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UK coronavirus live: Covid-19 death toll passes 60,000 UK coronavirus live: 367 people die within 24 hours, highest since end of May
(32 minutes later)
Total number of deaths from Covid-19 across UK reaches 61,116; 55 MPs sign letter to PM expressing fears that government’s ‘levelling up’ for the north is being abandoned Covid-19 patient numbers in Leeds now higher than during first wave; total number of deaths from Covid-19 across UK reaches 61,116
The UK government said a further 367 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday. This brings the total to 45,365. That is the highest daily figure since 27 May, when 422 deaths were reported.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 61,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
The government said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 22,885 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 917,575.
Dr Mary Bousted, the joint general secretary of the National EducationUnion, said the school attendance figures were “shocking” (see 2.31pm.) and raised concerns about remote learning with so many pupils out of the classroom.
Only essential operations are going ahead at hospitals in Leeds after the number of patients Covid-19 being treated rose to levels higher than in the first wave of the virus.
In a statement, Leeds Teaching hospitals NHS trust - which runs Leeds General infirmary and St James’s hospital - said:
The statement went on:
The trust said that the hospitals currently have 263 patients who have tested positive for Covid-19, including 22 in intensive care, which is more than at the peak of the pandemic in mid-April.
Andy Burnham has accused Tesco of failing to be “Covid-safe” over the wearing of face coverings, accusing the supermarket giant of having failed to take a “responsible attitude”.Andy Burnham has accused Tesco of failing to be “Covid-safe” over the wearing of face coverings, accusing the supermarket giant of having failed to take a “responsible attitude”.
The Greater Manchester mayor told the Lords economic affairs committee that local leaders had called for the government to hand over powers to take targeted enforcement action against firms that fail to protect staff and customers.The Greater Manchester mayor told the Lords economic affairs committee that local leaders had called for the government to hand over powers to take targeted enforcement action against firms that fail to protect staff and customers.
The Duchess of Cornwall has said the health and social care secretary Matt Hancock was left “impressed” by a demonstration of Covid-19 detecting dogs trained by a charity she supports. The Duchess of Cornwall has said the health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, was left “impressed” by a demonstration of Covid-19 detecting dogs trained by a charity she supports.
Camilla was joined by the secretary of state for the event staged by the Medical Detection Dogs where labradors, trained to sniff out the virus, were put through their paces in Paddington station.Camilla was joined by the secretary of state for the event staged by the Medical Detection Dogs where labradors, trained to sniff out the virus, were put through their paces in Paddington station.
The Department of Health has helped to fund the clinical trials, which are being run as a collaboration between the charity and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University.The Department of Health has helped to fund the clinical trials, which are being run as a collaboration between the charity and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Durham University.
Six times during the demonstration, labradors Bob and Basil picked out the person wearing an item of clothing impregnated with the scent of Covid-19 from five volunteers.Six times during the demonstration, labradors Bob and Basil picked out the person wearing an item of clothing impregnated with the scent of Covid-19 from five volunteers.
In the past, the dogs being trained have shown they can find a Covid-19 sufferer who is not showing symptoms within half a second.In the past, the dogs being trained have shown they can find a Covid-19 sufferer who is not showing symptoms within half a second.
It is hoped in the coming months the animals could be deployed at airports, train stations and sporting venues to assist with the rapid screening of people.It is hoped in the coming months the animals could be deployed at airports, train stations and sporting venues to assist with the rapid screening of people.
Camilla, who is patron of Medical Detection Dogs, described the dogs as “simply remarkable, so impressive”.Camilla, who is patron of Medical Detection Dogs, described the dogs as “simply remarkable, so impressive”.
Hancock held one of the dogs being trained and said:Hancock held one of the dogs being trained and said:
Parks and libraries should be closed as a “last resort” during any potential future lockdowns, researchers have said.Parks and libraries should be closed as a “last resort” during any potential future lockdowns, researchers have said.
They found 75% of babies and toddlers have spent more time watching TV or playing with a tablet during lockdown. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to have higher daily screen use, experts said.They found 75% of babies and toddlers have spent more time watching TV or playing with a tablet during lockdown. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to have higher daily screen use, experts said.
Researchers from Oxford Brookes and the universities of Oxford, Leeds, Warwick and East Anglia set out to explore the disruption caused to families’ lives during lockdown, particularly due to the closure of libraries, playgroups plus parks and other outdoor spaces.Researchers from Oxford Brookes and the universities of Oxford, Leeds, Warwick and East Anglia set out to explore the disruption caused to families’ lives during lockdown, particularly due to the closure of libraries, playgroups plus parks and other outdoor spaces.
They polled 500 parents of children under three during the spring on the amount of time spent doing enrichment activities - such as reading, playing and singing - and screen time both before and during lockdown. Overall, 90% of families reported an increase in enriching activities during lockdown.They polled 500 parents of children under three during the spring on the amount of time spent doing enrichment activities - such as reading, playing and singing - and screen time both before and during lockdown. Overall, 90% of families reported an increase in enriching activities during lockdown.
During lockdown, but not before, parents from more disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to engage in enriching activities with their child, particularly activities requiring outdoor space and access to books.During lockdown, but not before, parents from more disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to engage in enriching activities with their child, particularly activities requiring outdoor space and access to books.
Screen time increased for most children but the finding was even more true among those from disadvantaged backgrounds - those with a low income, lower levels of education or occupational status or from a deprived neighbourhood.Screen time increased for most children but the finding was even more true among those from disadvantaged backgrounds - those with a low income, lower levels of education or occupational status or from a deprived neighbourhood.
As a result, the authors have recommended communal outdoor spaces and libraries should be closed only as a last resort in lockdowns. Children from disadvantaged families should be given extra support to promote their early development, the authors added.As a result, the authors have recommended communal outdoor spaces and libraries should be closed only as a last resort in lockdowns. Children from disadvantaged families should be given extra support to promote their early development, the authors added.
University of Oxford researcher Alex Hendry said:University of Oxford researcher Alex Hendry said:
Oxford Brookes University researcher Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez said:Oxford Brookes University researcher Dr Nayeli Gonzalez-Gomez said:
A non-invasive Covid-19 breath test that delivers results “within one minute” is being developed by UK scientists, PA Media reports.A non-invasive Covid-19 breath test that delivers results “within one minute” is being developed by UK scientists, PA Media reports.
The technology, which is being worked on as part of a project known as TOXI-Triage, uses “breath signatures” to “rapidly distinguish Covid-19 from other respiratory conditions”.The technology, which is being worked on as part of a project known as TOXI-Triage, uses “breath signatures” to “rapidly distinguish Covid-19 from other respiratory conditions”.
The researchers said their findings, published in The Lancet’s EclinicalMedicine journal, could dramatically improve the experience of taking a coronavirus test as well as “play a part in restarting the economy”.The researchers said their findings, published in The Lancet’s EclinicalMedicine journal, could dramatically improve the experience of taking a coronavirus test as well as “play a part in restarting the economy”.
Emma Brodrick, systems application manager at the Imspex Group, a diagnostics company based in Wales and collaborating on the research, said the two current leading tests for Covid-19 - antigen detection and PCR - both utilise invasive means of taking samples, which can be uncomfortable for the patient and may discourage somebody from getting a test.Emma Brodrick, systems application manager at the Imspex Group, a diagnostics company based in Wales and collaborating on the research, said the two current leading tests for Covid-19 - antigen detection and PCR - both utilise invasive means of taking samples, which can be uncomfortable for the patient and may discourage somebody from getting a test.
For that reason, developing a minimally invasive test that produces results rapidly was particularly compelling, she said.For that reason, developing a minimally invasive test that produces results rapidly was particularly compelling, she said.
Paul Thomas, professor of analytical science from Loughborough University’s department of chemistry, said the team was encouraged by the findings but added more data was required to develop the test.Paul Thomas, professor of analytical science from Loughborough University’s department of chemistry, said the team was encouraged by the findings but added more data was required to develop the test.
The researchers recruited 98 patients for the small study, of whom 31 had coronavirus. Their aim was to identify the biomarkers present in the breath of someone affected by Covid-19 and distinguish those signatures from other respiratory tract infections.The researchers recruited 98 patients for the small study, of whom 31 had coronavirus. Their aim was to identify the biomarkers present in the breath of someone affected by Covid-19 and distinguish those signatures from other respiratory tract infections.
Led by Loughborough University, the project was launched four years ago with the aim to determine the most effective ways to give medical and toxic assessments to the casualties of a chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear event. The team involved in the project repurposed some of the existing the technology to design a Covid-19 breath test.Led by Loughborough University, the project was launched four years ago with the aim to determine the most effective ways to give medical and toxic assessments to the casualties of a chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear event. The team involved in the project repurposed some of the existing the technology to design a Covid-19 breath test.
Santi Dominguez, chief executive of the Imspex Group, said:Santi Dominguez, chief executive of the Imspex Group, said:
NHS England said a further 207 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 32,117. The number of deaths of patients with Covid-19 by region are as follows:NHS England said a further 207 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 32,117. The number of deaths of patients with Covid-19 by region are as follows:
East of England - 17East of England - 17
London - 17London - 17
Midlands - 26Midlands - 26
North East & Yorkshire - 44North East & Yorkshire - 44
North West - 77North West - 77
South East - 13South East - 13
South West - 13South West - 13
Leeds Teaching hospitals trust, one of the largest hospital trusts in England, is to cancel some elective operations as admissions of patients with Covid-19 rises steeply in Yorkshire, the Health Service Journal understands.Leeds Teaching hospitals trust, one of the largest hospital trusts in England, is to cancel some elective operations as admissions of patients with Covid-19 rises steeply in Yorkshire, the Health Service Journal understands.
The HSJ, citing a well-placed source, reports that the trust has now entered its “surge” capacity - the repurposing of additional beds - and will cancel some routine surgical lists from Wednesday. The extent of cancellations has not yet been determined.The HSJ, citing a well-placed source, reports that the trust has now entered its “surge” capacity - the repurposing of additional beds - and will cancel some routine surgical lists from Wednesday. The extent of cancellations has not yet been determined.
The trust is believed to be due to make an official announcement later this afternoon.The trust is believed to be due to make an official announcement later this afternoon.
Amid rapid increases in the Yorkshire and North East region of patients in hospital with Covid-19, figures published by NHS England showed the total number in South Yorkshire was set to exceed the spring peak. This has already happened in the North West in Lancashire and Liverpool.Amid rapid increases in the Yorkshire and North East region of patients in hospital with Covid-19, figures published by NHS England showed the total number in South Yorkshire was set to exceed the spring peak. This has already happened in the North West in Lancashire and Liverpool.
The HSJ reported last week that several hospital trusts in the region, including in Rotherham and Bradford, had already suspended non-urgent surgeries.The HSJ reported last week that several hospital trusts in the region, including in Rotherham and Bradford, had already suspended non-urgent surgeries.
Headteachers have called on the UK government to make more laptops available to pupils studying at home as a matter of urgency, as the latest government figures confirmed a further drop in school attendance for Covid-related reasons.
Weekly attendance statistics published by the Department for Education revealed that more than half of secondary schools (55%) had one or more pupils who were self-isolating last week, up from 46% the week before. Overall, pupil attendance dropped to 86%, down from 89% a week earlier.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the latest figures painted “a grim picture” of the increasingly challenging situation facing schools with attendance falling amid rising infection rates.
He also criticised the government for suddenly and dramatically reducing the allocation of laptops last week, just as the majority of schools broke up for half term. Head teachers were told their allocation was being cut by up to 80% in order to prioritise devices for areas of highest need.
According to the DfE, last Thursday between six and seven per cent of all pupils in England did not attend classes for Covid-related reasons, up from four to five per cent a week earlier.
More than a quarter (26%) of all state schools in England, excluding those on half term last week, had one or more pupils self-isolating due to potential contact with a positive Covid case, compared to 21% the week before.
And about 82% of secondary school pupils were in class last week, compared with 86% the week before, while in primaries attendance dropped from 92% to 90%.
The sound of the phone ringing once filled 49-year-old Rivka Gottlieb with dread. Her father was admitted to hospital in late March after contracting coronavirus but, unable to be with him because of lockdown, she nervously awaited every piece of news on his condition.
In mid-April, the phone rang and the news she feared came. She was devastated – but even then she couldn’t say goodbye in the way she wanted.
Gottlieb’s father is one of more than 60,000 people across the UK to have died from or with the deadly virus, the vast majority of them elderly, with partners, sons, daughters and other loved ones.
For many touched by these deaths, the strangeness of life in lockdown is made stranger and more isolating still by the numbness of grief. And by the knowledge that they were unable to say farewell in the way they would have imagined and wished. This is one of the reasons the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group is calling for pandemic bereavement support.
Here my colleague Aamna Mohdin tells the stories behind six of the more than 60,000 lives lost to Covid-19 – and the difficult goodbyes their relatives had to make.
There have been a further 1,207 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 45,046. Public Health Wales said seven further deaths had been reported, with the total rising to 1,790.
The Rushcliffe Borough council leader, Simon Robinson, told the PA Media news agency he believes the new tier 3 measures in Nottinghamshire are supported by a “majority” of residents. He said people were showing “a lot of resilience because people understand we need to get on top of the virus”. Detailed control measures for areas like the hospitality industry are expected to be announced by the government sometime after 5pm, he added, following days of negotiations with councils. Robinson said: “The restrictions are currently being detailed now with government. Then there will be an announcement this evening - I’m not quite sure how that will be done because parliament is in recess.”
One of the world’s leading Covid-19 experimental vaccines produces an immune response in older adults as well as the young, its developers say, raising hopes of protection for those most vulnerable to the coronavirus that has caused social and economic chaos around the world.
The Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley, reports.
A peer told of the “mounting panic” his family had faced ahead of school holidays when he was a child as he shared his experiences of receiving free meals.
Labour’s Lord Griffiths of Burry Port told the House of Lords: “I was in receipt of free meals throughout my entire school career. My mother, a single woman, her only income was the contributions of the National Assistance, we lived in one room.
“I remember very clearly, I can still taste and smell it, the mounting panic ahead of school holidays because the income we had could not stretch to feeding two boys and a mother in that day.
“Marcus Rashford and I have this, and probably only this, in common. We remember not in our heads but in our whole bodies. An old Etonian, of course, can’t be expected to have had the same experience.”
Griffiths said children faced a “postcode lottery” given different councils and communities would act in different ways, to which education minister Baroness Berridge replied: “Many noble lords of all parties and none can recall circumstances in which their own needs - whether that be housing or food - were not met through the circumstances of their family.
“It’s not a postcode lottery - 1.4 million children in England are entitled to free school meals, saving their families over £400 a year, and in addition to that, particularly through the soft drinks levy, the government has in nearly 2,500 schools been funding breakfast clubs to provide children with healthy food.
Hi everyone. I am a news reporter from the Guardian, taking over the live feed for the UK coronavirus blog. Please do get in touch to share any thoughts, comments or news tips with me as I work. Thanks so much.
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Supermarkets have issued a statement calling on the Welsh government to relax a ban on selling non-essential items during the 17-day firebreak lockdown.
Groups representing supermarkets made a series of recommendations to Welsh ministers on Tuesday following confusion over what can and cannot be sold during the 17-day firebreak period.
The joint statement by CBI Wales, the Welsh Retail Consortium, and the Association of Convenience Stores called on the Welsh government to “resolve the confusion”.
Here’s part of the statement:
I’m handing over to my colleague Sarah Marsh now.
On a day when the UK Covid death toll passed 60,000, there is a glimmer of good news. The chance of surviving the virus for those admitted to critical care units rose during the first wave of the pandemic, researchers have revealed.
Writing in the journal Critical Care Medicine, researchers at the University of Exeter report how they analysed the outcomes for over 21,000 adults with Covid-19 admitted to 108 critical care units in England from March to the end of June this year.
The results, based on survival at 30 days after admission, reveal that at the end of March 72% of patients in high dependency units survived, compared with 58% for those in intensive care. By the end of June there had been a “substantial improvement”, with survival at 93% and 80% respectively.
Crucially, the team said, the improvement in survival was still seen even when the team took into account factors such as age, ethnicity and sex of the patients, suggesting the change is not simply down to a shift in the demographics of people being admitted to critical care units as the months have gone by.
Indeed even taking such factors into account, the team found that compared with the situation at the end of March, survival improved by almost 13% per week for those in high dependency units and 9% in intensive care by the end of June. That said, there was no clear improvement in survival in some particular groups, including black people in intensive care.
Among other reasons for the overall improvements, the team suggest growing experience of the disease among healthcare professionals could play a role, as could a reduction in the numbers of people being admitted to critical care units, reducing the number of patients being cared for. However, they also suggest other reasons, including the use of drugs such as dexamethasone to tackle Covid.
“Temporal changes in Covid-19 disease severity at admission, patient selection for critical care management, critical care treatment, hospital capacity, and Covid-19 testing all offer potential explanations for our findings,” the team write.