Coronavirus news - live: UK sees highest case increase since May amid warning of further nationwide rules
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Your support makes all the difference.Further nationwide restrictions have not been ruled out if coronavirus cases continue to soar two to three weeks after the imposition of Boris Johnson’s “rule of six”, government sources have confirmed, including the use of curfews in London to prevent late-night drinking.
As nearly 4,000 new cases were identified - the highest total since May - justice secretary Robert Buckland admitted the government faces "real challenges" with the testing system, suggesting schoolchildren and their parents would be the next testing priority after NHS and social care workers.
Meanwhile, the Royal Bolton Hospital has warned people to stay away from its emergency department unless they have a life-threatening illness or injury as surging coronavirus cases across the region begin to translate into rising hospital admissions, with the facility’s medical director suggesting failures in the testing scheme were responsible for the surge of people turning up to the hospital seeking tests.
And in the North East, officials said Matt Hancock would announce further restrictions to come into effect on Thursday in a bid to prevent another lockdown amid “rapidly rising” infections.
It came as Public Health England figures showed infection rates more than doubled in some of the hardest-hit regions in the week to 13 September, with Bolton’s rising to 204 per 100,000 people.
While tests were available in just one of the 10 worst-hit regions on Wednesday morning, health bosses in major cities pleaded with people not to show up at hospital A&E departments in an attempt to receive a test.
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New local lockdown in Wales
Rhondda Cynon Taf in south Wales will be placed under a local lockdown from 6pm on Thursday following an increase of coronavirus cases.
Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said that the measures would be reviewed within two weeks.
Rhondda Cynon Taf, which has a population of about 240,000, has seen a rolling seven-day case rate of 82.1 per 100,000 people.
Under the lockdown, people must not enter or leave the local council area without a reasonable excuse.
People will only be able to meet outdoors and will not be able to meet members of their extended household indoors.
Pubs and bars will have to close at 11pm.
The infection spike been linked to people meeting indoors, not following social distancing guidelines and returning from holidays abroad, Mr Gething said.
Curfews reportedly being considered for London
Downing Street has not denied reports that curfews are being considered to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Asked about reports that a curfew could be introduced in London, a Number 10 spokesman said: "We will continue to keep the transmission rate under review.
"We've introduced the rule of six to try and bear down on the transmission rate given that it has risen recently.
"But as I say we will keep that data and the scientific evidence under review."
It comes after Professor Kevin Fenton, London’s director of Public Health England, warned tougher restrictions may be imposed across the capital, including “local curfews”.
India tops 5 million cases
India's confirmed coronavirus infections passed 5 million on Wednesday, still soaring and testing the feeble health care system in tens of thousands of impoverished towns and villages.
The world's second-most populous country has added more than 1 million cases this month alone and is expected to become the pandemic's worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.6 million people have been infected.
Coronavirus: India passes 5 million infections
India expected to soon overtake the US to become world’s worst-affected country
EU must integrate further on health, Von der Leyen says
Ursula von der Leyen has said that the EU must leave behind its fragmented approach to coronavirus by centralising more decision-making on health issues.
In her annual state of the union address to the European Parliament, she also announced that Italy would host a global health summit next year during its G20 presidency.
The European Commission president acknowledged the damage the pandemic has dealt the EU, with deaths nearing 150,000 and the bloc’s economy facing the worst slump in its history.
To counter this, Ms Von der Leyen said she wanted more money spent on research and development and more powers given to EU-wide institutions like the European Medicines Agency.
"So for me, it is crystal clear we need to build a stronger European health union. It is time to do that," she said.
Some 37 per cent of the €750bn (£686bn) coronavirus recovery fund approved by EU countries to be spent on environmental objectives, adding that 30 per cent of the fund should be raised through "green" bonds whose proceeds are meant to have a positive impact on the environment.
Cut karaoke to beat Covid, Filipinos told
After enduring months under coronavirus curfew, Filipinos are raising their voices.
But the popular pastime of karaoke has come under attack from authorities who have urged residents to dob in neighbours for singing too loudly - especially those who are “drunk and out of tune”.
To show how serious they are, police have set up a special karaoke hotline in the province of Cavite, with residents encouraged to make a complaint for the sake of their own health.
Cut out karaoke to help fight coronavirus, Philippines governor urges
Filipinos have been told to stop singing and get a good night’s sleep
Pupils sent home ‘should only get test if symptomatic’
Gavin Williamson has urged families whose children are sent home because of a positive case detected in the classroom not to seek coronavirus tests unless they have symptoms.
As the government faces mounting criticism over a shortage in Covid-19 tests across the country, the education secretary said “only” those with symptoms should attempt to get a test.
Political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has more details:
Gavin Williamson urges parents with children sent home from school not to get Covid test unless symptomatic
Union leader warns parents facing ‘lockdown by default’ due to testing issues
PCSO and fire staff to help contact tracing in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has said police community support officers and fire staff will be called on to help with contact tracing as the national Test and Trace system is failing to reach 46 per cent of named contacts in the area.
He told a weekly online press conference,: "Test, trace and isolate is not working well enough for Greater Manchester at the moment and we have only a small number of weeks to fix it before we go into the really tough time which lies ahead in the autumn and into the winter."
"We have agreements from Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to mobilise a number of police community support officers and fire safety staff to focus their efforts on contacting the contacts that are currently not being reached in Greater Manchester by the national system."
Mr Burnham also called on businesses to give employees permission and financial support to self-isolate if asked to do so by the NHS Test and Trace system and said a self-isolation support service was being set up by the Greater Manchester Growth Company.
American woman linked to at least 59 cases
Authorities in southern Germany say they've recorded three more cases of Covid-19 connected to a 26-year-old American woman suspected of flouting quarantine rules, Gino Spocchia reports.
The latest cases take the total number of recent infections in the Alpine resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to 59.
It includes 25 staff at a hotel catering to US military personnel, where the woman worked.
American woman linked to at least 59 coronavirus cases at German resort
Bavaria governor says woman’s actions a ‘model case of stupidity’, amid new infections
Priority testing should be given to those in hotspots, says Greater Manchester mayor
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said those with a postcode in areas with the highest rates of coronavirus should be given priority when booking a coronavirus test.
He said: "On testing, we do need the government to prioritise areas with the highest numbers of cases for bookings through the national system."
Mr Burnham added: "What we have here are systems which are not sufficiently attuned to the needs of local communities, systems that don't prioritise areas of greatest need for testing to available capacity."
He said tests had still been taking place in Greater Manchester this week but probably at a reduced capacity and there was increased demand.
US plans to distribute vaccine immediately after regulators authorise it
The US government plans to start distributing a Covid-19 vaccine within one day of regulatory authorisation as it plans for the possibility that a limited number of vaccine doses may be available at the end of the year.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defence today released documents on the distribution plans it is sending to the states and local public health officials.
The federal government will allocate vaccines for each state based on the critical populations recommended first for vaccination by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. That group is expected to include essential healthcare workers.
The document, called the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook, said "limited Covid-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November 2020 if a vaccine is authorised or licensed by FDA by that time, but Covid-19 vaccine supply may increase substantially in 2021".
Officials also said they were working to make sure there was no cost to patients for the vaccine.
Reuters
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