Coronavirus news UK: Delta variant cases rise 99% as Covid pingdemic forces double-jab Brits & workers to self-isolate

COVID cases are on the rise, forcing millions of Brits – including essential workers – to self-isolate as grim numbers begin to resurface.

Around 99 per cent of areas are now reporting an increase in coronavirus cases, with Redcar & Cleveland, Copeland, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Castle Point topping the list.

Also, the UK death toll from the virus rose by 96 yesterday – almost double the death toll of this time last week.

Tuesday's figures showed the worst fatality levels since March, with another 46,558 new cases also confirmed.

Read our Coronavirus live blog for the very latest updates…

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    ‘CLARITY NEEDED’ OVER VACCINE TRAVEL FOR IRISH PASSPORT HOLDERS FROM NI

    Politicians have urged the Irish Government to provide clarity on when people from Northern Ireland who hold Irish passports will be able to use the new EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC).

    The DCC was introduced in the Republic on Monday as part of a EU-wide scheme which will allow unrestricted international travel for those who are fully vaccinated.

    The documents can also be used for indoor hospitality when it reopens later this month.

    But most Irish passport holders in Northern Ireland will not be able to access the certificate at first because they were vaccinated outside of the Republic.

    Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond said the DCC is only available to those who were vaccinated by the HSE, the Irish health service.

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    WILL THERE BE ANOTHER LOCKDOWN?

    Chris Whitty has warned England could be plunged back into lockdown within five weeks as Covid cases surge during the third wave.

    The chief medical officer says coronavirus hospitalisations are doubling about every three weeks and could hit “quite scary numbers”.

    His stark warning came days before July 19’s ‘Freedom Day’ and the final step in Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of Covid curbs.

    But top doc Prof Whitty said the country is “not out of the woods yet” as cases rocketed to the highest level in six months.

    Speaking at a Science Museum webinar, Prof Whitty said: “I don’t think we should underestimate the fact that we could get into trouble again surprisingly fast.”

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    ‘DISAPPOINTING’

    Fifty children and teens are being admitted to hospital with Covid a week as scientists say restricting vaccines is a “gamble”.

    Ministers were advised by an expert panel yesterday to only give Covid jabs to vulnerable children and those who will be 18 in three months time.

    It suggests The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) does not believe the vaccines have more benefit than risk to those under 18 years old, despite medicine regulators giving the green light for those over the age of 12.

    Prof Anthony Harnden, Deputy Chair of the JCVI, said because kids tend to get mild Covid, “the health benefits of vaccinating them are small”.

    While some agreed with the decision, there was resounding disappointment among scientists who picked out a number of faults from the guidance.

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    GRAOHIC: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY

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    NO 10 DENIES CUMMINGS' CLAIM PM WANTED TO SEE THE QUEEN EARLY IN THE PANDEMIC

    Downing Street has flatly denied Dominic Cummings' allegation that Boris Johnson wanted to visit the Queen early in the pandemic despite coronavirus having hit No 10.

    The former chief aide in No 10 alleged that he had to convince the Prime Minister out of visiting her by warning of the potentially grave consequences.

    But the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "This didn't happen and we've been clear about that."

    Mr Johnson ultimately took a 15-month break from his face-to-face weekly audience with the Queen after meeting her on March 11 2020 and they instead spoke on the phone.

    But Mr Cummings, who has been engaged in a war of words with Mr Johnson since leaving No 10 in November, alleged Mr Johnson wanted to visit her a week later, on March 18.

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    VOTE LEAVE £350M SLOGAN DROVE REMAINERS CRAZY 'BECAUSE IT WAS TRUE', SAYS CUMMINGS

    The Brexit campaign promise to give the NHS an extra £350 million per week if the UK left the European Union "drove everyone crazy" because it was true, according to Dominic Cummings.

    The former Vote Leave mastermind admitted the figure, which was emblazoned on campaign buses used by key Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson, was used as a "trap" for the Remain side as it exposed the "true balance sheet" of EU membership.

    Critics have argued the figure was misleading as it did not take into account the rebate the UK received from Brussels.

    But in an interview with the BBC, Mr Cummings said: "The reason why that figure worked and the reason why it drove everyone crazy and the reason why people are still talking about it now is that we were using true figures."

    In a candid admission, he also said it was "perfectly reasonable" to argue that Brexit was a mistake, but that anyone who was confident either way had "got a screw loose".

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    40,000 CARE HOME STAFF RISK BEING LOST OVER MANDATORY JABS, SAYS 'BEST' ESTIMATE

    Around 40,000 care home staff risk being lost as a result of introducing compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations in England and could cost the industry £100 million to replace, according to the Government's own "best" estimate.

    The number represents 7% of the profession's 570,000-strong workforce and is the "midpoint" between the upper and lower estimates of 70,000 (12%) and 17,000 (3%) respectively.

    From the autumn, anyone working in a Care Quality Commission-registered care home in England must have two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have a medical exemption, under regulations already backed by MPs despite a Tory revolt.

    The threatened impact of the move emerged as the House of Lords inflicted a defeat on the Government to register concern about the way the measure is being brought in, with one peer accusing the Department of Health and Social Care of "lying".

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    DOMINIC CUMMINGS CLAIMS HE TIRED TO OUT BORIS JOHNSON BECAUSE HE 'DIDN'T HAVE A PLAN'

    Cummings claimed he tried to out the PM because he "didn't have a plan."

    He said:“I had a plan, I was trying to get things done, he didn’t have a plan… he didn’t have an agenda, you know the Prime Minister’s only agenda is buy more trains, buy more buses, have more bikes and build the world’s most stupid tunnel to Ireland, that’s it.”

    The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg asked him if it made him a "treacherous" person for plotting against the PM, to which he replied: "In some ways yes."

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    THE SOONER JOHNSON LEAVES NO 10 THE BETTER, SAYS CUMMINGS

    Dominic Cummings has admitted he thought Boris Johnson being Prime Minister was "terrible for the country",, but that he and "a few dozen" backers sought to use his premiership to their advantage.

    The former de facto chief of staff in No 10 said he had found Mr Johnson to have "hopeless" traits after working with him during the 2016 Brexit referendum, but agreed after he entered Downing Street three years later to assist him.

    But Mr Cummings, who left No 10 in the autumn after a power struggle, admitted he was now working to hasten the Prime Minister's demise.

    Asked on the BBC whether he was looking to "hasten" Mr Johnson's departure from Downing Street, he said: "Certainly. The sooner he goes the better, for sure."

    In the hour-long broadcast, Mr Cummings said he had looked to "exploit" the situation the country found itself in after Mr Johnson took power.

    "I think it is terrible for the country but I keep trying to stress, you've got to balance up the different possibilities," he said.

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    DOMINIC CUMMINGS ACCUSES BORIS JOHNSON OF LETTING BRITS DIE FROM COVID TO SAVE HIS POLITICAL SKIN

    Dominic Cummings accuses Boris Johnson of letting Brits die from Covid to save his political skin

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    MAPPED: ROYAL MAIL 'PINGDEMIC' DELIVERY CHAOS AREAS

    Deliveries of letters and packages have been disrupted after a wave of postal staff have been forced into Covid self-isolation.

    Royal Mail service alerts were issued for eight locations alone over the weekend, from Bath to Blackpool, the Sun can reveal.

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    GRAPHIC: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY

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    CUMMINGS SAYS HE HAS NOT SPOKEN TO BORIS JOHNSON

    Answering a question on whether he still speaks to Boris, Mr Cummings said: "Last time i spoke to him was the Friday I left No.10.

    "He texted me a few days later asking if I'd speak to him and I said no.

    "It doesn't bother me one way or the other [if i speak to him again]."

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    DOWNING STREET SAYS 'ALL POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS MADE BY PM'

    Downing Street gave a statement at the end of the documentary, saying: "All political appointments are made entirely by the Prime Minister".

     

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    BEZOS ANNOUNCED NEW $100 MILLION 'COURAGE AND CIVILITY' GRANTFOLLOWING BLUE ORIGIN SPACE FLIGHT

    Jeff Bezos announced a new philanthropic venture at the press conference following the Blue Origin spaceflight.

    The Courage & Civility Award is a $100 million grant that the recipient can give to the charities or nonprofits of their choice.

    The award “recognizes leaders who aim high and who pursue solutions with courage and always do so with civility,” according to Bezos.

    Bezos gave the first award to Van Jones, news commentator and founder of Dream Corps, and the second award to award-winning chef José Andrés.

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    'CARRIE WANTED US ALL OUT', AND WANTED TO 'APPOINT CLOWNS TO KEY JOBS' SAYS CUMMINGS

    "Carrie's view was and is – the PM doesn't have a plan and doesnt' know how Whitehall works.In 2019 her view was better that its Dom and Vote Leave team than civil service.

    "But as soon as election was won it was, why should it be Dom and Vote Leave team, why shouldn't it be me."

    Mr Cunmings continued: "Literally immediately after the election it was already clear that this was a problem. We were having meetings in No.10 saying that Carrie all wants us gone.

    "The situation we found ourselves in is that the PM's girlfriend wanted to get rid of us and appoint clowns to certain key jobs.

    "We actually have some pretty good judgement about who is competent and who isn't competent."

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    CUMMINGS: NO ONE ON EARTH COULD BE CERTAIN LEAVING EU WAS 'RIGHT DECISION'

    Mr Cummings said that "no-one on Earth" could be certain it had been the right decision to quit the EU.

    "I think anyone who says they're sure about questions like that has a screw loose, whether you're on the Remain side or on our side," he said.

    "One of the reasons why we won is… we didn't think we 

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    CUMMINGS SAYS HE AND ALLIES STARTED TO FEAR THEY WOULD LOSE THEIR JOBS UNDER BORIS AS PM

    Mr Cummings said he and his allies began to fear for their positions by January 2020 and started discussing Mr Johnson's future.

    "[People] were already saying, 'By the summer, either we'll all have gone from here or we'll be in the process of trying to get rid of [Mr Johnson] and get someone else in as prime minister'," he said.

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    DOMINIC CUMMINGS 'WANTED TO RE-WIRE THE SYSTEM'[ SAYS LAURA K

    Cummings wanted to re-wire the whole system says Laura K.

    Mr Cummings nods and agrees with the system.

     

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    CUMMINGS: AS ADVISERS WE CAN TELL WHO IS COMPETENT AND WHO IS NOT

    Cummings says advisers do not haver the power as unelected officials to oust a Prime Minister.

    But we "do have ways of being able to tell who is competent and who isn't it", he adds.

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    CUMMINGS: I WAS EXPLICIT THAT SENIOR LEADERSHIP OF TORY PARTY WAS NOT RIGHT TO LEAD THE COUNTRY

    "I was extremely explicit over the years that the senior leadership of conservative party were not the right people to be leading the country.

    "I don't think that's a reasonable claim to make about me."

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    BORIS JOHNSON 'DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND HE NEEDED HELP' SAYS CUMMINGS

    "I thought BJ had some abilities in various ways, and also completely hopeless in other ways. there are many many people I know who I'd much prefer to see in no 10 but that wasn't practical.

    "I also felt that because Boris knows he needs help, that also provides an opp to push the country in a more positive direction.

    "He didnt know what he was doing but he did know he needed help."

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    CUMMINGS INSISTS VOTE LEAVE 'USED TRUE FIGURES' TO PUSH THROUGH BREXIT

    "We were using true figures… if the worst that can be said about a political campaign is that they used real figures but it needed more context – then you can say "vote leave has been more honest than any other political campaign".

    He added: "I don't think we won on false pretences – the arguments we made about the weaknesses, costs about the EU were vindicated"

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    CUMMINGS ADMITS HE LOOKED INTO OUSTING BORIS JOHNSON AS PRIME MINISTER

    Former Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings said he looked into replacing Boris Johnson as Prime Minister only weeks after helping him to secure a 80-seat majority at the 2019 election.

    In an interview with the BBC, Mr Cummings – who was Mr Johnson's closest aide before resigning last autumn – said: "Before even mid-January we were having meetings in Number 10 saying it's clear that Carrie (Johnson) wants rid of all of us.

    "At that point we were already saying by the summer either we'll all have gone from here or we'll be in the process of trying to get rid of him and get someone else in as Prime Minister."

    He added: "(Mr Johnson) doesn't have a plan, he doesn't know how to be Prime Minister and we only got him in there because we had to solve a certain problem not because he was the right person to be running the country."

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    CUMMINGS: WORLD EVENTS HAVE VALIDATED THE VOTE LEAVE WIN IN EU REFERENDUM

    "i obvously think brexit was a good thing", Cummings added.

    "The way the world has worked out since 2016 has validated Vote Leave."

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