The much-anticipated NHS contact-tracing app may not be ready for national rollout until winter and “isn’t a priority for us”, a health minister has told MPs. Lord Bethell, the minister responsible for the NHSX app, claimed the delay was caused in part by a fear of “freaking out” the public by using technological means to tell them they might be ill.
It comes as US doctors have expressed caution over the UK’s dexamethasone “breakthrough”, calling for the full results of the trial to be published and warning of potential side effects. Germany’s health ministry, meanwhile, declined to comment on the Recovery Trial study, but a spokesperson said there was no need to stockpile the drug.
In China, hundreds of flights have been cancelled to and from Beijing because of the capital’s new Covid-19 outbreak, linked to a wholesale food market. The city reported 31 new infections on Wednesday, up from 27 the day before.
New Zealand cracks down at border
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, has appointed a top military officer to oversee the country's border quarantine system, after two women were released early from mandatory sequestration on compassionate grounds.
Ms Ardern said the lapse was "unacceptable".
The two women, New Zealand citizens, had flown from London to visit a dying relative. They later tested positive for Covid-19.
Authorities are now trying to trace and contact up to 320 people they may have come into contact with.
Catch-up: Our main story from overnight
A cheap steroid called dexamethasone has been found to reduce the risk of death by up to one-third among coronavirus patients with severe respiratory complications, University of Oxford researchers have said, write Jon Sharman and Lizzy Buchan.
Scientists working on the Recovery Trial found the drug could benefit patients on ventilators or oxygen, but had no effect on those who did not need help breathing.
“Based on these results, one death would be prevented by treatment of around eight ventilated patients or around 25 patients requiring oxygen alone,” researchers said in a statement.
Hancock fears re-importing virus
Matt Hancock has said the UK is worried about importing new Covid-19 cases from Brazil, where the infection level is rising.
The health secretary refused to name any other countries from which arrivals would make quarantine necessary despite being asked five times on Sky News.
"It's really sad to see some of the countries like, for instance, Brazil, where the numbers are really shooting up, so we do have to have this measure in place," he said.
"I mentioned Brazil, there are others we are worried about. I'm not going to go into which countries."
Johnson dents travel industry's hopes for summer
Boris Johnson has dented travel industry hopes that quarantine rules could be relaxed, writes Simon Calder.
For the past eight days, almost all arrivals at UK airports, ferry ports and international rail terminals have been required to self-isolate at home for two weeks. The law is in place for a year, unless modified.
At the Downing Street daily briefing, the prime minister was asked about the prospect of “air bridges” – reciprocal no-quarantine deals – with Spain and France.
Honduran president has Covid-19
Juan Orlando Hernandez, the president of Honduras, has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
He is receiving treatment and will work remotely and through his aides, he said late on Tuesday.
"As president of the nation and a responsible citizen, I want to communicate that during the weekend I started to feel some discomfort and today I was diagnosed as having been infected with Covid-19," Mr Hernandez said in a televised speech.
"They have recommended rest but I will continue working remotely and through my aides."
Mr Hernandez said his symptoms were mild.
Taiwan to ease some border restrictions
Taiwan is to cautiously ease some border controls to allow in business travellers from countries it deems low-risk.
However, they will still have to be tested and quarantined.
From next week business travellers from lower-risk countries including New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam and Thailand, along with those from medium-risk nations South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, will be allowed in.
They will have to provide details of where they are going in Taiwan, provide proof of testing negative for the virus three days before flying, and prove they have been invited by a company, Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said on Wednesday.
Travellers will still be subject to a 14-day quarantine, like everyone coming into Taiwan, but will be able to cut that time that if they pay for a coronavirus test and it comes back negative.
Taiwan has not implemented a total lockdown and life has continued mostly normally due to Taipei's early and effective prevention work and a first-rate public health system.
While it has largely lifted domestic restrictions, Taiwan has been more cautious about opening up its borders, which have been shut to most foreign visitors since mid-March.
Festival chief calls for mass testing
The director of Reading and Leeds music festivals has called for mass coronavirus testing to allow the hospitality sector to reopen.
Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, said testing should be increased to 400,000 per day.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think people would be queuing up to be tested if it gave them the opportunity to go to football matches or entertainment venues or to restaurants or to cinemas.
"So we can go through the winter with all the venues, all the restaurants, all the stadiums open at full capacity and beginning to put the economy back on track."
The government has only met its own testing targets of 100,000 and then 200,000 per day by double-counting and counting test kits posted out as well as those actually completed.
Beijing flights curbed after new outbreak
More than 60 per cent of commercial flights in and out of Beijing have been cancelled after a new coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese capital.
The virus prevention and control situation in Beijing was described as "extremely grave" at a meeting of Beijing's Communist Party Standing Committee led by the city's top official, party secretary Cai Qi.
"This has truly rung an alarm bell for us," Mr Cai told participants.
You can read our latest story on the situation in Beijing below:
7 in 10 Scottish families on benefits have cut back on food during pandemic, survey suggests
Seventy-one per cent of Scottish families receiving either universal credit or child tax credit have had to cut back on food and other essentials during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Save the Children gathered 412 responses to their survey.
Loss of income and additional costs imposed by lockdown were blamed.
Six in 10 families had been forced to borrow money, they said.
JRF and Save the Children are now calling for an urgent, temporary £20 per week increase to the child element of both benefits from the UK government.
New Russia figures
Russia reported 7,843 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, its lowest daily figure since the end of April. It brought the nationwide total to 553,301.
Russia's virus response team said 194 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 7,478.
NZ military takes over border quarantine after lapse saw UK cases imported
New Zealand’s prime minister has assigned a top military leader to oversee the nation’s border checks, after two women who had flown from London were released from quarantine before being tested for coronavirus, writes Kate Ng.
Jacinda Ardern called the blunder an “unacceptable failure” and said: “It should never have happened and it cannot be repeated.”
The two arrivals, both New Zealand citizens from the same family, flew into the country to visit a dying relative and were granted an exemption to leave their mandatory 14-day quarantine early on compassionate grounds.
Spain's recovery beginning, government believes
Spain's economic recovery from coronavirus is underway, its government believes.
Recent favourable employment indicators anticipate an economic revival in the second half of the year following the massive impact of coronavirus, economy minister Nadia Calvino said on Wednesday.
"The recovery phase has started," she told parliament, adding that the trend change was backed by various indicators, mainly the latest recent job creation data.
She said 1 million furloughed workers were back on the job and that 300,000 new workers affiliated to social security.
Charles says senses have not recovered from Covid-19 bout
The Prince of Wales has spoken out about his experience of having Covid-19, stating that his sense of taste and smell has not fully returned, writes Sabrina Barr.
On Tuesday 16 June, Prince Charles paid a visit to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where he spoke to staff who have been working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.
The visit marked the heir apparent’s first royal engagement since lockdown began.
Germany to extend ban on large events
Germany will extend a ban of large events until at least the end of October due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been reported.
Broadcaster n-tv cited documents prepared for a meeting between Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany's 16 states.
PM hints he may change two-metre distancing rule
Another story from overnight you may wish to catch up on.
Boris Johnson has given his strongest hint yet that the UK’s two-metre social distancing rule could be relaxed in time for the planned 4 July reopening of pubs and restaurants, telling anxious businesses: “Watch this space, because we absolutely hear you.”
Speaking at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing, Mr Johnson acknowledged that the virus was not yet beaten but insisted that the UK has now “turned the tide”, writes Andrew Woodcock.
Nothing fishy here, Norway says
Chinese and Norwegian authorities have concluded that Norwegian salmon was likely not the source of coronavirus found on cutting boards at a Beijing food market, the Norwegian fisheries and seafood minister has said.
Following a meeting between Chinese and Norwegian officials yesterday, both countries have concluded that the source of the outbreak did not originate with fish from the Nordic country, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen said.
Shielding people to get new advice 'soon', says Hancock
The 2.2 million people in England who are shielding from Covid-19 will be given more freedom shortly, the health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock said an announcement would be made "very soon" following reports that the shielding policy is to be axed at the end of next month.
Those who are shielding are currently told they can leave home if they want, as long as they maintain strict social distancing.
They should only go out with members of their own household, but those who live alone can spend time outside with one person from another household, ideally the same person each time.
Responding to reports that shielding would be lifted at the end of July, Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast: "I want to say to your viewers, if you are in the shielded category we will announce very soon what the plans are and we will write to you personally through the NHS so that you can get the direct clinical advice."
The married couples forced apart by coronavirus
It’s been more than three months since Sara saw her husband, Omar*, and the cracks in their marriage have started to appear, writes Nicola Kelly.
“He’s started to withdraw from me, he just seems so depressed,” she says. “He’s calling less, and when he does, he barely asks how me and our two-year-old daughter are. It’s heartbreaking. How are we supposed to live when there’s only a bit of hope left?”
In February, shortly before the national lockdown started, Omar was granted a 30-day vignette – a month-long window to travel from his home country of Morocco to the UK – but two days before he was due to fly out, bags packed, the flight was cancelled. His entry vignette has since expired and the couple have had no information about the status of his application.
