THE current wave of coronavirus in the UK is already starting to slow down and will peak within a matter of weeks it has been claimed.
Britain is currently going throwing a "mini wave" of infections primarily among young people rather than a full scale third wave, data from the Covid-19 data gathering Zoe app appeared to show.
In fully and partly vaccinated groups, the increase in infections has fallen from 89% to 53% in recent days suggesting jabs are pushing back the spike and keeping those most at risk safe.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the ZOE Covid study app and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s, told The Telegraph that it looked as though cases would peak within two weeks.
“This has been a much better week than it was last week…Rates in the North West and Scotland are still going up but you can definitely see signs they are starting to level off. London look like it's starting to slow down.
“If we look at the way past waves have come and gone I would be predicting that this should be peaking around 10 to 14 days time and then start to fall, so by four weeks we are at a much lower level than we are now, and much more manageable.
Read our coronavirus live blog below for the latest news and updates…
- Joseph Gamp
SCOTLAND: STURGEON BANS TRAVEL TO MANCHESTER AND SALFORD
Non-essential travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford will be banned from Monday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Due to “high levels of Covid” the Scottish Government added the two cities to a list that already includes Bolton and Blackburn.
“Anyone travelling elsewhere in the Greater Manchester or Lancashire area, I’d ask to think carefully about whether your journey is really necessary, because we do see cases rising across that region,” the First Minister said at the coronavirus briefing.
Meanwhile, travel bans to the English town of Bedford and Northern Ireland will be removed.
- Joseph Gamp
WALES WARNS UK IS ALREADY IN 3RD WAVE AS SCOTLAND EXTENDS COVID POWERS UNTIL DECEMBERS
Wales warns UK is already in 3rd wave as Scotland extends Covid powers until DECEMBER, sparking Freedom Day delay fears
- Joseph Gamp
IRELAND RECORDS 393 ADDITIONAL COVID CASES
There have been 393 additional confirmed cases of of Covid-19, according to the Department of Health.
Hospital numbers continue to decrease, with 48 patients now in hospital with the disease, of whom 14 are in intensive care units.
Daily case numbers may change due to future data review, validation and update, owing to the cyberattack on the HSE.
- Joseph Gamp
ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AGREE TO SWAP DEAL ON MORE THAN ONE MILLION COVID VACCINE DOSES
Israel has said it will give up to 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the Palestinian Authority to help boost its vaccination programme under a new deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has agreed to give Israel a number of Pfizer-BioNTech doses from one of its own shipments later this year.
In a statement from the Prime Minister, he said: “Israel will transfer to the Palestinian Authority 1-1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine”
A senior Palestinian official told The Independent on Friday, that the PA has purchased four million doses from Pfizer, but the date for their delivery will be either October or next November.
“We need to vaccinate a million citizens, so we will administer the vaccines that we will get from Israel and they will retrieve it as soon as the shipments we bought from Pfizer arrive,” said the official.
- Joseph Gamp
BORIS DECLINES TO COMMENT ON FOOTBALL FANS ENTERING COUNTRY FOR EURO FINALS NEXT MONTH
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declined to confirm whether he will be allowing thousands of fans into the country for the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final next month.
Wembley Stadium in London is hosting several international matches in June and July, including the final on July 11.
When asked about this at Kirklees College in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, Mr Johnson said: “We’ll do what we have to do to keep the country safe from Covid – that’s obviously going to be our priority, and we’ll be talking to Uefa about what they want and see if we can make some sensible accommodations.
“But the priority obviously has to be public health.”
- Joseph Gamp
CHART: PEOPLE IN THEIR 30S MORE AT RISK FROM COVID THAN ASTRAZENECA VACCINE BLOOD CLOTS
- Joseph Gamp
TARGETED SURGE TESTING TO BE DEPLOYED IN CUMBRIA AND LAMBETH
Surge testing is being rolled out in targeted areas in Lambeth and Cumbria, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.
The testing will begin in Lambeth on Saturday in Clapham, Brixton, Stockwell, West Norwood and Vauxhall following a rise in confirmed cases of the Delta variant.
Everyone who lives or works in these areas in Lambeth is strongly encouraged to take a Covid-19 PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.
Everyone aged 12 to 30 who lives, works or studies in Cumbria is also strongly encouraged to take a PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.
Those of school age will be offered testing at school, the DHSC said.
- Joseph Gamp
INDIA REPORTS 60,753 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES
India reported on Saturday 60,753 new COVID-19 cases and 1,647 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to a government statement.
The total cases of COVID-19 in India have risen to 29.82 million and so far 385,137 have succumbed to the infections.
- Joseph Gamp
TWO COVID-19 VACCINES 'MAY MEAN AVOIDING 10 DAYS OF SELF-ISOLATION'
People who have had two Covid-19 jabs and come into contact with someone infected with the virus may soon be spared 10 days of self-isolating.
Officials are reportedly considering scrapping the 10-day quarantine period under plans to use daily tests instead.
The Times reported that Health Secretary Matt Hancock is said to be keen to replace quarantine with daily testing, but that the policy will only be approved after Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, is satisfied with the results of a study involving 40,000 people.
Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, told Times Radio it is already happening in the US, saying: "The Centre for Disease Control changed their guidance a while ago to say that people who had had both doses of the vaccine and about 10-14 days after the second dose didn't have to self-isolate, so I think we are moving in that direction.
"As we've heard repeatedly from Chris Whitty and others, this virus isn't going to disappear."
"We're going to have to live alongside it, means we are going to have infections in future, so being a contact of someone infected will always be a possibility," Prof Bauld added.
- Joseph Gamp
WATCH: STRICTLY'S AMY DOWDEN DISCUSSES BEING TROLLED FOR GETTING COVID-19 VACCINE
Strictly’s Amy Dowden discusses being trolled for getting Covid-19 vaccine
- Joseph Gamp
RUSSIA CONFIRMS NEARLY 18,000 NEW COVID CASES IN LAST 24 HOURS
Russia on Saturday reported 17,906 new Covid-19 cases, including a record 9,120 in Moscow, pushing the national infection tally up to 5,299,215 since the pandemic began.
The government coronavirus task force confirmed 466 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 128,911.
The state statistics agency, which keeps separate figures, has said Russia recorded around 270,000 deaths related to Covid-19 from April 2020 to April 2021.
- Joseph Gamp
MAPPED: EUROPE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR UK ARRIVALS
- Joseph Gamp
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM AS 'RACE IS ON' BETWEEN COVID-19 VACCINE AND THIRD WAVE
The race is on between the Covid-19 vaccine and a third wave of the virus but there are grounds for cautious optimism, advisers to the Government have said.
The experts' comments come after Public health England said there has been a 79% rise in one week in cases of the Delta variant first identified in India.
The increase across the UK is being driven by younger age groups, many of whom have now been invited for a vaccination as the jab rollout extends to anyone aged 18 and over.
Hospital cases have almost doubled although most of those needing treatment have not had a vaccine.
Professor Adam Finn, who advises the Government on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said a "third wave" of coronavirus infections "is definitely under way".
- Joseph Gamp
ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AGREE TO SWAP DEAL ON MORE THAN ONE MILLION COVID VACCINE DOSES
Israel has said it will give up to 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the Palestinian Authority to help boost its vaccination programme under a new deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has agreed to give Israel a number of Pfizer-BioNTech doses from one of its own shipments later this year.
In a statement from the Prime Minister, he said: “Israel will transfer to the Palestinian Authority 1-1.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine”
A senior Palestinian official told The Independent on Friday, that the PA has purchased four million doses from Pfizer, but the date for their delivery will be either October or next November.
“We need to vaccinate a million citizens, so we will administer the vaccines that we will get from Israel and they will retrieve it as soon as the shipments we bought from Pfizer arrive,” said the official.
- Joseph Gamp
ORGANISERS ADVISED TO HOLD TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Tokyo Olympic Games organisers have been advised to hold the event behind closed doors by the country’s top public health official, but are still looking at ways to allow some spectators in.
A final decision on spectators has been promised by the end of the month, with overseas fans told in April to stay away amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Representatives of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee met with Dr Shigeru Omi, the Japanese government’s chief Covid-19 adviser, on Friday, and his message to them was clear.
“The recommendations from Dr Omi have indicated that ideally the best way is to hold the Games is without spectators, that was his recommendation, and that the best way to avoid expanding the risk of further infections was to hold the Games without any spectators,” Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said at a briefing.
- Joseph Gamp
NEARLY 80,000 CASES OF DELTA VARIANT CONFIRMED IN UK
A total of 75,953 confirmed and probable cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant have now been identified in the UK, Public Health England said – up by 33,630, or 79%, on the previous week.
Of the 75,953, 70,856 have been in England, 4,659 in Scotland, 254 in Northern Ireland and 184 in Wales.
The most recent data shows 99% of confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus across the country are the Delta variant
- Joseph Gamp
WATCH: KATE GARRAWAY FEARS OF SECOND PANDEMIC FROM LONG-COVID AFTER DESPERATE RUSH TO CURE HUSBAND DEREK
Kate Garraway fears of SECOND pandemic from long-Covid after desperate rush to cure husband Derek
- Joseph Gamp
INDIA REPORTS 60,753 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES
India reported on Saturday 60,753 new COVID-19 cases and 1,647 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to a government statement.
The total cases of COVID-19 in India have risen to 29.82 million and so far 385,137 have succumbed to the infections.
- Joseph Gamp
COMPULSORY COVID JABS SCRAPPED FOR CARE STAFF IN WALES
The Welsh Government will not make it compulsory for care staff to have a Covid-19 vaccination, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
Mr Drakeford told Sky News: “We already have very high levels of take-up of the vaccination amongst care home staff and we’ve done that by persuasion and by conversation and voluntarily. Well over 90% of our care home staff have had a first dose and nearly 90% have had a second dose.
“So we’re pressing ahead to try to make sure we have those remaining staff members offered the vaccine, taking up the vaccine, but if you can do it voluntarily then I think that is a much stronger basis from which to go on persuading people to do the right thing.
“I certainly think that they ought to, that’s definitely our position here, but there is a very big step taken when you move into compulsion.
“Our belief is that actually it would undermine our programme in Wales, which has been the most successful in the United Kingdom, and has been done on the basis of people knowing that when they come forward for vaccination, they are helping themselves of course but they are helping everybody else as well. That sense of voluntary participation in the programme is very important to us and has been part of our success.”
- Joseph Gamp
GRAPHIC: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY
- Joseph Gamp
ENGLAND: R-VALUE NOW BETWEEN 1.2 AND 1.4
The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England remains unchanged from last week and is between 1.2 and 1.4, according to the latest Government figures.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.
When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.
An R number between 1.2 and 1.4 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people.
- Joseph Gamp
GRAPHIC: WHAT ARE THE MAIN COVID SYMPTOMS?
- Joseph Gamp
MAPPED: THE PLACES WITH THE HIGHEST ESTIMATES OF COVID-19 CASES
- Joseph Gamp
WILLIAMSON URGES PUPILS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO KEEP TAKING REGULAR COVID TESTS
The Education Secretary has urged pupils and their families to continue taking regular coronavirus tests.
Gavin Williamson is encouraging secondary school children and parents to carry on testing at home, twice a week, to help “break chains of transmission”. It comes after academics called for the suspension of daily Covid-19 testing trials in schools amid a range of concerns.
In an open letter to secondary school and college parents in England, Mr Williamson said: “With the increase in cases with variants of concern, it is important to continue regular testing in order to detect cases of coronavirus, stay ahead of the virus and keep Covid out of the classroom.
“This means that regular asymptomatic testing for all will continue, and we need you and your children who are in secondary school or college to carry on testing at home, twice a week. As you know, testing has been playing a vital role in our response to the virus. It is helping to break chains of transmission by identifying asymptomatic positive cases quickly.
“This means those who test positive can self-isolate, keeping other pupils and students in face-to-face education. Reporting all test results, positive or negative, helps the health experts have a clearer picture of any potential outbreaks in different parts of the country.”
- Joseph Gamp
ORGANISERS ADVISED TO HOLD TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Tokyo Olympic Games organisers have been advised to hold the event behind closed doors by the country’s top public health official, but are still looking at ways to allow some spectators in.
A final decision on spectators has been promised by the end of the month, with overseas fans told in April to stay away amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Representatives of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee met with Dr Shigeru Omi, the Japanese government’s chief Covid-19 adviser, on Friday, and his message to them was clear.
“The recommendations from Dr Omi have indicated that ideally the best way is to hold the Games is without spectators, that was his recommendation, and that the best way to avoid expanding the risk of further infections was to hold the Games without any spectators,” Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said at a briefing.
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