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Coronavirus latest news: Rule of six 'irrational' but alternative is lockdown, government adviser warns

While the Government's new rule of six is "somewhat irrational" and includes substantial contradictions, the alternative is a return to a broader lockdown, a top scientist has warned.

As of Monday it will be illegal for people in England to meet in groups of more than six, outside or indoors. Anyone found flouting the rules could be fined as much as £3,200.

Professor Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London and an adviser to the Government on respiratory viruses said the rule "does seem somewhat irrational in some of the detail".

Asked to expand on what he meant by "irrational", Prof Openshaw told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: "I think people have been complaining widely about the fact that you can carry on doing things like exercising in groups and doing sports and getting together for special events, but yet you can't have both a grandmother and a grandfather come to visit your home if you're a family-of-five."

But he added that he welcomed the simplicity of the guidance and an alternative would be a return to a "hard lockdown". If people do not follow the new rules, he said, a "trickle" of cases could quickly turn into a "cascade".

The new restrictions have been announced amid growing anxieties about a steep rise in Covid-19 cases across the UK, surveillance data published on Friday showing that the R rate may now be as high as 1.7 in England, with infection rates doubling on a weekly basis.

On Saturday former chief scientific adviser and member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) Sir Mark Walport has warned that the country is "on the edge of losing control" of Covid-19 - a sentiment Prof Openshaw agreed with.

Follow the latest updates and reaction below.


04:33 PM

Evening summary

Here's a roundup of today's major coronavirus-related developments:

  • The UK needs to act fast to stop coronavirus cases growing out of control, with a delay of even a few days potentially "dangerous", according to an academic who advises the Government.
  • Police have dispersed a number of illegal gatherings overnight as revellers make the most of the final weekend before the "rule of six" coronavirus restriction comes into force.
  • The Government's new rule of six can seem "somewhat irrational" at times, but the alternative could be a wider lockdown, a top scientist has said.

  • Daily coronavirus cases in Scotland have hit a four-month high for the second day in a row, the latest Scottish Government figures show.

  • Coronavirus has begun spreading through care homes and infecting vulnerable patients again, the Government has admitted in a nationwide alert issued to providers and local authorities.

  • Up to 4.5 million people deemed to be at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases of the virus return to dangerous levels, The Telegraph understands (full report here). 

  • In Australia, authorities Melbourne arrested more than 70 people for flouting stay-at-home orders to protest against lockdown restrictions, with some demonstrators clashing with riot police at a market.

  • Austria is experiencing the start of a second wave of infections, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says, as cases spike upwards in line with other EU countries.

  • South Korea will temporarily ease virus curbs in the greater Seoul area after a decline in cases. Authorities had tightened social distancing measures last month following a spike in cases but these will be eased in the metropolitan area starting Monday for two weeks.


04:03 PM

UK reports 3,330 new infections

The UK has reported 3,330 confirmed new daily cases of Covid-19, according to government data published this afternoon, compared with 3,497 yesterday.

It also reported a further five deaths from the disease, bringing the total to 41,628, according to figures that show fatalities within 28 days of a first positive test. Scotland reported 244 new cases, the most since May 6.


03:51 PM

Analysis: Coronavirus strategy under the spotlight

Scientists, journalists public health experts have had an active day on Twitter - here's a roundup of some of the best analysis, including a range of opinions: 

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University:

Francois Balloux, director of the UCL Genetics Institute at UCL: 

Paul Nuki, Telegraph Global Health Security editor:

Adam Kucharski, epidemiologist and mathematician at LSHTM:

Gabriel Pogrund, Sunday Times journalist:


03:38 PM

Face masks could be giving people Covid-19 immunity

Face masks may be inadvertently giving people Covid-19 immunity and making them get less sick from the virus, academics have suggested in one of the most respected medical journals in the world. 

The commentary, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, advances the unproven but promising theory that universal face mask wearing might be helping to reduce the severity of the virus and ensuring that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic. 

If this hypothesis is borne out, the academics argue, then universal mask-wearing could become a form of variolation (inoculation) that would generate immunity and “thereby slow the spread of the virus in the United States and elsewhere” as the world awaits a vaccine.

It comes as increasing evidence suggests that the amount of virus someone is exposed to at the start of infection - the “infectious dose” - may determine the severity of their illness. Indeed, a large study published in the Lancet last month found that “viral load at diagnosis” was an “independent predictor of mortality” in hospital patients.

Georgina Hayes has more on this story here


03:20 PM

South Africa's public finances are 'overstretched', minister warns

South Africa's Finance Minister Tito Mboweni warned Sunday the economy could shrink by more than the 7 percent forecast by policymakers and the central bank for 2020, adding that public finances are "overstretched".

The economy of Africa's most industrialised nation contracted by more than half in the second quarter of this year, an unprecedented decline caused by anti-coronavirus restrictions.

Looking ahead, there is a "risk that the actual GDP outcome for 2020 could be lower than previously thought," Mboweni wrote in the local Sunday Times newspaper.

The Treasury and central bank expect the economy to contract by 7.2 and 7.3 percent respectively this year, after the country went into a strict lockdown in March already in recession.

Mboweni noted that public finances, already in an "unsustainable position" before the pandemic, were now "overstretched".

"The reduction in economic activity in the second quarter has flowed through to lower tax revenue," the minister wrote, adding that emergency tax relief to keep households and businesses afloat would compound the loss.

Government is expected to fall short of more than 300 billion rand ($18 billion) in tax revenue - over six percent of GDP - Mboweni said, forcing the heavily indebted country to "borrow even more".


02:57 PM

Watch: 102-year-old former nurse completes 102 laps of local park for NHS charities


02:44 PM

Why China could be poised to win the race for a coronavirus vaccine

Scientists are now, perhaps for the first time, seriously considering whether China might be first to develop an effective vaccine, while diplomats are turning their attention to what that might mean for geopolitics in the difficult winter months ahead.

Paul Nuki and Sarah Newey from our global health security team take a look at the unfolding situation in this article (which, like all our global health coverage, is free to read). Below is an extract:

In truth, China has been at or near the front of the Covid-19 vaccine race from the off. Of the nine candidates in Phase Three trials, four are Chinese.  

And while the leading western candidates – Oxford-AstraZeneca, BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna – have all won plaudits for their use of state-of-the-art technology platforms, experts are starting to wonder whether China's strategy of focusing on "old school" vaccine technologies may eventually prove to be more prudent.

"Three of the four Chinese candidates use inactivated Sars-CoV-2 virus which ultimately may prove to be the best bet," said Dr Vipul Chowdhary, technical lead at leading biomedical think tank Policy Cures Research.

China, like others, is also getting into the vaccine diplomacy game. It is using its early success to amplify the country's political influence, restore frosty relationships and further promote an image of the nation as a global health leader.


02:19 PM

Interview: ‘We’re not going to have a vaccine to beat the second wave’

Our reporter Hannah Boland has sat down with Oxford’s Sir John Bell to discuss vaccines, social distancing and testing bottlenecks. You can read the full article here, below is an extract:

At lunchtime on Tuesday, Sir John Bell received a call telling him that the groundbreaking Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial would, regretfully, be paused. Hours later, news of an urgent investigation into an “unexplained illness” in one of the trial volunteers began spreading across the world. It was, as White House adviser Anthony Fauci described it, “unfortunate”.

If the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency had come back and said it was all over, “then it would all be over”, says Sir John, the Government’s leading life sciences adviser. “That’s just the way the game works.”

But, this weekend, that wasn’t what happened. Instead, now the trial is back on. Following an assessment, the MHRA said it was safe to continue with work.

The 68-year-old Canadian, who sits on the UK’s vaccine taskforce, hadn’t been anxious.

“When I got the call from Andrew Pollard [who leads the project], I told him look, fine, this stuff happens in clinical trials all the time. People who don’t do clinical trials see it and think, this is a disaster. But, when you’ve got so many people in the study, it’s really not very surprising to be honest.”

Sir John Bell

02:00 PM

Five additional coronavirus fatalities detected in England

A further five people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,661, NHS England said on Sunday.

Patients were aged between 67 and 86 and all had known underlying health conditions.

The dates of the deaths were September 11 and September 12. No deaths were reported without a positive Covid-19 test result.


01:59 PM

South Korea eases virus curbs in Seoul region

South Korea will temporarily ease coronavirus curbs in the greater Seoul area after a decline in cases, officials has said today. 

The country largely overcame an early Covid-19 surge with extensive tracing and testing, but has battled several spikes in recent weeks raising concerns of a second wave of infections (see chart below).

The new cases - mainly in the greater Seoul region, home to half the country's 52 million population - prompted authorities to tighten social distancing measures last month.

But the measures on the metropolitan area will be eased starting tomorrow for two weeks, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a government meeting, as new local cases declined.

"We're not in a situation to relax yet but the effect of tightened quarantine measures has been showing little by little," he said.

From Monday franchise coffee-shops will resume normal operations, after restricting service to takeouts. Restaurants and bakeries will return to normal hours, while indoor gyms and hagwons - private cram schools - will reopen.

But Chung warned of tougher social distancing rules during the Chuseok holiday - the Korean harvest festival - from September 30 to October 2 and urged people to stay home.

Chuseok is one of the country's biggest holidays with millions traveling across the country to visit family in the nation's largest annual migration. "The long weekend is forecast to be the biggest crisis for quarantine efforts against Covid-19 in the second half of the year," Chung said.


01:41 PM

Scotland records 244 additional Covid-19 cases

A total of 244 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland in the past 24 hours, the latest Scottish Government figures show - the highest daily figure since May 6.

The statistics show that 22,679 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up from 22,435 the day before.

This is 3.7 per cent of newly-tested individuals.

No deaths of confirmed Covid-19 patients have been recorded in the past 24 hours and the number of fatalities remains at 2,499.

There are 259 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, down by two in 24 hours.

Of these patients, seven were in intensive care, down one.


01:18 PM

Inside China's new 'Covid-proof' city

The neighbourhood will also include greenhouses and gardens capable of growing fruit and vegetables -  Guallart Architects 

A new "smart city" in China is to have a state-of-the-art neighbourhood designed to cope with a future pandemic outbreak, Colin Freeman reports.

Architects working on Xiong'an, a flagship new metropolis outside Beijing, have been commissioned to make blocks of apartments specially equipped to allow residents to continue to function under lockdown conditions.

Each flat comes with a large balcony to allow access to the outdoors, and communal work areas big enough to maintain social distancing.

Read the full story here.


12:50 PM

Coronavirus cases on the rise


12:35 PM

Stanley Johnson: 'I won't join protest about not seeing my grandchildren'

Last week, ministers called for children to be exempt from the 'rule of six', but Stanley Johnson, the Prime Minister's father, writes why he won't be protesting the new rule...

From Monday, gatherings of more than six people – outside or inside – will be prohibited. As a grandparent, with 15 grand-children, do I join in the howls of protest? No, I don’t...

Ruling out larger than six gatherings will indeed mean ruling out many family reunions, apart from weddings and funerals. It will certainly mean ruling out family cricket matches and socializing on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro.

But thinking things through, I can see the plus side too. Maybe these big family gatherings can sometimes be a bit like a jamboree.

Read his full comment piece here.


12:04 PM

Denmark travel corridor at risk

Denmark is at risk of losing its travel corridor with the UK this week, while mainland Greece has moved into the “amber zone”. 

The seven-day infection rate per 100,000 residents has reached 28.8 in Denmark, putting it above “red-listed” Jamaica and Belgium. The threshold at which the Government considers adding a country to its holiday quarantine list is a seven-day rate of 20 cases per 100,000 people.

Greece’s rolling seven-day rate is now 15.4 cases per 100,000 residents moving it into the “amber zone” alongside Italy (16.5 per 100,000).

Read the latest travel news here.


11:45 AM

In pictures: Londoner's party in the streets before 'rule of six'

The last weekend before the Government's 'rule of six' comes into force saw crowds gathering on the streets of London last night.

In scenes reminiscent of Super Saturday, when lockdown restrictions were eased in July, the streets were packed with people dancing, hugging and singing with few maintaining social distancing. 

People are seen dancing to a busker in Leicester Square on Saturday night   - Peter Summers/Getty Images
People dance in the streets on Saturday night before new restrictions come into force Monday, preventing groups of more than six from meeting  -  Peter Summers/Getty
People were dancing, singing and hugging, with few maintaining social distance  - Peter Summers/Getty
Diners packed outdoor terraces in London last night for the last weekend before the tightening of restrictions  - Peter Summers/Gett

11:28 AM

Thousands of clear masks purchased by Government 'not safe' to use in clinical settings

Clear face masks purchased by the Department of Health have been rejected by some NHS Trusts after staff were told they were “not safe” for clinical use.

The Government announced last week 250,000 clear masks would be delivered to front line NHS and social care workers to support those who rely on lip-reading or facial expressions to communicate.

The masks, manufactured by US company ClearMask, met the Government’s “strict safety standards”, DHSC said.

But in a memo sent to groups who raised concerns, seen by The Telegraph, DHSC admitted they have “not been tested to the same standards as surgical masks”.

Read the full story, by Lizzie Roberts, here.


11:14 AM

Indonesia reports sixth consecutive day of over 3,000 new infections

Indonesia has reported its sixth consecutive day of over 3,000 new  Covid-19 cases, as the capital city of Southeast Asia's most populous country prepares to re-impose social distancing restrictions.

New infections today reached 3,636 with new deaths at 73, according to data from the health ministry (you can see the trajectory of the outbreak in Indonesia in the chart below).

To try and stem the spread of the virus in Jakarta, employees of businesses considered non-essential will be required to work from home from Monday. Certain government workers will be allowed to work from offices.

Markets and shopping centres will be permitted to stay open with admittance at half capacity, and restaurants within shopping centres will be allowed to operate for take-out only, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told a news briefing. 

"Our main focus is to set restrictions in office spaces," Baswedan said. "We hope this will put a stop to the rising number of cases in office clusters."

The curbs will be implemented for two weeks, but can be extended, he said.


11:07 AM

Israeli minister quits as coronavirus lockdown looms over Jewish holidays

An Israeli cabinet minister tendered his resignation on Sunday in protest at a looming coronavirus lockdown that he argued would unfairly impede religious celebrations of Jewish holidays.

The restrictions - the most extensive Israel will have imposed since a lockdown that ran from late March to early May - are expected to go into effect on Friday, the Jewish new year Rosh Hashana, and span into the Yom Kippur fast day on Sept 27.

"This wrongs and scorns hundreds of thousands of citizens," Housing Minister Yaakov Litzman, who heads an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative coalition, said in his resignation letter.

"Where were you until now? Why have the Jewish holidays become a convenient address for tackling the coronavirus...?"

Under law, Litzman's resignation takes effect in 48 hours. Although a sign of strained relations between Netanyahu and his ultra-Orthodox political partners, Litzman's move was unlikely to have any immediate effect on the stability of the veteran leader's governing coalition.

In remarks to the cabinet as it convened to vote on the lockdown, Netanyahu voiced regret at Litzman's move but added: "We have to move on, to make the decisions necessary for Israel in the coronavirus era, and that is what we will do in this session".

Israel, which has a population of 9 million, has reported 153,217 coronavirus cases and 1,103 deaths. With new cases topping 3,000 daily in recent weeks, authorities worry that the health system could be overwhelmed.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who heads another ultra-Orthodox Jewish party, came out in favour of the restrictions, saying in a video posted on Twitter that not abiding by them over the upcoming holidays would be tantamount to murder


10:36 AM

Crowds flock to city streets ahead of rule of six restrictions

Warm weather and the last weekend before the tightening of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic saw crowds gathering on the streets of London on Saturday night. 

In scenes reminiscent of Super Saturday, when lockdown restrictions were eased in July, the streets were packed with people dancing, hugging and singing with few maintaining social distancing.

Government warnings are continuing to go unheeded with pictures from Leicester Square in central London showing people in large groups enjoying the city’s nightlife.

People were warned last week against having a "party weekend" before the "rule of six" coronavirus restrictions come into force on Monday.


10:23 AM

Watch: Londoners enjoy nightlife prior to new Covid-19 restrictions


10:09 AM

French coronavirus strategy 'chaotic', leading doctors warn as cases surge

More than 10,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported in France on Saturday  - (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Doctors are urging the French to avoid social and family gatherings after more than 10,000 new infections on Saturday, David Chazan reports from Paris.

Alarmed by the record daily toll and the absence of UK-style restrictions, leading doctors made the call in an open letter published in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

The government of President Emmanuel Macron came under fire on Sunday for a “chaotic” approach to the coronavirus after shying away from imposing new national restrictions to cope with France’s spike in cases.

Read the full story here. 


09:56 AM

UK testing programme has a backlog of 185,000 swabs

The Sunday Times this morning has reported that, according to leaked documents, the government’s “world-beating” testing programme has a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is so overstretched that it is sending tests to laboratories in Italy and Germany.

A Department of Health and Social Care report marked “Official: sensitive”, also confirms that most British laboratories are clearing fewer tests than their stated capacity, as they are hit by “chaos” in supply chains.

The government claims that it has capacity for 375,000 tests a day. However, the actual number of people being tested for the coronavirus stalled to just 437,000 people a week at the start of the month - equivalent to just 62,000 a day.

Reporter Gabriel Pogrund has a comprehensive overview of the story in this Twitter thread:


09:47 AM

Confidence in Covid vaccines has fallen since pandemic's peak

Confidence in potential Covid-19 vaccines has fallen since the pandemic peaked in the spring, with early data suggesting an increasing number of people in the UK would refuse a jab.  

According to Prof Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, around five per cent of Britons surveyed in March said they would not take a coronavirus vaccine – a figure that increased to 15 per cent by June. 

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Prof Larson suggested that increasing reluctance was linked to falling fatality rates. In late March roughly 700 deaths were being reported a day, a figure that now hovers at around 10. 

“We do see that [attitudes] are highly variable,” said Prof Larson, a professor of anthropology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “People are constantly weighing up the imminent threat of the disease with the apparent risk of the vaccine.” 

Read the full story here


09:33 AM

Pandemic in pictures

Here's a quick look at the pandemic across the globe - in photographs:

Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Members of the "Bora Testar" or Let's Test project, walk through the the Paraisopolis neighborhood of Sao Paulo. The project plans to test up to 600 people for Covid-19 in the low income neighborhood, and to expand to other vulnerable communities in the country, financed by crowdfunding and donations - AP Photo/Carla Carniel

 New York, US:

A model gets fitted during a NYFW behind the scenes fitting day for the Flying Solo runway show featuring a collective of local designers on September 11 - ANGELA WEISS/AFP

Melbourne, Australia:

A woman with a sign speaks to police during a planned anti-lockdown protest - ERIK ANDERSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 

Mexico City, Mexico:

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Lucia Ledesma hugs her pet Harley, a therapy dog who provides emotional support for healthcare workers who are treating patients infected with the new coronavirus - AP Photo/Marco Ugarte

09:19 AM

Australian hotspot prepares to ease lockdown restrictions amid protests

Lockdown restrictions in Australia's state of Victoria will ease very slightly on Monday, as the number of new daily coronavirus cases continues to fall in the country's hotspot.

While the city will remain under a hard lockdown, the amount of time people will be able to spend outside will double to two hours per day and the overnight curfew will be shortened by an hour.

The state has seen a steady downward trend from a peak of more than 700 cases in a single day in early August.

Victoria accounts for about 75 per cent of Australia's more than 26,600 cases and its capital, Melbourne, has been under strict lockdown for six weeks.

This weekend has seen continued scattered protests in Melbourne against the coronavirus restrictions, with police arresting 74 people and fining 176 for breaching public health orders. 

A riot squad marched through fruit and vegetable stalls at the city's landmark, the Queen Victoria market, before the scuffling with protesters erupted, with some people throwing fruit at the police, television footage showed.

Victoria Police said in a statement that there were between 200 and 250 people involved in the protests, but there were no immediately known injuries to the police.

Here's  a look at the trajectory of Australia's pandemic:


09:09 AM

National lockdown a 'nuclear option', minister insists

The Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has reiterated the Government line that a national lockdown remains a "nuclear option" this morning. 

He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "As the Prime Minister said, going to a national lockdown would indeed be a nuclear option.

"I think here in autumn 2020, knowing much more as we do now about the nature of Covid, but still without a vaccine, we have to take a range of measures which, of course, include enhanced testing, localised measures and indeed the rule of six coming in tomorrow.

"I think the British public now know by taking a combination of different measures we can get through this period."

When asked whether the Government could introduce curfews, Mr Buckland added that there is an issue with young people forgetting to adhere to the rules. But added that it would be "idle of me to speculate as to what measures we might have to bring in as we approach the winter."


08:55 AM

Analysis: New restrictions actually sees rules on household mixing loosen

An interesting perspective here from Adam Kucharski, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and one of Britain’s leading epidemiologists:


08:47 AM

The UK is not following a four nations approach, public health professor laments

Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said the UK has diverged from a four nations approach to tackling coronavirus.

"We are well off that," she told BBC Breakfast.

Addressing differences in measures restricting household gatherings across the UK, she said:

"The differences are minor... but what I am concerned about is the mixing of households.

"In England it's six people from any household, but then children are included including a baby which doesn't quite make sense to me, and then in Scotland it's a maximum of two households.

"It's that inter-household mixing which is more risky from a public health perspective."

She said that "people are frustrated" and compliance with restrictions is not universal.

The measures are "relatively proportionate", she added, and she stressed that it is important to support older and more vulnerable groups.


08:34 AM

Austria 'is experiencing a second wave', chancellor warns

In yet another dire warning from the continent, Austria's chancellor has today warned that the country is at the beginning of a second wave, amid a surge in infections across Europe. 

From Friday to Saturday, the Alpine nation of nearly nine million people reported 869 new cases - more than half of those in the capital Vienna.

"What we are experiencing is the beginning of the second wave," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said in a statement, appealing to the population to stick to anti-virus measures and reduce social contacts.

He warned that the mark of 1,000 cases per day would be reached soon. 

It comes after Kurz announced the government would expand mandatory mask-wearing and slap new restrictions on events from Monday. Masks will be compulsory in all shops and public buildings, in addition to places where they must already be worn such as supermarkets and public transport.

The conservative leader has warned the government could introduce further measures if cases kept rising but would try to avoid a repeat of the lockdown imposed in March, which entailed severe restrictions on movement and the closure of shops and restaurants.

Austria has so far been able to avoid the brunt of the health crisis. Total infections currently stand at more than 33,000 with around 750 deaths.


08:23 AM

Government adviser warns: 'We really need to act very quickly now'

While it is positive that the systems in place have ensured that the UK rapidly detected rising coronavirus infections, quick action must now be taken to prevent a rapid uptick in new cases. 

That's the message this morning from Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag). He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday:

"Everyone is in agreement that we really need to act very quickly now in order to prevent this from growing exponentially.

"We must act fast because it's so much harder to get this sort of thing under control if you delay even a few days is potentially going to be quite dangerous at this particular moment."

When asked if he agreed with the idea that the UK was "losing control" of the virus, he added: "It's a bit like water seeping through a dam, it starts as a trickle and if you don't do something about it it can turn into a real cascade."

Peter Openshaw also said that he was "a bit pessimistic a few months ago" about vaccine trials, but now thinks there is a possibility at least one trial will produce a positive result before Christmas.


08:12 AM

Watch: Trump claims US had the greatest economy in history until the 'China plague' hit


08:02 AM

Cases surge for third straight day in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, authorities have reported the largest single-day increase in new coronavirus infections for a third straight day today, recording 1,541 cases, according to Health Ministry data.

It was the fifth day in a row with new infections above 1,000 as the country of 10.7 million sees a surge in cases that is among the fastest in the European Union. The government has tightened rules requiring face mask use but aims to avoid harsh lockdowns.

Related: Europe deploys range of new measures to mitigate against second wave


07:50 AM

Morning summary

Here's a quick overview of the key stories to be aware of this morning, in the UK and across the globe:

  • Up to 4.5 million people deemed to be at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be asked to stay at home or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases of the virus return to dangerous levels, The Telegraph understands (full report here).
  • Rishi Sunak is considering a multi-billion pound tax cut to encourage big companies to invest in machinery and factories as part of his bid to jump-start the economy after the damage wrought by Covid-19.
  • India reported a record daily jump in coronavirus cases for a second consecutive day, logging 97,570 new infections yesterday, according to government figures.
  • In the United States new figures show that Donald Trump's administration has expelled about 8,800 unaccompanied migrant children intercepted at the US-Mexico border since March 20 under rules seeking to limit the coronavirus spread in the country. 
  • Concerns about a second wave in Europe to continue to grow, with France reporting 10,561 new cases, yesterday a new daily record as the number topped 10,000 for the first time.
  • Meanwhile in Spain the government is pleading with young people to stop socialising at illegal parties, with fears the events are driving a resurgence of infections. 
  • And finally in medical news Pfizer Inc and BioNTech have proposed to the US regulators to expand their phase three vaccine trial to about 44,000 participants. Yesterday the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine trial also resumed after a brief pause

03:24 AM

Australian hotspot prepares to ease lockdown restrictions

Lockdown restrictions in Australia's state of Victoria will ease slightly on Monday, as the number of new daily coronavirus cases continues to fall in the country's hotspot.

Announcing a A$3 billion (£1.7 billion) package in financial aid to businesses in Victoria - home to a quarter of Australia's population - officials also said there were 41 new infections on Sunday and seven deaths.

The numbers confirm a steady downward trend from a peak of more than 700 cases in a single day in early August.

Victoria accounts for about 75 per cent of Australia's more than 26,600 cases and its capital, Melbourne, has been under strict lockdown for several weeks.

The city will remain under hard lockdown, but the amount of time people will be able to spend outside will double to two hours per day and the overnight curfew will be shortened by an hour as of Monday.

"They are small steps, but that's what's safe, absolutely appropriate, with numbers still coming down, but (remaining) too high to open up," Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told a televised briefing.

Businesses, primarily hospitality, retail and tourism firms, which have been either fully closed or had operations substantially scaled down, will have access to grants and tax relief through the state's largest business support package so far, he announced.

In neighbouring New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, where social distancing rules are more relaxed and retailers and restaurants are allowed to open, officials recorded nine new cases on Sunday.


03:01 AM

Virus ravages Mexico's economy

Mexico reported 5,674 new cases of coronavirus and 421 fatalities on Saturday, bringing its totals to 663,973 infections and 70,604 deaths.

The government said the real number of infected people was likely to be significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

So far, Mexico's death toll from the pandemic is the fourth highest globally, and the 13th highest on a per capita basis, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The spread of the virus has ravaged an already slumping economy, which has contracted by up to 13 per cent this year, the deepest downturn since the 1930s-era Great Depression. 


02:58 AM

India's case numbers exceed 4.6 million

Folk dancers in a dress rehearsal ahead of "Navaratri", the nine-nights Hindu festival, in Ahmedabad - SAM PANTHAKY/AFP

India's confirmed coronavirus tally has crossed 4.6 million after a record surge of 97,570 new cases in 24 hours.

India reported another 1,201 deaths on Saturday, bringing total deaths to 77,472 - the third highest in the world.


02:54 AM

Pre-pandemic levels of travel in Wuhan

Domestic air travel in Wuhan, the epicentre of the global coronavirus outbreak, has returned to pre-pandemic levels, authorities say.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan late last year and the city underwent a draconian 76-day lockdown as its hospitals struggled to deal with a tidal wave of cases that required the rapid construction of field hospitals to handle the overflow.

Since re-opening in early April, life has gradually returned to normal and numbers of domestic flights serving the city, as well as the number of passengers, have fully recovered, according to the operator of Wuhan Tianhe International airport.

It said 64,700 passengers were transported on 500 domestic flights on Friday.

The airport is preparing to eventually resume international passenger flights to destinations such as Seoul, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

International cargo routes have already re-opened, connecting the major industrial city and centre of the Chinese auto industry with destinations such as Amsterdam and New Delhi.

China has reported a total of 85,184 cases and 4,634 deaths.


02:46 AM

Masks may be inadvertently giving people immunity

Masks may be inadvertently giving people Covid-19 immunity and making them get less sick from the virus, academics have suggested in one of the world's most respected medical journals.

The commentary, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, advances the unproven but promising theory that universal mask wearing might be helping to reduce the severity of the virus and ensuring that a greater proportion of new infections are asymptomatic. 

If this hypothesis is borne out, the academics argue, then universal mask wearing could become a form of variolation (inoculation) that would generate immunity and “thereby slow the spread of the virus in the United States and elsewhere” as the world awaits a vaccine.

Read the full story here.


02:40 AM

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