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UK coronavirus live: record new cases for second day; new restrictions in Blackpool, Stockport and Wales UK coronavirus live: record new cases for second day; new restrictions in Blackpool, Stockport and Wales
(32 minutes later)
Restrictions for Stockport, Blackpool and in Wales; R number rises to between 1.2 and 1.5; London placed on watchlist with Leeds facing new measuresRestrictions for Stockport, Blackpool and in Wales; R number rises to between 1.2 and 1.5; London placed on watchlist with Leeds facing new measures
Commenting on the latest infection figures from the Office for National Statistics and the government’s latest readjustment of the R figures, Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, said cases are rising at an alarming rate. “In particular we are worried about places like London and other major cities like Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow where cases are surging and the R value is around 1.4,” he said. Lucy Mair, 49, from Manchester, is everything but impressed with the way her daughter’s university has handled the coronavirus outbreak on campus.
The ONS data confirms what other data sources have recently revealed: while the uptick in infections was, at first, largely among younger people, a rise is now being seen in all age groups – although rates are highest among 17 to 24 year olds. Her daughter is a first year at Glasgow University, having arrived 12 days ago and living in Murano, the largest student village and epicentre of the current outbreak at the university.
“Every single flat around her has positive cases, only her flat of 12 so far has not tested positive but they are in self-isolation anyway for 14 days due to having had contacts with others who have now tested positive in other flats,” Mair told the Guardian.
“The lack of support from the University is mind-boggling. Despite purporting on their website, Twitter and Facebook accounts that they are supporting students who are self isolating and positive this could not be further from the truth.”
Mair said her daughter and many others in halls had not received any communications from the university, “apart from a sign that was slapped on their flat door telling them to self isolate”.
“When they had to ring and ask what they should do about food and laundry they were told to wash their clothes in their bathtub and that they would have to sort their own supermarket food delivery, it took them 3 days to get a slot. There is no welfare support, mental health support, daily check-in to see if they are ok and need anything, even though they have two 17-year-olds amongst them for whom the university has an extra duty of care,” Mair said.
“Meanwhile the flat above had played music from their flat yesterday, including Queen’s “I want to break free”. They have received an official warning from the university. For what? Playing music while under lockdown? Since when is that banned?”
Mair added the university had provided “zero assistance” in getting students tested for coronavirus.
“The kids were arranging the tests themselves,” she said. “I and other angry parents suggested the uni should get a mobile testing unit in, and lo and behold they finally did yesterday, a week after the first positive test. Even now they are not testing all the students in the covid-riddled buildings - only those who have symptoms. It’s a shambles beyond shambles.”
Historically, medical research has often lumped women and men together despite growing evidence that the sexes differ in how they catch and fight disease.
Covid-19 seems to be a case in point when it comes to differences between the sexes, with men thought to be up to twice as likely as women to die from the virus.
But a new analysis suggests that scientists involved in the race to develop medical interventions for the coronavirus have paid little attention to these disparities.
In a still to be peer-reviewed study, researchers found that only 416 of the 2,484 Covid-19 clinical trials mention sex/gender as a recruitment criterion on the ClinicalTrials.gov database, which could have fatal consequences.
My colleague Natalie Grover reports.
Friday’s daily government figures on coronavirus did not include deaths in Scotland, with a message on the dashboard reading:
“Due to a power outage at National Records of Scotland we have not been able to update the deaths figures for Scotland.”
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 57,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, PA reports.
Commenting on the latest infection figures from the Office for National Statistics and the government’s latest readjustment of the R figures, Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said cases were rising at an alarming rate. “In particular we are worried about places like London and other major cities like Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow where cases are surging and the R value is around 1.4,” he said.
The ONS data confirms what other data sources have recently revealed: while the uptick in infections was, at first, largely among younger people, a rise is now being seen in all age groups – although rates are highest among 17-24-year-olds.
Last Friday it was reported about 1 in 900 people in the community in England had Covid the preceding week, with about 6,000 new cases a day.Last Friday it was reported about 1 in 900 people in the community in England had Covid the preceding week, with about 6,000 new cases a day.
Today’s data suggests in the recent week there were 9,600 new cases a day.Today’s data suggests in the recent week there were 9,600 new cases a day.
Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor of Cellular Microbiology at the University of Reading, said that while cases are not rising as quickly as they did in March the new findings are of concern and that extra pressure on hospitals, and a rise in deaths, are to be expected. Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said that while cases were not rising as quickly as they did in March the new findings were of concern, and extra pressure on hospitals and a rise in deaths were to be expected.
“These data indicate that the ONS believes the number of daily coronavirus infections has tripled in a fortnight. It’s a worrying increase and is occurring across all age groups, particularly in the North of England and London,” he said. “These data indicate that the ONS believes the number of daily coronavirus infections has tripled in a fortnight. It’s a worrying increase and is occurring across all age groups, particularly in the north of England and London,” he said.
A further 6,874 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus in the 24 hours to Friday, a new record, bringing the total number of infections to 423,236.A further 6,874 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus in the 24 hours to Friday, a new record, bringing the total number of infections to 423,236.
The UK had recorded 6,634 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, then the highest reported figure during the course of the pandemic.The UK had recorded 6,634 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, then the highest reported figure during the course of the pandemic.
Additional restrictions are also to be reimposed in Stockport, Greater Manchester, from midnight, after mixing between households had been allowed since 2 September. Additional restrictions are also to be reimposed in Stockport, Greater Manchester from midnight, after mixing between households had been allowed since 2 September.
Writing on Facebook, David Meller, the council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said:Writing on Facebook, David Meller, the council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said:
Among the new restrictions will be a ban on households inviting others to their homes or gardens and no socialising with other households in public venues or places, he said. Among the new restrictions would be a ban on households inviting others to their homes or gardens and on socialising with other households in public venues or places, he said.
Blackpool is to have extra Covid-19 restrictions imposed from Saturday, a local MP has said.Blackpool is to have extra Covid-19 restrictions imposed from Saturday, a local MP has said.
Scott Benton, Conservative MP for Blackpool South, said the town’s council and the government had decided to impose additional restrictions on the resort, which will bring it into line with the rest of Lancashire which had extra restrictions imposed last week. Scott Benton, the Conservative MP for Blackpool South, said the town’s council and the government had decided to impose additional restrictions on the resort, which will bring it into line with the rest of Lancashire where extra restrictions were imposed last week.
Blackpool was controversially exempt from the last round of restrictions on the county, but saw a huge surge in visitors last weekend.Blackpool was controversially exempt from the last round of restrictions on the county, but saw a huge surge in visitors last weekend.
Benton, writing on his Facebook page, said when the decision was made to impose additional restrictions on the rest of Lancashire at the beginning of last week, the Blackpool infection rate was 23 cases per 100,000 people, significantly below the average for the rest of Lancashire.Benton, writing on his Facebook page, said when the decision was made to impose additional restrictions on the rest of Lancashire at the beginning of last week, the Blackpool infection rate was 23 cases per 100,000 people, significantly below the average for the rest of Lancashire.
But by Wednesday the town’s rate had increased to 63 cases per 100,000, still below the average for the whole of Lancashire but a significant rise over the last week, the PA reports. But by Wednesday the town’s rate had increased to 63 cases per 100,000, still below the average for the whole of Lancashire but a significant rise over the last week, PA reports.
The extension of lockdown measures to three more parts of Wales this weekend brings the people in the UK who are living under enhanced curbs to 19.8 million, equivalent to 30% of the population.The extension of lockdown measures to three more parts of Wales this weekend brings the people in the UK who are living under enhanced curbs to 19.8 million, equivalent to 30% of the population.
The announcement that people will not be allowed to travel into or out of Cardiff, Swansea and town Llaneli other than work or education affects 670,000 people. The announcement that people will not be allowed to travel into or out of Cardiff, Swansea and Llanelli other than for work or education affects 670,000 people.
This brings to 1.5 million people the number of people under more stringent lockdown rules in Wales, almost one-in-two people. This brings to 1.5 million the number of people under more stringent lockdown rules in Wales, almost half of the population.
All people living in the UK are now restricted from meeting in groups of six or more (the exact definition changes are different between the four nations). All people living in the UK are now restricted from meeting in groups of six or more (the exact definition is different between the four nations).
London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Boris Johnson to ban household mixing for London’s 9 million residents, warning that a 43% fall in testing in the capital risks masking the severity of the virus’s spread.London mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Boris Johnson to ban household mixing for London’s 9 million residents, warning that a 43% fall in testing in the capital risks masking the severity of the virus’s spread.
My colleague Heather Stewart reports.My colleague Heather Stewart reports.
As my colleague Libby Brooks reported earlier, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has backed disciplinary action being taken as a “last resort” against students who breach new rules aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 on university campuses.As my colleague Libby Brooks reported earlier, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has backed disciplinary action being taken as a “last resort” against students who breach new rules aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 on university campuses.
Speaking as the daily increase in cases reached a record high, with 558 Scots testing positive in the past 24 hours, the first minister said that for those who are “flagrantly breaching rules, then of course discipline and enforcement has to be part of the answer”.Speaking as the daily increase in cases reached a record high, with 558 Scots testing positive in the past 24 hours, the first minister said that for those who are “flagrantly breaching rules, then of course discipline and enforcement has to be part of the answer”.
University principals - backed by the Scottish Government - have made it “absolutely clear” to students that they must not take part in house parties.University principals - backed by the Scottish Government - have made it “absolutely clear” to students that they must not take part in house parties.
As part of efforts to prevent outbreaks in university campuses from spreading into the wider population, all students are being asked to avoid pubs this weekend.As part of efforts to prevent outbreaks in university campuses from spreading into the wider population, all students are being asked to avoid pubs this weekend.
In addition, universities will adopt a “yellow card/red card” approach to breaches of discipline, with students warned the consequences could include “potential discontinuation of study”.In addition, universities will adopt a “yellow card/red card” approach to breaches of discipline, with students warned the consequences could include “potential discontinuation of study”.
Asked if she supports such a tough stance, Sturgeon said:Asked if she supports such a tough stance, Sturgeon said:
The National Union of Students has claimed students are being “unfairly” blamed for spreading the disease, and it condemned the “unjustified step of applying different rules to students over and above the rest of the adult population”.The National Union of Students has claimed students are being “unfairly” blamed for spreading the disease, and it condemned the “unjustified step of applying different rules to students over and above the rest of the adult population”.
But hundreds of students are currently self-isolating after outbreaks of the virus at Glasgow, Edinburgh Napier and other universities.But hundreds of students are currently self-isolating after outbreaks of the virus at Glasgow, Edinburgh Napier and other universities.
The latest daily coronavirus figures also show a rise in positivity rates - with almost one in 10 (9.5%) of those tested confirmed as having Covid-19.The latest daily coronavirus figures also show a rise in positivity rates - with almost one in 10 (9.5%) of those tested confirmed as having Covid-19.
Experts have described a possible feature showing people a “personalised risk score” for coronavirus within the new contact tracing app as “alarming”.
The boss of Zuhlke Engineering, which developed the NHS Covid-19 app for England and Wales, revealed that engineers are working on such an option for a future update on the app.
“That might actually help people get a feel for how risky a life they lead,” chief executive Wolfgang Emmerich told PA.
It would work using Bluetooth on board smartphones, which the app already heavily relies on.
But the British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute for IT, has expressed concern about it over accuracy and potential “unintended side effects”.
“Comments from the developers about their plans to provide information to individuals about ‘how risky their life is’ based on Bluetooth contacts are alarming,” said Adam Leon Smith, a fellow of BCS.
“These sorts of algorithmic scoring approaches are often inaccurate and can have unintended side effects.”
Smith said personal risk scores needed to be encrypted.
“I’m keen to see this isn’t passed to the developer’s servers to establish a centralised tracking system by the backdoor,” he said.
“There are security issues with using Bluetooth in this way, it remains possible for attackers to manipulate the behaviour of the system to give incorrect information to users, however this has been made more challenging through various means.”
Smith also questioned why the QR code scanning for checking into venues could not be made available to people with older phones, after issues were identified by those unable to use the latest version of iOS or Android operating systems.
“The QR code functionality would have been a great way to provide exposure notification functionality for users of older phones,” he added.
“It is not clear why people need to have the latest iOS release in order to take pictures of QR codes.”
Students who contracted coronavirus after starting university have said an outbreak in their accommodation was inevitable.
One student told the PA she has now been isolating for nearly a month, having been placed in an initial 14-day quarantine on arrival from California.
The teenager and three other people in her eight-person flat in Glasgow University’s Murano Street Student Village have now tested positive for coronavirus.
The complex is the university’s largest halls of residence and can house 1,175 students.
The 18-year-old, who is studying international relations and sociology, said she is having to wash her clothes in the sink as the laundry is outside the flat.
The residents of the flat had already been isolating for five days when she received her positive test result on Friday morning.
She said: “With this many kids in this small an area, it was bound to happen.
“We have it, so the negative people are cooking. They will drop off food outside our doors.
“It’s really hard not to mix, our kitchen is small and we have to share a bathroom. We’ve been wearing masks.
“I’ve been watching a lot of movies and just trying to focus on other things.”
One flatmate, 19, from London, who also tested positive on Friday morning, said he arrived late to the flat and it had already been placed in isolation.
He said: “It’s freshers’ week - it just happens. You couldn’t stop it if you tried. I was washing my hands everywhere I went.” The flatmates had already booked a test at Glasgow Caledonian University in another part of the city before they discovered a mobile testing unit had been set up at Murano Street.
Another student in separate accommodation at the complex said there had been some positive cases in her 12-person flat, but she had tested negative.
The 19-year-old from London, who is studying medicine, said: “The uni put in place all the precautions they could, but things happen.
“As much as it’s horrible to have to be isolating already, we’re still getting to know each other so it’s not as bad as it could be.”
Dr Deepti Gurdasani, a clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary, University of London, has put the government’s updated R and infection growth rate into context, highlighting that the actual growth rates are likely to be higher.
Speaking to the Guardian, she said:
Andrew RT Davies, shadow health minister for the Welsh Conservatives, has called for “clarity and consistency” following the news of three further local lockdowns in Wales.
He said:
The chief medical officers on both sides of the Irish border have appealed for people to avoid all but necessary cross-border travel.
Irish acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn and the chief medical officer of Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride, met on Friday to review the pandemic, the Press Association reports.
In a joint statement Glynn and McBride said:
The pair called on people across the island to continue to follow public health advice to keep themselves and others safe.
They said they were concerned about the significant proportion of cases in young people in Donegal and Derry, and appealed to teenagers and those in their 20s and 30s in particular to reduce their social contacts.
A further 33 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 29,871, NHS England said on Friday.
The patients were aged between 56 and 93 and all except two, aged 84 and 88, had known underlying health conditions.
The deaths occurred between 21 April and 24 September.
Two other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has called for financial support from the government for areas under extra restrictions.
At his weekly press conference, he told reporters:
Burnham also called for a “wholesale change” of the government’s Test and Trace programme.
He said:
Wales has recorded a further 320 confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the total in the country to 22,215.
Public Health Wales said three further deaths had been reported, with the total since the beginning of the pandemic increasing to 1,609.
Lisa Nandy, the Labour MP for Wigan, said additional restrictions on mixing between households would be reimposed on the borough in line with most of Greater Manchester.
Local restrictions were previously lifted in Wigan on 26 August as infection rates were low, but latest seven-day rolling figures show 106.2 positive cases per 100,000 population, according to PA Media.
Students are able to travel into Cardiff and Swansea to attend university, the Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, has confirmed.
“Coming for work or education is a reasonable excuse for travel and so students will be arriving, many of them are here already of course in their chosen university towns or cities,” Gething said.
“The message to students is to be responsible, to familiarise themselves with the local rules.”
Gething said it would be “an interruption” in the normal university experience, where people would expect to go out and want to meet many other people.
“We’re asking people to restrict the length and nature and level of those contacts, but it’s about keeping them safe as well as the towns or cities that they’ve chosen to come and live and study in,” he added.
People are however not allowed to travel into areas of Wales subjected to a local lockdown for holidays, Gething stressed.
“We’ve been really clear that travel for holiday to stay within a local area isn’t a reasonable excuse,” he said, adding he had written to holiday providers and insurance companies asking them to provide refunds and support for those no longer able to travel.