Coronavirus UK news – HUGE test and trace app change coming for vaccinated Brits amid fears pings will cripple economy
BORIS Johnson has been urged to rethink July 19 lockdown lift by scores of global health experts as Delta variant cases rise in the UK.
More than 100 scientists said it would be "dangerous and premature" to lift Covid restrictions in England this month and urged the PM to pause until more people are jabbed.
Writing in the Lancet, the global health experts warned that removing restrictions will result in millions of infections and risk an entire generation suffering decades of chronic health issues and disability from long Covid.
Meanwhile, Covid deaths increased by 35 on Thursday – the third time this week the figure has been higher than 30 – with a further 32,551 new cases taking the UK's infection total past 5million.
It comes as children and fully vaccinated adults will not need to quarantine on their return to England from amber list countries from July 19.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps detailed his plans to MPs today to free up foreign holidays as coronavirus restrictions are eased.
Read our coronavirus live blog below for the latest updates…
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NHS TEST AND TRACE ‘HAS BEEN A SUCCESS’, SAYS FORMER BOSS BARONESS HARDING
The much-criticised NHS Test and Trace programme has proved a “success” in fighting the Covid pandemic, the organisation’s former head has said.
Baroness Harding rejected accusations that it had failed in its objectives after the country was forced into a second national lockdown last winter.
Giving evidence to the Commons Public Accounts Committee, she said it was responsible for helping to break the chains of virus transmission, reducing infections by up to a third.
“I do appreciate that a lot of people listening to this will find this rather incredulous given some of the way it’s been reported, but I would actually argue that NHS Test and Trace has been a success, that it has delivered on the objective to help break the chains of transmission,” she said.
Her comments come amid widespread criticism of its performance, with the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) having said it had only a marginal impact on transmission, despite a budget of £37 billion over two years.
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WHAT IS A COVID VACCINATION CERTIFICATE?
A Covid-status certificate is either proof you do not have Covid with a negative test, or proof of full vaccination.
A certificate called an NHS COVID Pass reveals whether you have been fully vaccinated in the most reliable way.
It is a QR code – similar to those you use when entering into a pub, bar or restaurant.
You can get one if you had a second vaccine dose at least two weeks ago, were vaccinated in England, and are over 16.
It shows that you have had both of your coronavirus vaccines, and therefore have the maximum protection against the virus.
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BOUNCE BACK
The UK economy grew by 0.8% in May as lockdown restrictions continued to ease.
It comes as hotels and cinemas reopened, while pubs and restaurants could welcome diners inside for the first time in months.
Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) slowed from April though, when it grew by 2.3%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In comparison, it expanded by 2.1% in March and by 0.4% in February.
Despite the recent growth, the economy still remains 3.1% below what it used to be before the coronavirus pandemic hit in February 2020.
Analysts had predicted that the economy would report a 1.5% increase for May.
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NORTHERN IRELAND CONFIRMS 627 NEW COVID CASES – BUT ZERO DEATHS
A further 627 positive cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.
There were no further coronavirus-linked deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
On Thursday morning there were 48 Covid-positive inpatients in hospital, of whom three were in intensive care.
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PM’S COVID APPROACH ‘AN EXCEPTION’, SAYS STURGEON IN PLEA FOR CAUTION
The UK Government’s approach to dropping coronavirus regulations “is something of an exception”, Nicola Sturgeon said as she stressed she and her ministers will have to “think carefully about what steps we do take at this juncture”.
The Prime Minister has promised to tear up most of England’s coronavirus regulations at Step 4 of the road map on July 19, but Scotland’s First Minister said many protections will be retained north of the border.
Ms Sturgeon told a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing on Thursday that current high case numbers are concerning, but there is a “suggestion that the recent surge in cases may be to some extent levelling off”.
Case numbers are now 1,432 lower than they were last Thursday, she said, adding that the seven-day average also appears to show a “slowdown in the rise of positive cases”.
She added: “This is encouraging news but obviously case numbers remain high and that is a worry.”
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NHS WAITING LIST AT RECORD HIGH BUT HOSPITALS ADMITTING MORE PATIENTS
The number of people admitted to hospital for surgery and routine treatment is getting back to pre-pandemic levels, although the overall NHS waiting list has reached a new record high, figures show.
The total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England in May was 242,064 – more than four times the number a year earlier (54,550), when hospitals were treating thousands of Covid patients.
Before the pandemic struck, the NHS admitted 295,881 people for routine treatment in May 2019, suggesting the health service is getting close to dealing with pre-pandemic numbers of patients.
However, the overall number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high, the NHS England data shows.
A total of 5.3 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of May 2021 – the highest number since records began in August 2007.
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HOW DO I REARRANGE MY COVID JAB?
Covid vaccines are still being rolled out across the UK with millions of Brits able to now get their second jab eight weeks after the first.
It is very straightforward to cancel or rebook your slot, should you need to make it earlier or rejig due to illness or other commitments.
If something has come up and you need to reschedule your jab slot you need to let the NHS know – or you want to bring your second jab forward, you can do.
But you must make sure that it is not moved to earlier than eight weeks after your first dose.
If you already have a slot you need to go to the NHS vaccine portal, by clicking here.
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SHAPPS WILL WEAR A MASK WHEN TRAVELLING’ IF REQUIRED TO DO SO
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he would still wear a mask when travelling “where it is appropriate to do so”.
SNP transport spokesman Gavin Newlands asked him in the Commons whether people travelling on planes would need to wear a face covering.
Mr Shapps said: “We will be still in guidance and providing information about mask-wearing. We know that it’s sensible in more enclosed spaces, and I will wear a mask personally where it is appropriate to do so.
“The airlines have already said it’s a condition of carriage, I think, in all the cases that I’ve seen, and where it’s a condition of carriage of course I would always wear it.
“On the other hand, if you’re in an empty carriage on a long-distance train for many hours, then people will use their common sense.”
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PM’S COVID APPROACH ‘AN EXCEPTION’, SAYS STURGEON IN PLEA FOR CAUTION
The UK Government’s approach to dropping coronavirus regulations “is something of an exception”, Nicola Sturgeon said as she stressed she and her ministers will have to “think carefully about what steps we do take at this juncture”.
The Prime Minister has promised to tear up most of England’s coronavirus regulations at Step 4 of the road map on July 19, but Scotland’s First Minister said many protections will be retained north of the border.
Ms Sturgeon told a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing on Thursday that current high case numbers are concerning, but there is a “suggestion that the recent surge in cases may be to some extent levelling off”.
Case numbers are now 1,432 lower than they were last Thursday, she said, adding that the seven-day average also appears to show a “slowdown in the rise of positive cases”.
She added: “This is encouraging news but obviously case numbers remain high and that is a worry.”
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EXTRA QUEUES FOR HOLIDAYS FOR COVID CHECKS, TRANSPORT SECRETARY WARNS
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has warned that holidaymakers should expect additional queues when they check in for their flights home due to the need for coronavirus checks.
Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast: "Before you board a plane you would need to show you have completed your passenger locator form, that you have carried out a pre-departure test, that you have got your test booked for day two and all of that needs to be checked by the carrier – the airline usually – before you travel.
"So the place to expect queues is the airport you are coming from. Once you get back to the UK all of that is starting to be automated.
"People should expect more disruption than usual but I know that everyone is working very hard to minimise those queues."
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TRAVEL INDUSTRY SAYS AMBER LIST RULE CHANGES ARE LIKE ‘WATER IN THE DESERT’ FOR COMPANIES
Mark Tanzer, the chief executive of travel sector body Abta, welcomed the changes to travel rules.
He told Sky News: “It will be like water in the desert for a lot of travel companies that have been living without any meaningful revenue for 18 months now.
“This is desperately needed. And the sooner it comes, the better.”
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TOKYO UNDER STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR OLYMPICS DUE TO RISING COVID INFECTION RATES
Tokyo will be in a state of emergency for the Olympic Games after the Japanese government took action against rising coronavirus infection rates.
The measures are set to remain in place until August 22, a fortnight after the Games finish, Japanese agency Kyodo News reported.
The decision throws into doubt the possibility of even limited numbers of Japanese spectators attending the Games, with overseas fans having been barred in April.
“We must take stronger steps to prevent another nationwide outbreak, also considering the impact of coronavirus variants,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in quotes reported by Kyodo News.
Games organisers last month put in place plans to allow venues to be 50 per cent full, up to a maximum of 10,000 people.
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BOOST FOR HOLIDAYS AS DOUBLE-VACCINATED BRITS AND THEIR KIDS CAN SKIP QUARANTINE ON JULY 19 FROM AMBER COUNTRIES
Boost for holidays as double-vaccinated Brits and their kids CAN skip quarantine on July 19 from amber countries
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NORTHERN IRELAND CONFIRMS 627 NEW COVID CASES – BUT ZERO DEATHS
A further 627 positive cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.
There were no further coronavirus-linked deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
On Thursday morning there were 48 Covid-positive inpatients in hospital, of whom three were in intensive care.
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MAPPED: THE FIVE AREAS WHERE COVID CASES ARE RISING FASTEST
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NEW VACCINATION CHECKS AT BORDERS LIKELY TO CAUSE QUEUES – SHAPPS
New checks on the vaccination status of Brits could cause queues at airports and ports, including the busy cross-Channel route, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
"These additional checks are likely to cause delays potentially on both sides of the border of the Channel this summer," Shapps said today.
"I am working closely with my French counterpart to try to minimise any delays as much as possible."
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AMBER LIST QUARANTINE EXEMPTION APPLY TO THOSE JABBED BY NHS ONLY
Downing Street has confirmed that the exemption to quarantine for holidaymakers returning from amber list nations will only apply to those who have been vaccinated by the NHS.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It does need to be a vaccine administered through the NHS rollout so you would need to have received your vaccine through the NHS rather than in a different country."
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NHS COVID APP ALERTS JUMP MORE THAN 60% AS VIRUS CASES CONTINUE TO RISE
The number of exposure alerts sent to users of the NHS Covid-19 app in England has risen by more than 60%, according to the latest contact tracing figures, as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
A total of 356,036 alerts were sent to users of the app in England in the week to June 30, telling them they had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus.
This is up from 219,391 the previous week – a jump of 62% – and is the highest weekly figure since data was first published in January and comes as the Government and health officials have suggested self-isolation rules could be adapted to take into account the number of people who have been vaccinated.
The head of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Jenny Harries, told the Commons Public Accounts Committee on Thursday that work was being done to "tune" the app to work within an increasingly vaccinated population to ensure it was there "for a purpose, not for annoyance".
Ministers have been warned that millions of people could be "pinged" by the app or ordered to self-isolate by Test and Trace, with infections expected to hit around 100,000 cases a day in the summer.
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NHS WAITING LIST AT RECORD HIGH BUT HOSPITALS ADMITTING MORE PATIENTS
The number of people admitted to hospital for surgery and routine treatment is getting back to pre-pandemic levels, although the overall NHS waiting list has reached a new record high, figures show.
The total number of people admitted for routine treatment in hospitals in England in May was 242,064 – more than four times the number a year earlier (54,550), when hospitals were treating thousands of Covid patients.
Before the pandemic struck, the NHS admitted 295,881 people for routine treatment in May 2019, suggesting the health service is getting close to dealing with pre-pandemic numbers of patients.
However, the overall number of people in England waiting to start routine hospital treatment has risen to a new record high, the NHS England data shows.
A total of 5.3 million people were waiting to start treatment at the end of May 2021 – the highest number since records began in August 2007.
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GRANT SHAPPS EXPLAINS TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR BRITS TRAVELLING TO AMBER DESTINATIONS
Grant Shapps said: "They'll still be required to take a test three days before returning, the pre-departure test, demonstrating they're negative before they travel, and a PCR test on or before day two, but they will no longer be required to take a day eight test."
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PM'S COVID APPROACH 'AN EXCEPTION', SAYS STURGEON IN PLEA FOR CAUTION
The UK Government's approach to dropping coronavirus regulations "is something of an exception", Nicola Sturgeon said as she stressed she and her ministers will have to "think carefully about what steps we do take at this juncture".
The Prime Minister has promised to tear up most of England's coronavirus regulations at Step 4 of the road map on July 19, but Scotland's First Minister said many protections will be retained north of the border.
Ms Sturgeon told a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing on Thursday that current high case numbers are concerning, but there is a "suggestion that the recent surge in cases may be to some extent levelling off".
Case numbers are now 1,432 lower than they were last Thursday, she said, adding that the seven-day average also appears to show a "slowdown in the rise of positive cases".
She added: "This is encouraging news but obviously case numbers remain high and that is a worry."
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GMB'S RICHARD MADELEY IN HEATED ARGUMENT WITH DOCTOR AND PSYCHOLOGIST ABOUT END OF LOCKDOWN
Richard Madeley in heated argument with doctor and psychologist about end of lockdown
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SHAPPS: WE WANT TO WELCOME INTERNATIONAL VISITORS BACK TO THE UK
Mr Shapps said: “We want to welcome international visitors back to the UK and are working to extend our approach to vaccinated passengers from important destinations.”
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THERESA MAY PRESSES GRANT SHAPPS ON TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
Conservative former prime minister Theresa May (Maidenhead) said: "When queues at the border have been a problem in the past, extra staff have been brought in including from other Government departments to support Border Force.
"Will (he) on behalf of the Government guarantee that every effort will be made to bring in extra resources, deploy staff in different ways, including changing staff rotas at Border Force in order to ensure that there can be a smooth movement of people through our borders and that we do not see inordinately long queues?"
Mr Shapps replied: "I've been working with the Home Secretary and Border Force on exactly this issue… quite a lot of the checking will be done upstream… so queues at check-in whilst you're abroad may in fact be the place where those problems most exist.
"She's absolutely right to say that it's important that the borders at this end are as smooth as possible and indeed a lot of investment is going into automating all of that."
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HOW DO I REARRANGE MY COVID JAB?
Covid vaccines are still being rolled out across the UK with millions of Brits able to now get their second jab eight weeks after the first.
It is very straightforward to cancel or rebook your slot, should you need to make it earlier or rejig due to illness or other commitments.
If something has come up and you need to reschedule your jab slot you need to let the NHS know – or you want to bring your second jab forward, you can do.
But you must make sure that it is not moved to earlier than eight weeks after your first dose.
If you already have a slot you need to go to the NHS vaccine portal, by clicking here.
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