Coronavirus live news: world may never find ‘silver bullet’ Covid vaccine, says WHO

Covid-19 survivors have higher rates of mental ill-health, study says; Belgium sees ICU admissions double; Singapore to use electronic tags to monitor some travellers

Here are the main headlines from our global coronavirus coverage so far on Monday:

About 1.5 million Italians - 2.5% of the population of Italy- may have already contracted coronavirus, nationwide antibody tests indicate, according to the Associated Press.

The figure, announced by health officials on Monday, is six times the number of confirmed cases in Italy’s official virus tally. The results — viewed with the country’s overall death toll of close to 35,000 —align with a 2.3% estimated mortality rate of the virus.

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Coronavirus live news: Victoria declares state of disaster and nightly curfew for Melbourne

Hundreds of ‘mystery cases’ have forced decision in Australian state; UK planning to avoid a second national lockdown; South Africa’s cases pass 500,000

Coronavirus infections in the Philippines surged past 100,000 Sunday in a troubling milestone after medical groups declared that the country was waging a losing battle against the virus and asked the president to reimpose a lockdown in the capital.

The Department of Health reported a record-high daily tally of 5,032, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 103,185, including more than 2,000 deaths, the Associated Press news agency reports.

In the UK, where police have broken up several large dance parties since the lockdown began earlier this year, a warning has been issued to people to stay away from an area in south-west England, where they have been forced to break up a rave attended by a “large volume” of partygoers.

Gloucestershire police sent out this tweet this morning:

Police are currently in the Forest of Dean near to Speculation Car Park dispersing a rave. People are advised not to attend the area due to safety and Covid risks. This will likely take some time to resolve this issue. pic.twitter.com/rtYrXSqWb3

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Cramped workplaces, parties … the factors fuelling local Covid-19 spikes

What have resurgences around the world taught us about how local clusters emerge?

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  • It is not always possible to pinpoint the origin of a local spike in cases, particularly in countries like the UK, where the disease is still circulating at relatively significant levels.

    But in countries where overall caseloads are lower, and with rigorous test-and-trace schemes, it has been possible to pinpoint the factors that have sparked or fuelled local outbreaks.

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    Coronavirus live news: cases continue to rise in France and Poland

    Vietnamese tourist hotspot of Da Nang to test entire city; Boris Johnson warns of second UK lockdown. Follow all the developments live

    The airline and travel industry’s hopes of a recovery are crushed by new quarantine rules and travel restrictions amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections in several countries, my colleague Rob Davies reports, as fed-up sun seekers are increasingly choosing to defer holiday decisions indefinitely rather than rebook for a later date.

    Full report here:

    Related: Holiday firms can’t get a break as quarantines crush faint recovery

    Hello, I’m taking over from my colleague Aamna for the next few hours. Please feel free to message me with relevant updates or tips, you can get me on Twitter @JedySays or via email.

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    Improve your relationships – with advice from counter-terrorism experts

    Emily and Laurence Alison specialise in communication and co-operation with criminal suspects. But their methods work in the home and at work, too

    “The more you push someone, the more they close up,” say Emily and Laurence Alison, a husband-and-wife psychology team. “The hungrier you are for information, the harder it will be to get that out of someone. But give the person a choice about what they say; give them some autonomy and you begin to build the rapport that may lead to a better conversation,” says Laurence.

    This sounds like parenting advice and yet the Alisons’ specialism is helping counter-terrorism officers and the police to improve communication and co-operation with criminal suspects. When the atmosphere turns adversarial and competitive, as it so often does, they turn to the Alisons to help them navigate and negotiate.

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    Baldness and rashes? Experts split over unusual Covid-19 risk factors and symptoms

    Academics analyse whether hair and hearing loss may also be linked to coronavirus

    From hearing loss and rashes, to being tall and bald, as the Covid-19 pandemic develops, a host of new symptoms and risk factors are being linked to the virus. We take a look at the evidence.

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    Lifestyle changes could delay or prevent 40% of dementia cases – study

    Addressing 12 factors such as excessive drinking and air pollution exposure may have significant effect, experts say

    Excessive drinking, exposure to air pollution and head injuries all increase dementia risk, experts say in a report revealing that up to 40% of dementia cases worldwide could be delayed or prevented by addressing 12 such lifestyle factors.

    Around 50 million people around the world live with dementia, including about 850,000 people in the UK. By 2040, it has been estimated there will be more than 1.2 million people living with dementia in England and Wales. There is currently no cure.

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    Parts of northern England face new restrictions – as it happened

    Spain reports 1,229 new infections; France rules out full lockdown despite rise in cases; Japan sees record high for new cases for second day in a row. This blog is now closed. Stay up to date on our new blog below

    We closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on all of the latest global coronavirus news on our new blog below.

    Related: Coronavirus live news: England tightens restrictions, WHO says 'young people' behind some spikes

    And finally... just minutes before the new restrictions come into force, the Department of Health has finally posted some more details of the rules on its website.

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    Coronavirus live news: France rules out ‘catastrophic’ second national lockdown despite rise in infections

    French prime minister says full lockdown must be avoided; number of global cases passes 17m; Japan to lift ban on re-entry of some foreign residents starting next week

    Governments have the right to restrict protests on public health grounds, within reason, the UN Human Rights Committee said, as demonstrations clash with coronavirus outbreaks around the world.

    The committee stepped in to formulate its legal interpretation having seen a gap in the international norms being tested before the pandemic started, since when the matter has become more pressing.

    The protection of ‘public health’ ground may exceptionally permit restrictions to be imposed, for example where there is an outbreak of an infectious disease and gatherings are dangerous.

    It’s understandable and acceptable that for health reasons there may be limits on your rights.

    The Philippine government’s Covid-19 task force confirmed 3,954 new infections on Thursday, the country’s largest single-day increase in new cases.

    The information on the surge in infections, which was a sharp increase from the record 2,539 cases confirmed on 8 July, was mentioned in a regular circular issued by the inter-agency task force.

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    Small crustacean can fragment microplastics in four days, study finds

    ‘Completely unexpected’ finding is significant as harmful effects of plastic might increase as particle size decreases

    Small crustaceans can fragment microplastics into pieces smaller than a cell within 96 hours, a study has shown.

    Until now, plastic fragmentation has been largely attributed to slow physical processes such as sunlight and wave action, which can take years and even decades.

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    Seeking life on Mars: Nasa prepares to launch its latest rover

    Perseverance mission aims to land on crater to search for possible microbial Martians

    Nasa’s most sophisticated rover yet is due to blast off for Mars on a mission to answer one of the most profound questions: did life ever emerge on another planet?

    Mission controllers have set their sights on the 28-mile-wide (45km) Jezero crater north of the planet’s equator. The landing site is one of the most promising spots for any microbial Martians to have been preserved in rock formed when the crater held a lake nine times larger than Loch Ness.

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    Germany’s Covid-19 fears grow over ‘reckless’ partygoers

    Authorities warn of rise in cases after shocking footage of young revellers in Spain and Bulgaria

    Young Germans partying abroad on Europe’s beaches and ignoring physical distancing rules are becoming an increasing cause of concern at home, as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the world.

    Following widespread reports earlier this month of German tourists revelling on the Spanish island of Mallorca, bars and clubs on the infamous “Bier Straße” were forced by local authorities to close.

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    ‘One big wave’ – why the Covid-19 second wave may not exist

    With no evidence of seasonal variations, the WHO warns the initial coronavirus pandemic is continuing and accelerating

    The Covid-19 pandemic is currently unfolding in “one big wave” with no evidence that it follows seasonal variations common to influenza and other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, the World Health Organization has warned.

    Amid continued debates over what constitutes a second wave, a resurgence or seasonal return of the disease, Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, insisted that these discussions are not a helpful way to understand the spread of the disease.

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    Coronavirus live news: US deaths near 150,000 as Italy extends state of emergency

    Trump blames US case surge on protestors; WHO warns pandemic is “one big wave”, not seasonal; Air travel not expected to recover until 2024. Follow the latest updates

    Florida reported another record one-day rise in coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, and cases in Texas passed the 400,000 mark, fueling fear that the United States is still not taking control of the outbreak and adding pressure on Congress to pass another massive economic aid package.

    Public health experts are becoming concerned about the levels of infection in states such as Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Kentucky, while the surge in Florida along with Texas, Arizona and California this month has strained many hospitals.

    Related: Covid-19: Florida reports record one-day deaths as concerns grow for other states

    US officials say Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November.

    Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow’s military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort reaching American and western audiences, US government officials said on Tuesday. They spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

    Related: Russia used English-language sites to spread Covid-19 disinformation, US officials say

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    Coronavirus live news: US deaths near 150,000 as Hong Kong warns hospitals could collapse

    Hong Kong outbreak ‘overwhelming’ medical system; pilgrims quarantined in Mecca as hajj begins; WHO warns pandemic is ‘one big wave’

    The US attorney general William Barr will be tested for Covid-19, after coming in close contact with Texas Republican congressman Louie Gohmert on Tuesday when Barr testified before the House Judiciary Committee, a Justice Department spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters.

    Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec added that Barr already faces routine testing for Covid-19 at the White House.

    Berlin’s Tegel airport began large-scale coronavirus testing on Wednesday, as airports across Germany prepared for the advent of free, compulsory testing for many passengers from next week.

    Two rooms were set aside for tests, but an airport spokeswoman said a larger space was being prepared, indicating that authorities are preparing for testing to remain a fixture for a long time to come.

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    Scientists successfully revive 100m-year-old microbes from the sea

    Microbes had lain dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs

    Scientists have successfully revived microbes that had lain dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs, allowing the organisms to eat and even multiply after eons in the deep.

    Their research sheds light on the remarkable survival power of some of Earth’s most primitive species, which can exist for tens of millions of years with barely any oxygen or food before springing back to life in the lab.

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    Almost 3 billion animals affected by Australian megafires, report shows

    Exclusive: Bushfires ‘one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history’, say scientists

    Nearly 3 billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia’s devastating bushfire season of 2019 and 2020, according to scientists who have revealed for the first time the scale of the impact on the country’s native wildlife.

    The Guardian has learned that an estimated 143 million mammals, 180 million birds, 51 million frogs and a staggering 2.5 billion reptiles were affected by the fires that burned across the continent. Not all the animals would have been killed by the flames or heat, but scientists say the prospects of survival for those that had withstood the initial impact was “probably not that great” due to the starvation, dehydration and predation by feral animals – mostly cats – that followed.

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    Coronavirus live news: Belgium set to tighten restrictions; China reports highest new cases since April

    Vietnam evacuates 80,000 tourists from Danang; Spain’s Covid-19 deaths could be 60% higher; global deaths near 650,000

    In the US, more than 40 people were infected with the coronavirus after attending a multi-day revival event at a north Alabama Baptist church, the Associated Press reports.

    “The whole church has got it, just about,” Al.com quoted pastor Daryl Ross of Warrior Creek Missionary Baptist church in Marshall County as saying.

    My colleagues over in the US of A have launched their live blog, with coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, its election campaign, protests in Portland and other cities and a lot more besides.

    Click the link below to follow their latest updates.

    Related: US nears 150,000 Covid-19 deaths as Republicans and Democrats pitch opposing plans – live

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    Know sweat: scientists solve mystery behind body odour

    University of York researchers trace the source of underarm aromas to a particular enzyme

    Scientists have unravelled the mysterious mechanism behind the armpit’s ability to produce the pungent smell of body odour.

    Researchers at the University of York traced the source of underarm odour to a particular enzyme in a certain microbe that lives in the human armpit.

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    The US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord will hurt people of color most | Adrienne Hollis

    The Paris agreement threw a lifeline to millions of people of color facing a premature death. Trump is tearing that away

    It’s official – in 100 days the United States will formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. The impact of Donald Trump’s decision, taken three years ago, is already being felt by environmental justice communities.

    Racism is the driving force behind why certain people and places face disproportionate environmental exposure to toxic substances, adverse climate change effects, Covid-19 infections and deaths. This raises the question: was withdrawing from the Paris agreement also a racist decision? How will this morally incomprehensible policy change affect Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other communities of color?

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