Category Archives: Infectious Diseases

UK coronavirus news: government scientists give Covid spread update

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Deputy chief medical officer for England leads statement; Boris Johnson to reveal plan for country to be graded in three tiers of restrictions

Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, is about to hold a briefing on the latest coronavirus statistics. It is due to be carried live by the 24-hour news broadcasters.

Here are the main points from Sir Keir Starmer’s LBC phone-in.

The government has been treating local communities, particularly in the Midlands, north-west and north-east - and their leaders - with contempt, that Whitehall knows best and we will simply tell you what’s coming your way. It’s just not good enough, you have to take people with you on this, listen to what local leaders are saying.

Keir Starmer says Margaret Ferrier's behaviour was "jaw-dropping" and she "should just resign".

Her constituents, he adds, are "livid, furious, and embarrassed" after she travelled from London to Scotland after testing positive for Covid-19 #CallKeir | https://t.co/Tz6tnBdQi8 pic.twitter.com/TA4IvD6pcG

I think it does sometimes have to involve the police, unfortunately. When I was director of public prosecutions there was a lot of focus on whether what people say on social media should be policed or not. There’s got to be a level of tolerance, of course. But there is a line that can be crossed and it’s very important that when it is crossed there is [police] involvement, in some cases prosecutions.

Of course journalists have the right to ask questions, and there has to be tolerance of free speech. All I’m saying is, as a general proposition, that there is a line. When people go over the line is, it’s right that it’s investigated.

Decisions of the police to investigate particular cases are clearly an operational matter for them which I can't comment on, but as a general principle, it's important the law protects freedom of speech.

Make no mistake. This is the Leader of the Opposition supporting the arrest of a journalist for something his guest has said. Absolutely extraordinary, with terrifying repercussions for freedom of the press. https://t.co/CEn5WZfzl5

Somalia-born former Labour Mayor of Islington Rakhia Ismail earlier told LBC the only wanted to have her involved as a "tick box".

This was Keir Starmer's reaction to her concerns...#CallKeir | https://t.co/Tz6tnBdQi8 pic.twitter.com/Gp0LRZij6r

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Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria reports 15 new Covid cases as NSW on high alert

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Victorian bar owner lodges legal challenge to the constitutionality of the state’s lockdown as fears in NSW grow over number of locally transmitted cases. Follow all the latest updates

Australian scientists have discovered that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as the glass on mobile phones, stainless steel, vinyl and paper banknotes.

The virus survived longer on paper banknotes than on plastic banknotes and lasted longer on smooth surfaces rather than porous surfaces such as cotton.

Related: Virus that causes Covid-19 can survive up to 28 days on surfaces, scientists find

Today is the first day in more than two months that Victoria's statewide 14 day average has increased

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Virus that causes Covid-19 can survive up to 28 days on surfaces, scientists find

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Researchers find Sars-CoV-2 survives longer at lower temperatures and lasts 10 days longer than influenza on some surfaces

Australian scientists have found that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on surfaces such as the glass on mobile phones, stainless steel, vinyl and paper banknotes.

The national science agency, the CSIRO, said the research undertaken at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong also found that Sars-CoV-2 survived longer at lower temperatures.

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Would herd immunity stop the spread of coronavirus?

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Even if achievable, the strategy would kill too many people, say scientists

Like the Covid-19 virus itself, the idea of herd immunity has surged back into public life having been suppressed for months. It was initially touted as a way to hold back the pandemic – by allowing sufficient numbers of infections to occur and so reduce numbers of non-immune potential hosts for the virus. The disease would then stop spreading, it was argued.

The notion quickly fell out of favour when researchers highlighted the high death toll that would have to occur in the UK before herd immunity was achieved. Nevertheless, the idea has now bubbled back and is again making headlines.

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Coronavirus live news: Donald Trump ‘no longer transmission risk’; Victoria to ease lockdown

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Doctor says president not replicating virus, but no word on whether he has tested negative; Europe records 100,000 daily cases for first time. Follow latest updates

Mainland China reported 21 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on 10 October, up from 15 a day earlier, the country’s national health authority said on Sunday.

All the new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed, fell to 23 from 39 a day earlier. All of them were imported.

The total confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China stands at 85,557, while the death toll remained at 4,634.

In Australia, the ACT has confirmed no new coronavirus cases. From the statement sent by the ACT government:

There have been no new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the ACT in the past 24 hours, leaving the ACT’s total at 113. There are no active cases in the ACT.

A total of 110 cases have recovered from COVID-19 in the ACT.

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Coronavirus live news: Brazil records 290 deaths in 24 hours; Italy plans new restrictions

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South American country has now registered 150,488 deaths; Italy moves as daily infections reach highest levels since March

Slovakia will impose stricter coronavirus restrictions from Thursday, including making face masks compulsory in public and limits to public gatherings, the country’s health ministry said on Sunday.

The government will also debate on Monday whether to limit gatherings to six people, health minister Marek Krajci said.

Brazil confirmed 290 coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 12,345 new cases, the nation’s health ministry said on Sunday.

The South American country has now registered 5,094,982 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 150,488 total deaths.

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Northern cities seek overhaul of national tracing ‘shambles’

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Local health teams are outperforming the NHS Covid contact system, but as cases rise they want a rethink

Under the grandeur of Preston market’s Victorian canopy, the nervousness wrought by a resurgence of Covid-19 is not far away. Amid the fruit, veg and dairy stalls, all the shoppers and stallholders are wearing masks, keeping their distance. “Everybody seems to be sticking to the rules as much as they can,” said Gary Quinn, the landlord of the Orchard pub. “People haven’t been very clear on what is allowed, but I haven’t seen people acting maliciously. People are trying their best.”

Despite the efforts, the city is again seeing a resurgence of the virus, with 324 cases per 100,000 in the past seven days. Like dozens of other local authorities around the country, Preston city council is not solely relying on the national test and trace system to help track the virus. It has taken matters into its own hands, setting up walk-in test sites and its own tracing system. Its team has received 300 local contacts a week, with council staff making home visits to more than 100 people who needed to self-isolate and could not be contacted by any other means.

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The race for a Covid vaccine: inside the Australian lab working round the clock to produce 100m doses

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The Guardian is given a unique insight into the operations of CSL, which is making vaccines that could help end the crisis

Some call it the “happy soup”.

Take a dash of modified Covid-19 protein DNA, mix it with cells from a Chinese hamster’s ovary, and place the combination in two state-of-the-art 2,000L bioreactors in a sprawling scientific facility on Melbourne’s northern fringes.

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Coronavirus live news: France sets daily record 20,000 cases; Australian state of Victoria reports 14 new infections

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Trump plans in-person rally on Monday as next presidential debate cancelled; Europe records 100,000 daily cases for first time; Canada at ‘tipping point’. Follow latest updates

I’m going to hand over to my colleague in London Aamna Mohdin.

Thanks for reading.

The ministry of health in India has said there were 73,272 new infections in the country over the past 24 hours.

There were also 926 new deaths, taking the death toll to 107,416. It is the seventh straight day where deaths have been below 1,000.

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NSW Covid hotspots: list of Sydney and regional case locations

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Here are the current coronavirus hotspots in New South Wales and what to do if you’ve visited them

New South Wales health authorities have released a list of hotspots where Covid-positive people have visited while infectious.

Those who attended some locations must isolate immediately for 14 days, others must monitor for symptoms.

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Herd immunity letter signed by fake experts including ‘Dr Johnny Bananas’

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Open letter calling for new Covid-19 strategy also signed by ‘Prof Cominic Dummings’

An open letter that made headlines calling for a herd immunity approach to Covid-19 lists a number of apparently fake names among its expert signatories, including “Dr Johnny Bananas” and “Professor Cominic Dummings”.

The Great Barrington declaration, which was said to have been signed by more than 15,000 scientists and medical practitioners around the world, was found by Sky News to contain numerous false names, as well as those of several homeopaths.

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BAME groups hit hard again as Covid second wave grips UK nations

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As cases surge, figures show the demographics of those most seriously affected by coronavirus remain the same

One of the earliest signs that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people were being disproportionately harmed by the coronavirus pandemic came when the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNAR) published research in early April showing that 35% of almost 2,000 Covid patients in intensive care units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were non-white.

A lot has happened in the intervening six months with numerous reports, including by the Office for National Statistics and Public Health England (PHE), confirming the increased risk to ethnic minorities and recommendations published on how to mitigate that risk. However, as the second wave intensifies, the demographics of those most seriously affected remain remarkably similar.

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‘Brain fog’: the people struggling to think clearly months after Covid

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Doctors grapple for answers as more patients report post-coronavirus cognitive impairment

For Mirabai Nicholson-McKellar, Covid-19 brought an onslaught of symptoms from chest pains to an 11-day migraine, three positive test results, and a period in hospital.

Seven months later, the rollercoaster is far from over: the 36-year-old from Byron Bay, Australia is still experiencing symptoms – including difficulties with thinking that are often described as “brain fog”.

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Coronavirus live news: Spain imposes state of emergency in Madrid; Europe records 100,000 daily cases for first time

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Court had struck down lockdown measures in Spanish capital; Cases in Europe have been steadily rising over the past week

US President Donald Trump has approved a revised Covid-19 relief stimulus, White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow has said.

Stocks immediately rallied on the news, Bloomberg News tweets, while the president himself (or one of his staff) has has also been on Twitter in the last few minutes

Covid Relief Negotiations are moving along. Go Big!

Related: Pelosi says medication has Trump 'in an altered state' in 25th amendment bid – live

Most people in the UK who have Covid-19 or are a contact of somebody who has tested positive fail to fully self-isolate, despite its necessity in preventing a resurgence of the pandemic, according to government advisors.

Newly released papers reveal that behavioural science experts privately warned last month that only 18-25% of people who needed to were self-isolating. Others were still going out to work or to shop, even though they risked infecting others, according to the details of the briefing for ministers by the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) .

Related: Coronavirus: at least three-quarters of people in UK fail to self-isolate

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Why Edinburgh University’s lockdown study is not all it seems

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Commentators have used study as evidence government was too quick to impose full lockdown but conclusions not so clear

While it has been widely accepted that the closure of UK schools in March was bad for the life chances of its children, a research paper from the University of Edinburgh has gone as far as to say that the move could have contributed to a higher Covid-19 death toll.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, suggested lockdown restrictions were the most effective way of reducing peak demand for intensive care unit beds, but argued they were also likely to prolong the epidemic because, once lifted, they left a large population susceptible to the virus.

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Pubs and restaurants: do scientists think Covid closures and curfews work?

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While virus can spread easily in crowded indoor venues, 10pm cut-off is questionable

Pubs, bars and restaurants in Scotland will be banned from serving alcohol to customers indoors for more than two weeks, while pubs in northern England face the possibility of tighter restrictions. But what does the science say?

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Coronavirus live news: Brazil cases pass 5m; Trump calls catching Covid ‘a blessing in disguise’

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France sees record cases; one in seven people tested in Belgian capital is positive; Trump returns to Oval Office against CDC’s isolation guidelines. Follow the latest updates

As far as we understand, that memo means that around 7 more people than are currently known to be infected have contracted the virus.

Per our most recent story:

Related: At least 27 in Trump’s circle have tested positive for coronavirus

From that ABC report:

The coronavirus outbreak has infected “34 White House staffers and other contacts” in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previous known in the seat of American government.

Dated Wednesday and obtained by ABC News, the memo was distributed among senior leadership at FEMA, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security and the agency responsible for managing the continuing national response to the public health disaster.

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Coronavirus live news: Madrid court rejects partial lockdown as ‘harmful to basic rights’; Brazil cases pass 5m

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Madrid court strikes down partial lockdown order in city; Trump returns to Oval Office against CDC’s isolation guidelines; France sees record cases rise

British airline easyJet said it will open a new base in Faro, the main city in Portugal’s popular Algarve tourist region, which has been hammered by the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joao Lopes, easyJet’s executive director in Portugal, told reporters the airline would allocate three aircraft to Faro next year, making it the company’s third base in the country. It already has bases in Lisbon and Porto.

The US president, Donald Trump, said talks with Congress have restarted over further Covid-19 relief and that there was a good chance a deal could be reached, but gave no other details about a possible agreement.

“Now they are starting to work out,” he told Fox in a telephone interview, after previous statements via his Twitter account earlier this week that he had cut off negotiations.

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Why herd immunity strategy is regarded as fringe viewpoint

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Scientists say idea of ‘focused protection’ for vulnerable people is very hard to achieve and likely to lead to even higher death toll

At first glance it sounds like a no-brainer. Coronavirus is most dangerous to older and unhealthier people, so why not protect them and let the rest of society return to life as normal? It would boost the economy and free the young and fit from the mental and financial burdens of Covid restrictions. In time, as the virus tears through them, they will acquire herd immunity that ultimately helps us all.

The strategy proposed in the Great Barrington declaration – a letter signed by an international group of scientists – is the latest salvo in an ongoing battle of ideas for how to tackle the pandemic. It calls on governments around the world to abandon strategies that suppress the virus until we can better cope – through working test-and-trace programmes, new treatments, vaccines and more – for the radically different approach.

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Coronavirus live news: Brussels closes cafes and bars for a month; clashes over restrictions in Israel

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One in seven people tested in Belgian capital is positive; Facebook and Twitter act against Trump for suggesting Covid just like flu

The European Commission has agreed with US company Gilead to buy additional doses of its Covid-19 drug Remdesivir to treat about 3,400 patients, amid shortages of the medication in Europe.

A spokesman for the EU executive said Brussels agreed with Gilead last Friday to supply nearly 20,300 additional doses “which help almost 3,400 patients” at a cost of €7m ($8.24m). That is in addition to 30,000 courses of treatment it bought at the end of July.

For White House staff and senior visiting officials and journalists, the coronavirus outbreak in Donald Trump’s inner circle has become like a whodunnit amid a shortage of information and mounting anxiety.

As cleaners in hazmat suits have been pictured disinfecting areas – including briefing rooms and the White House press and communications “shop” where three staff have been infected – the questions now being asked are: who caught Covid from whom and when and where? And who might be next?

Related: White House coronavirus cluster: who has tested positive?

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