its totals to 637,509 infections and 67,781 deaths, according to updated health ministry data.
The government has said the real number of infected people is likely to be significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Japanese economy shrinks more than expected
Japan’s economy shrank slightly more than initially thought in the April-June quarter, official data released Tuesday showed, deepening a contraction that was already the worst in the nation’s modern history, AFP reports.
The world’s third-largest economy shrank 7.9% in the second quarter of this year from the previous quarter, more than the initial 7.8% in the preliminary data, the Cabinet Office said.
The downward revision comes with corporate investment weaker than in the preliminary data released last month, as the coronavirus deepens the country’s economic woes.
The latest headline figure was modestly better than market consensus of an 8.0% contraction, but it is the worst figure for Japan since comparable data became available in 1980, beyond the brutal impact of the 2008 global financial crisis.
Separate data released by the internal affairs ministry Tuesday showed Japan’s household spending in July dropped 7.6% on-year, also underlining the impact of the coronavirus on the economy.
The 7.6% drop was the 10th consecutive monthly decline and comes after a 1.2% slide in June and 16.2% dive in May.
The figure came in much worse than economist expectations of a 3.7% decline, Bloomberg said.
Japan’s economy was in recession even before the coronavirus hit due to damage from a powerful typhoon last year, and a sale tax hike in October.
World No 1 Ash Barty to skip French Open title defence due to Covid concerns
Ashleigh Barty will not defend her French Open title this year after the world No 1 opted to miss the tournament in Paris due to concerns over coronavirus and a lack of training time spent with her coach.
The Australian, who becomes the biggest name to pull out so far, has already skipped the US Open, currently being played in New York. Her absence from Roland Garros will be a huge blow to organisers who planning for a delayed 21 September start amid the pandemic in France:
Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian:
There were six new cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand on Tuesday, with four of them spread by community transmission. All were linked to an existing outbreak in the largest city, Auckland.
There were also two further new cases of the virus diagnosed in the quarantine facilities for travellers returning to New Zealand.
The number of current cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand hit zero in June but there has since been a resurgence in Auckland, the origin of which is still unknown. It has led to a second lockdown for the city, which is now easing.
There are now 123 active cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand, officials said; 43 are cases diagnosed in returning travellers, all of whom were already in quarantine, and 80 are in the community.
23 people have died of the virus in New Zealand – the most recent last week. Four people are in hospital, two of them in intensive care. There have been 1,431 diagnosed cases of Covid-19 since it arrived on the country’s shores.
Chinese firm Sinovac Biotech Ltd said on Monday its coronavirus vaccine candidate appeared to be safe for older people, according to preliminary results from an early to mid-stage trial, while the immune responses triggered by the vaccine were slightly weaker than younger adults, Reuters reports.
Health officials have been concerned about whether experimental vaccines could safely protect the elderly, whose immune systems usually react less robustly to vaccines, against the virus that has led to nearly 890,000 deaths worldwide.
Sinovac’s candidate CoronaVac did not cause severe side effects in a combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials launched in May involving 421 participants aged at least 60, Liu Peicheng, Sinovac’s media representative, told Reuters. The complete results have not been published and were not made available to Reuters.
Four of the world’s eight vaccines that are in the third phase of trials are from China.
For three groups of participants who respectively took two shots of low, medium and high-dose CoronaVac, over 90% of them experienced significant increase in antibody levels, while the levels were slightly lower than those seen in younger subjects but in line with expectation, Liu said in a statement.
CoronaVac, being tested in Brazil and Indonesia in the final-stage human trials to evaluate whether it is effective and safe enough to obtain regulatory approvals for mass use, has already been given to tens of thousands of people, including about 90% of Sinovac employees and their families, as part of China’s emergency inoculation scheme to protect people facing high infection risk.
The potential vaccine could remain stable for up to three years in storage, Liu said, which might offer Sinovac some advantage in vaccine distribution to regions where cold-chain storage is not an option.
One in three UK university students were unable to access online learning during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to new research which suggests that disabled students and those from poorer backgrounds were worst affected.
The survey, which was carried out in July by the National Union of Students (NUS), found that disruptions to studies arose from a lack of IT equipment and software, insufficient course materials, and poor internet connections.
Of the 4,178 respondents, 18% said they lacked the support necessary to deal with Covid-19, such as counselling or financial help. Disabled students and those with caring responsibilities were more likely to have not received this support. The survey called for more help with students’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as more targeted, personalised teaching:
UK Wedding firms have been told they must refund couples who were unable to exchange vows without breaking lockdown rules, after the competition watchdog was inundated by complaints from angry prospective brides and grooms.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said venues and suppliers should repay people in full, except where services or goods had already been supplied, or the company had incurred costs.
Couples planning to marry in the run-up to lockdown and since then have reported problems getting money back for ceremonies and receptions that they were forced to cancel because going ahead would have meant breaking physical distancing rules.
In some cases, couples have been offered only partial refunds, or incurred extra costs after moving their nuptials to another date:
60,000 may have 'long Covid' for more than three months – UK study
Up to 60,000 people in the UK may have been suffering from “long Covid” for more than three months, unable to get the care they need to recover from prolonged and debilitating symptoms.
Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London who runs the app-based Covid symptom study, said around 300,000 people had reported symptoms lasting for more than a month.
A minority have been suffering for longer; up to 60,000 people have reported having symptoms for more than three months. Some cases are mild, but others are seriously debilitating, with breathlessness and fatigue. Some people have had to use wheelchairs. Others say attempting to carry out everyday tasks such as shopping or even climbing the stairs can leave them bedridden for days:
Global deaths pass 890,000
The global coronavirus death toll has passed another sombre milestone, exceeding 890,000, with 890,260 confirmed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
The true death toll is likely to be higher, due to differing testing rates and definitions, time lags and suspected underreporting in some countries.
Here are the ten worst-affected countries worldwide in terms of deaths:
- United States: 189,166
- Brazil: 126,960
- India: 71,642
- Mexico: 67,558
- United Kingdom: 41,643
- Italy: 35,553
- France: 30,732
- Spain: 29,516
- Peru: 29,838
- Iran: 22,410
Spain becomes first country in western Europe to pass 500,000 cases
Sam Jones reports from Madrid, with Kim Willsher in Paris and Natalie Grover in London:
Spain has become the first western European country to record more than half a million Covid-19 cases, logging a total of 525,549 infections as concerns also grow over the rise in cases in France and the UK.
The Spanish milestone comes amid a continuing surge in infections as millions of children begin returning to school after a six-month hiatus.
According to the latest figures from the health ministry, Spain has logged 49,716 new cases in the past week, and 237 deaths. Around a third of the new cases and deaths are in Madrid, the region hardest hit by the pandemic.
Spain has the fastest rise in daily confirmed cases in Europe, which began a climb in July, with France showing a similar increase beginning in August:
Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest developments from around the world for the next few hours. What is the biggest Covid-19 story where you’re from? Let me know on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullvan@theguardian.com.
Global coronavirus deaths have passed 890,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. A toll higher than 1 million looks inevitable at this stage.
Meanwhile Spain has become the first European country to pass 500,000 cases. The country reported 2,440 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 525,549.
Recent infections have been more common among younger people who often develop no symptoms thanks to their stronger immune systems, and the death rate remains far below the March-April peak when daily fatalities routinely exceeded 800.
Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
- Spain passes 500,000 coronavirus cases in western European first. Spain has become the first western European country to record more than half a million Covid-19 cases, logging a total of 525,549 infections.
- India becomes country with second highest number of Covid cases. India has surpassed Brazil to become the country with the second highest number of coronavirus cases, as the virus continues to spread through the country of 1.3 billion at the fastest rate of anywhere in the world.
- France could face “critical situation” in winter if cases keep rising. A leading epidemiologist in France has warned that if the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise at the current rate, the country could face a “critical situation” in several regions in December.
- Rise in UK cases because people have “relaxed too much” says senior health official. England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said the rise in the number of coronavirus cases was of great concern adding: “We have got to start taking this very seriously again”.
- Fatigue and headache most common Covid symptoms in children – study. Fatigue, headache and fever are the most common symptoms of coronavirus in children, with few developing a cough or losing their sense of taste or smell, researchers have found, adding to calls for age-specific symptom checklists.
- France forward Mbappé tests positive for Covid. France forward Kylian Mbappé has tested positive for Covid-19 and will miss this week’s Nations League international against Croatia, the French football federation said.
- Seven Greek islands to be added to quarantine list of England. Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos are being removed from England’s list of locations exempt from 14-day Covid quarantine, in a significant shift in the government’s travel corridor policy.
- Local lockdown to be enforced in Caerphilly, Wales after rise in covid cases. The Welsh government said coronavirus laws would be tightened across the borough to prevent a local outbreak of the virus spreading.
- Scotland could reimpose restrictions amid continuing rise in cases. The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has warned the Scottish government could “put the brakes” on further relaxation of the lockdown, or even reimpose some restrictions later this week, after a continuing rise in Covid 19 cases.
- French ‘anti-maskers’ most likely to be educated women in 50s, says study. French people who reject mask-wearing are more likely to be older, educated women who support the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protest movement and the controversial virus specialist Didier Raoult, and would refuse to have a coronavirus vaccination if one were available, according to a new study.
