Scientists claim to have found the first person to be reinfected with coronavirus – a man in Hong Kong who is believed to have caught one strain four months after battling a different incarnation of Covid-19.
Also on Monday, Downing Street insisted that Britain would get “first access” to AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate if it proved effective. It followed reports that Donald Trump was hoping to fast-track regulatory approval for the jab for Americans.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson urged parents to send their children back to school when they reopen in England in September, saying that yet more time outside the classroom is a greater health risk than returning – a view echoed by Jennie Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, who said car crashes and flu were greater health dangers than Covid-19.
Man may be world's first reinfected Covid-19 patient
A man may have become the world's first reinfected Covid-19 patient, according to Hong Kong University's microbiology team.
The 33-year-old, who came from Spain, is thought to have been infected with a different strain of coronavirus four months after he first came down with the illness.
Responding to a question about the possible reinfection, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
You can read more in our breaking news story:
UK will be first in line for vaccine, Downing Street insists
Downing Street has insisted the UK would be first in line for a coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University if it was proven to be effective, following reports Donald Trump is considering granting emergency authorisation for it to be deployed in the US.
The vaccine is being developed by Oxford scientists and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
A Number 10 spokesman said: "We have been clear that we will only roll out a vaccine once it is deemed safe and effective by our regulators."
The UK government has struck a deal with AstraZeneca to get "first access" to it once approved, the spokesman said.
"AstraZeneca have entered into a number of agreements with other countries, they have the global licensing agreement with Oxford, but we have been clear: once it has been found to be effective, we have signed a deal for 100 million doses which means that once it is effective the UK will get first access."
To read more about Mr Trump's comments, click below:
Man leaves hospital after battling Covid-19 for 110 days
A Nottingham man was finally able to leave hospital on Friday after a 110 day battle with Covid-19, writes Liam James.
Sixty-five-year-old Mick Pickering, from Newthorpe in Nottinghamshire, contracted the coronavirus back in April and was admitted to hospital on 4 May suffering symptoms of lethargy, loss of appetite, shivers and feelings of sickness and diarrhoea.
Von der Leyen requests more detail of Hogan movements
The president of the European Commission has requested further details about her trade chief's attendance at a controversial golf dinner in Ireland.
Pressure has been building on commissioner Phil Hogan to step down from his EU role after attending last week's function with more than 80 people present.
Ms Von der Leyen's spokesperson Dana Spinant told reporters: "This is a matter which requires careful assessment on our side.
"It is a matter where details count, therefore the president has requested Commissioner Hogan to provide a full report covering the matters... the president has received such a report from Commissioner Hogan last night."
Read more about Mr Hogan's case here:
100 infections at nudist resort
A popular French naturist resort has been hit by an “alarming” outbreak of coronavirus, with 100 holidaymakers so far testing positive, writes Liam James.
Officials in the town of Cap d’Adge noted the “very worrying” spread among the nudist community, citing a 30 per cent positive testing rate as they put in place measures to combat the outbreak.
Local government has asked all residents of the small resort town to be tested. There were 57 positive tests on last Wednesday alone, according to the regional health service.
100 infections at nudist resort
A popular French naturist resort has been hit by an “alarming” outbreak of coronavirus, with 100 holidaymakers so far testing positive, writes Liam James.
Officials in the town of Cap d’Adge noted the “very worrying” spread among the nudist community, citing a 30 per cent positive testing rate as they put in place measures to combat the outbreak.
Local government has asked all residents of the small resort town to be tested. There were 57 positive tests on last Wednesday alone, according to the regional health service.
First child victim of Covid-19 in Iowa
A young child died from coronavirus complications in June, the state health department belatedly announced Sunday evening.
It was the first confirmed death of a minor in Iowa from Covid-19.
The Iowa Department of Public Health said the state medical examiner's office concluded its case investigation into the death of the child, who was under the age of 5, on 6 August.
But the death was not reported in the state's statistics until Saturday, more than two weeks later.
"The child's death was publicly reported this weekend after ensuring the individual's identity would remain protected and notifying the family," the department said in a statement.
"We have made every effort to protect the identity of this child, while the family grieves this devastating loss. Again, we send our sincerest condolences."
Dozens of Iowa school districts are preparing to reopen on Monday.
Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered schools to reopen for at least 50 per cent in-person instruction.
'The government wrote the worst-case scenario plan for this winter, but doesn't want us to believe it'
The government’s latest “reasonable worst case scenario” winter planning document going around Whitehall has been leaked to the press and it’s the same old rubbish as last time, writes Tom Peck.
Emergency airdrops for the Channel Islands? The rationing of drinking water? Come on. Get real, they say. It’s not going to happen.
The last time this occurred, when The Sunday Times published the details of Operation Yellowhammer, Michael Gove very kindly set the record straight, explaining that his department’s own documents were just yet more media scaremongering.
Switzerland hits UK's quarantine threshold
Switzerland could become the next European country to be subject to quarantine measures by all four nations of the UK, according to new figures.
A seven-day rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people is the threshold above which the UK government considers triggering quarantine conditions.
Switzerland is currently recording a seven-day rate of 20.7 cases per 100,000.
Scotland has already taken Switzerland off its list of countries from which people do not need to self-isolate on arrival.
France to impose reciprocal quarantine on UK travellers 'within days'
French authorities reciprocate the UK's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from France within days, the country's junior minister for European affairs said on Monday.
Britain said on Friday that travellers from the UK to France were required to self-certify that they are not suffering coronavirus symptoms or have been in contact with a confirmed case within 14 days before their journey.
Since 15 August, British authorities have also required travellers returning from France to self-isolate upon their return due to high Covid-19 infection rates in France.
"We will have a measure called reciprocity so that our British friends do not close the border in one single way," Clement Beaune told France 2 television.
"For travellers returning from the United Kingdom, there will probably be restrictive measures decided in the next few days by the prime minister and by the defence council."
Hogan under pressure to reveal travel history
The European Union’s trade commissioner Phil Hogan is under pressure to explain his movements after he was stopped by police in the west of Ireland for driving while using his mobile phone, writes Adam Forrest.
Mr Hogan is already facing calls to resign his role as Ireland’s commissioner to the EU after attending a golf dinner with more than 80 people despite coronavirus restrictions on indoor gatherings.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has also demanded the commissioner explain whether his recent journeys between different counties in the west of Ireland breached local lockdown rules.
'No plans' for random drug tests of cabinet ministers, Downing Street says
Downing Street has said there are "no plans" for random drug tests of cabinet ministers, after Conservative candidate for London mayor Shaun Bailey said he would urge all large employers in the capital to undertake them, political editor Andrew Woodcock reports.
Mr Bailey has said he will ask businesses with more than 250 employees to drug-test workers and publish the results if he wins his way into City Hall in 2021.
Under his proposals, laid out in an open letter, companies would be urged to sign up to a drug-testing charter that would see them routinely test staff members for narcotics.
A Downing Street spokesman told reporters he had "not yet seen" Mr Bailey's plans.
But asked if Boris Johnson would introduce random drug tests for cabinet members, the spokesman replied: "We expect the highest levels of professionalism from everybody in government. That remains the case, but there are no plans for that."
Wetherspoon pub chain warns of annual loss due to pandemic
Pub group JD Wetherspoon has warned its business will be pushed into an annual loss due to the coronavirus pandemic, and predicted that the boost provided by the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme will dwindle when it ends on 31 August, writes Kate Ng.
The company, founded by Tim Martin, said sales had risen in the past month thanks to extra outdoor seating and the subsidised meal scheme, but were still significantly lower compared to the same period last year.
It has urged Rishi Sunak, the chancellor to maintain a lower value-added tax (VAT) rate for meals.
Scotland mulls face masks for schools
John Swinney, the Holyrood education secretary, is consulting with teachers and councils on the possibility of bringing in guidance on face coverings in schools, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The advice, which the first minister said was in its "final stages", comes as a number of schools have been hit by cases of Covid-19.
Ms Sturgeon said: "We're consulting on this specific measure because, firstly, mixing between different groups is more likely in corridors and communal areas - increasing the potential for transmission.
"Secondly, crowding and close contact in these areas is more likely and voices could be raised, resulting in greater potential for creating aerosol transmission.
"Finally, there's also less scope for ventilation in these areas."
She decisions were yet to be made on if the guidance would be extended to school transport and that decision will be made in the coming days, but there are currently no plans for mandating coverings in class.
'Very significant' outbreak near food factory
Nicola Sturgeon has called the coronavirus outbreak in Coupar Angus "very significant".
It is believed to have started at the 2 Sisters food processing plant.
Ms Sturgeon said there had been 110 cases linked to the cluster as of Sunday - 96 employees and 14 close contacts.
Almost 900 people have been tested at a mobile unit sent to Coupar Angus, the first minister said, and there is currently no evidence of community transmission linked to the cluster.
Ms Sturgeon stressed that the guidance for employees and family members was still in place, meaning they will have to self-isolate for the remainder of the initial 14-day period.
Italy vaccine enters human trials
Italy has begun human trials of a potential Covid-19 vaccine on Monday.
Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani institute, a hospital specialising in infectious diseases, will conduct research on 90 volunteers over the coming weeks, with the hope a vaccine may be available by spring of next year.
Francesco Vaia, health director of the Spallanzani hospital, told Reuters the first patient would be monitored for four hours before being allowed to go home where he will be kept under observation for 12 weeks.
"We will see if it produces any side effects and if it produces neutralizing antibodies," Dr Vaia said, adding the second phase of testing will take place in countries with higher infection rates, like Mexico and Brazil.
The potential vaccine, called GRAd-COV2, was developed by ReiThera, a company based in Rome.
22 coronavirus infections linked to Dundee school
NHS Tayside has confirmed 22 cases of Covid-19 linked to a school in Dundee.
Kingspark School has been ordered closed and all staff and pupils have been told to self-isolate for 14 days.
In a statement, NHS Tayside said: "Detailed contact tracing of all positive cases continues and as a consequence two further school sites have been identified in Dundee. Further urgent guidance has been issued to these associated school sites to ensure all public health measures and precautions are taken."
These sites are St Peter and Paul’s School and Happy Times out-of school club at Downfield Primary School. There was a single case found at each one.
"Please be reassured that if you have not been contacted individually, your child has not been identified as a contact of the case, and they can continue to attend school and undertake other activities as normal," NHS Tayside said.
Dr Ellie Hothersall, a consultant in public health medicine at NHS Tayside, added in the statement: “Since the identification of positive cases at Kingspark, a detailed contact tracing programme has been under way and these linked cases are being identified because of those concerted efforts of Test and Protect.
“We must do everything we can to protect all of our communities against Covid-19 and that is why we have issued the guidance to self-isolate. By taking this action we are containing any further spread of infection.
“We know that this may cause anxiety to some parents and children but we must do everything we can to ensure we keep people safe.”
The news comes as ministers in Westminster attempt to persuade parents and teachers that it is safe for schools in England to reopen next week.
China has been vaccinating essential workers for weeks
China has been administering an experimental coronavirus vaccine on essential workers since July, one of the country’s top health officials has revealed, writes Adam Forrest.
Medical staff and border inspection officials are among the key workers to have received the vaccine candidate, said the director of China’s National Health Commission Zheng Zhongwei.
He told state broadcaster CCTV it had been “in line with the law” to give high-risk workers jabs ever since the government approved the roll-out of “experimental use” vaccines on 22 July.
Catalunya's president has announced a ban on social gatherings of more than 10 people.
Spain's northeastern region will also begin widespread testing of half a million students.
The new series of measures announced by Quim Torra on Monday aim to curb a wave of new coronavirus infections ahead of the re-opening of schools in mid-September, which officials and experts fear could become a vector for more contagion.
Mr Torra said that the next three weeks would be crucial in fighting not only the current incidence of the pandemic but how it will evolve in autumn and winter.
"We have to give everything in the coming three weeks, because yes or yes this country has to get to work and yes or yes schools need to open," the regional chief said at a new conference.
Catalunya reported 1,776 new infections on Monday, with nearly 700 people currently in hospitals and 134 of them in intensive care units.
Spain as a whole leads Europe's charts with more than 386,000 total reported infections since February.
Trump 'considering fast-tracking University of Oxford vaccine'
Donald Trump is reportedly pushing for fast-track approval of a potential Covid-19 vaccine to be used on Americans ahead of November’s election, writes Matt Mathers.
The White House is considering a vaccine candidate being developed by Oxford University, and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca, according to a Sunday report by the Financial Times which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
One option could involve the US Food And Drug Administration (FDA) authorising it for emergency use in October - a month before Americans go to the polls.
