Boris Johnson has refused to apologise for his claim that some care homes “didn’t really follow the procedures” to protect residents and staff from coronavirus during this week's PMQs.
The prime minister said he took “full responsibility” for what had happened during the pandemic but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his response was not an apology and “would not wash”.
It came as Mark Drakeford, Wales’ first minister, warned wearing a face mask was not a “magic bullet” for preventing the spread of coronavirus amid calls for mandatory use of face coverings in the country.
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Drug approved in Russia
Russia has approved a new antiviral drug, Coronavir, to treat Covid-19 patients, its developer R-Pharm said on Wednesday, as Russia's tally of infections hit 700,000.
It said a clinical trial involving mild or medium-level cases had shown the drug to be highly effective in inhibiting replication of the new coronavirus.
"Coronavir is one of the first drugs in Russia and in the world that does not tackle the complications caused by SARS-CoV-2, but battles the virus itself," the company's statement said.
Reuters
Wastewater in Italy
Italy plans to monitor wastewater across the country for a possible early warning about a second wave of coronavirus infections, the National Institute of Health (ISS) has said.
The project will focus on priority sites, such as tourist resorts, in a first phase starting this month and will be expanded in October with a surveillance network extended to all Italian cities.
Traces of coronavirus have shown up in Italy’s water from December last year - more than a month before the country reported its first cases.
Here is a report from last month's wastewater study:
Additional reporting by Reuters
France’s new coronavirus cases and deaths higher than average amid second spike fears
Health officials have warned of a possible second wave of coronavirus in France after the numbers of new cases and deaths reported on Wednesday were higher than the daily average seen over the last week.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases were up by 663 on Wednesday, versus 475 on Tuesday and a daily average of 536 over the last seven days.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 death toll rose by 32 from the previous day to stand at 29,965. That daily figure is almost twice as high as the daily average of 18 seen over the last seven days.
Senior health official Jerome Salomon told Le Figaro newspaper that the country “should brace itself for a pick-up of the pandemic, even for a second wave."
Health officials have warned of a possible second wave of coronavirus in France after the numbers of new cases and deaths reported on Wednesday were higher than the daily average seen over the last week.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases were up by 663 on Wednesday, versus 475 on Tuesday and a daily average of 536 over the last seven days.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 death toll rose by 32 from the previous day to stand at 29,965. That daily figure is almost twice as high as the daily average of 18 seen over the last seven days.
Senior health official Jerome Salomon told Le Figaro newspaper that the country “should brace itself for a pick-up of the pandemic, even for a second wave."
UK could get itself locked out of EU coronavirus vaccine programme after refusing to pay
The UK government could get itself locked out of the EU's coronavirus vaccine programme by refusing to contribute financially, MPs have warned.
The European Scrutiny Committee raised concern over the UK’s insistence that it would not pay increased EU budget contributions for 2020 to fund the scheme.
Our policy editor, Jon Stone, has the full story below:
Delhi’s hospitals ‘at edge of being overwhelmed’ as coronavirus cases continue to soar
As coronavirus cases rise in India, Delhi has become one of the country’s worst-affected hotspots, with hospitals struggling under the strain of a wave of new patients.
“We are right on the edge of being overwhelmed,” Dr Sumit Ray, head of critical care at the 350-bed Holy Family Hospital in the city’s southeast, told The Independent.
Our Asia editor, Adam Withnall, has more details below on the situation in the city:
Canada handled coronavirus outbreak better than US, Trudeau says
Canada has handled the coronavirus pandemic better than many of its allies so far, including the US, the country’s prime minister has said.
“We were able to control the virus better than many of our allies, particularly including our neighbour,” Justin Trudeau told a briefing on Wednesday, in a rare public comment on the situation across the border.
Canada - with a population one-tenth the size of the US - has so far recorded 8,711 deaths and 106,167 cases.
Meanwhile, the US has recorded more than 3 million cases and 131,336 deaths, with cases sharply rising in recent days in a number of states.
The two countries have blocked nonessential travel between each other since March and are discussing whether to extend the ban when it expires on 21 July.
Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said the outbreak was largely under control, while stressing measures such as contact tracing and quarantine would still be essential.
“If we relax too much or too soon, the epidemic will most likely rebound, with explosive growth as a distinct possibility,” he told a separate news conference.
Leicester’s rate of new coronavirus cases decreasing since last week, data shows
The latest figures showing local authorities in England with the highest rate of new coronavirus cases, up to the week ending 5 July, have been released by Public Health England.
The data is based on tests which have been carried out in both laboratories (pillar one testing) and in the wider community (pillar two), with figures expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 population.
Equivalent data for the previous week ending 28 June is included in brackets.
The 10 local authorities with the highest number of cases per 100,000 people are:
1. Leicester 124.7 (Last week's figure: 143.9)
2. Rochdale 33.2 (37.7)
3. Bradford 33.0 (49.1)
4. Kirklees 32.4 (27.6)
5. Oadby & Wigston 29.8 (56.1)
6. Blackburn with Darwen 26.2 (24.2)
7. Blaby 25.9 (18.9)
8. Ashford 24.8 (27.8)
9. Folkestone & Hythe 24.0 (24.0)
10. Rotherham 22.3 (28.0)
Catalonia in Spain makes masks compulsory in public at all times
Catalonia has ordered all residents and visitors to wear face masks in public at all times, becoming the first Spanish region to toughen rules on the use of coverings in close proximity to others.
The order, which takes effect on Thursday, was announced by regional leader Quim Torra four days after more than 200,000 people in the Segria area were placed under a local lockdown following a series of coronavirus outbreaks there.
“Masks will be mandatory all over Catalonia, not just in the Segria region... I think it's an important measure,” Mr Torra told the regional parliament.
“We will distribute protective equipment.”
Authorities in the Basque Country made a similar decision soon after, making masks mandatory regardless of the distance between people in the small town of Ordizia, where a cluster of nearly 50 cases had been detected.
Last month, Spanish authorities made wearing masks compulsory indoors and outdoors in all circumstances in which 1.5 metres of social distancing could not be maintained.
Mr Torra's order removed that social distancing exception for Catalonia, making masks compulsory in all social situations.
There will also be a 100 euro fine for breaking the rule.
Pub and restaurant workers welcome emergency measures for hospitality
Members of the hospitality sector have welcome plans announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak today to cut VAT and give diners discounts on meals to aid the economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Hospitality Professionals Association (HOPA) said the VAT cut in particular was “massive news” and a “huge relief” for about two million workers in the sector.
“It’s not often that I can say I’ve felt a rush of emotion following a House of Commons announcement, but today I certainly have,” Jane Pendlebury, chief executive of HOPA, said.
“That’s something that just serves to underline how much of a huge relief the latest measures are.”
Our business reporter, Ben Chapman, has the full story below:
US confirmed coronavirus cases hit three million
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US has hit three million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
That total is by far the highest in the world for a single country but US health officials warn the real number of infections is probably 10 times higher, or close to 10 per cent of the population.
Cases have been surging in recent weeks amid a rapid expansion in testing.
Experts say the outbreak has also worsened, as shown by such warning signs as an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus.
Government sets aside £10bn for coronavirus test and trace system for England
The UK government has allocated £10bn of public money for spending on the much-criticised test and trace system for England, Treasury documents have revealed.
The sum, much of which will go on contracts with private firms, amounts to more than 100 times Public Health England’s £90m annual budget for infectious diseases.
Labour has demanded a full break-down of the test and trace budget to ensure that the money is being spent in “the most effective way to limit the spread of Covid-19”.
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:
Further 126 UK coronavirus deaths reported
A further 126 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the UK’s total death toll to 44,517, according to government figures.
Data from the Department of Health and Social Care also showed there had been 630 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported over the last 24 hours.
The government’s full dataset can be found below:
Coronavirus inquiry should be delayed until next year, outgoing cabinet secretary suggests
An inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic should be delayed until next year because the country may only be “halfway” through the crisis, the outgoing cabinet secretary has suggested.
Sir Mark Sedwill said no investigation should take place until “the crisis is over”, despite pressure from medical and scientific experts to learn lessons before a feared second wave of infections arrives.
“We don’t even know whether we have reached the halfway point yet, because this is a crisis still rolling around the globe,” Sir Mark said.
“The time for lessons to be learned is once the crisis is through.”
Our deputy political editor, Rob Merrick, has the full story below:
Serbian president backtracks on plans to reinstate lockdown after violent protests
Serbia's president has backtracked on plans to reinstate a coronavirus lockdown in Belgrade after thousands protested over the move and violently clashed with police in the capital.
Chaos erupted as thousands of protesters tried to storm the parliament building after President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Tuesday that a weekend curfew would be reintroduced in the Balkan country following a spike in coronavirus deaths.
Opponents blamed the Serbian leader for contributing to the spike in deaths and new cases after he lifted the previous lockdown measures.
Mr Vucic backtracked on his new lockdown plans on Wednesday, claiming the measures could not be implemented without proclaiming a nationwide state of emergency.
He said the government would decide on new measures that could include shortened hours for night clubs and penalties for those not wearing masks.
The president also claimed foreign secret services were behind the Tuesday night protests by “right-wing and pro-fascist demonstrators”.
Germany criticises US exit from World Health Organisation
Germany's health minister has criticised the formal US notification of its withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a “setback for international cooperation”.
Jens Spahn said his country would work to reform the organisation amid concern in Europe over the WHO’s largest contributor pulling out during the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN and the US State Department said on Tuesday that the Trump administration had formally notified the UN that the US would leave the WHO next year.
The US provides WHO with more than $450m (£357m) per year and currently owes some $200m in current and past dues.
Juergen Hardt, a foreign policy spokesperson for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition, said that the US withdrawal would damage American and Western strategic interests just as China, a key WHO member state, was taking a greater role in international institutions.
“As the biggest contributor so far, the US leaves a big vacuum,” Mr Hardt said.
“It is foreseeable that China above all will try to fill this vacuum itself. That will further complicate necessary reforms in the organisation.”
He added: “It is all the more important that the EU uses its political weight and strengthens its involvement in the WHO as in other international organisations.”
Ryder Cup 2020 postponed until 2021
The 2020 Ryder Cup has been postponed for 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have confirmed.
The biannual match between golfers from the USA and Europe was scheduled to take place on 25-28 September, but will now take place next year.
Our sports writer, Lawrence Ostlere, will have more on this breaking story below:
Leaders of Italy and Spain call for ‘ambitious’ recovery fund
The leaders of Italy and Spain, two of the worst-hit countries during Europe’s coronavirus outbreak, have urged fellow EU members to agree on “ambitious terms” for a recovery fund next week to shore up the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Southern European countries are pushing for a no-strings-attached approach in the EU’s recovery fund which will be discussed at a meeting of the bloc’s 27 members later this month.
The 750bn euro (£675bn) fund drawn up by the EU's executive commission is made up mostly of grants, which have been opposed by countries dubbed as the “Frugal Four” - Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Those countries have been reluctant to give away money without conditions attached.
Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister, said the EU could not take a cautious path in its response to the pandemic because that would endanger the union's common market and economy.
UK-wide data for when coronavirus deaths actually occurred up to 26 June shows the decline in fatalities has now slowed down to a stable level below 100 a day, according to PA data journalist Ian Jones.
No 10 defends Johnson’s comments suggesting ‘nobody knew’ about asymptomatic transmission
Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson’s disputed comments today claiming “nobody knew” about the asymptomatic spread of coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic.
Minutes from a January meeting of the government’s SAGE committee showed officials were aware of such transmission.
The minutes stated there was “limited evidence of asymptomatic transmission, but early indications imply some is occurring.”
“The point is we've learned more about the scale of asymptomatic transmission,” the prime minister’s official spokesperson said on Wednesday.
“It is a new virus and we're learning more about its transmission all of the time and as we've learned more, the government and public health bodies have adapted in accordance with the information we have.
“I think the point is we've been learning more about the scale and the nature of asymptomatic transmission as the pandemic has progressed.”
Trump says he ‘may cut off funding’ if US schools do not open during pandemic
Donald Trump has threatened to cut off funding to schools which do not open in the autumn as he criticised a federal health agency’s guidelines on reopening as “very tough and expensive”.
The president, who is seeking re-election in November, accused Democrats of wanting to keep schools shut for political reasons, despite coronavirus cases surging across the country.
“The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if US schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children and families. May cut off funding if not open!” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.
It was not clear what specific federal aid he was thinking of withdrawing.
In a separate Twitter post, Mr Trump said he would meet with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss their guidance for schools.
“I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough and expensive guidelines for opening schools,” he wrote.
“While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things.”
