Coronavirus news – live: Australia commits to free vaccine for all citizens as data shows depression rates double in UK

'The Government risks making a major misstep'

The chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, an independent health think tank, has warned that the government is risking a “major misstep” by dismantling Public Health England.

Responding to Matt Hancock’s speech on the future of public health, Nigel Edwards said: "There is no doubt that Public Health England is far from perfect: serious questions should be asked about the agency’s role in some of the failures around testing, contract tracing and PPE in the early stages of the pandemic. 

“But the correct way to respond to these questions is a proper and evidence-led investigation of what went wrong across government. Without this, we risk a disproportionate response to problems that could be dealt with through straightforward managerial action.  

“The government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time, creating a huge distraction for staff who should be dedicating themselves to the next stage of the pandemic. 

“There is no clear argument as to why this rebranding and reshuffling will solve some of the problems highlighted by the secretary of state today.”

  Richard Murray, chief executive of health think tank The King's Fund, was equally critical of Mr Hancock's decision to break up PHE.

"Undoubtedly, there are questions to be answered about England's handling of the Covid-19 crisis, but the middle of a pandemic is not the time to dismantle England's public health agency," Mr Murray said.

Jared Kushner calls US handling of coronavirus a success story

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to Donald Trump, has praised his father-in-law’s administration as a success after he was questioned about the death toll in America, which surpassed 170,000.

In an interview with CNN’s The Situation Room, Mr Kushner said the president was “able to rush the supplies we needed” in the first phase of the pandemic as it hit the US.

Andrew Naughtie reports:

Risk of vigilante attacks rising as justice delayed by coronavirus

Lawyers have warned that vigilantes “will take matters into their own hands” if trust in the criminal justice system crashes after the coronavirus pandemic.

Nearly 570,000 court cases are stuck in a backlog in England and Wales, with some trials not being scheduled until 2022. Victims face a wait of several years between reporting a crime and seeing a result, writes Lizzie Dearden.

Read more about the issue below:

Australia 'to give all citizens free vaccine'

Australia will manufacture a coronavirus vaccine and give it to its citizens free, prime minister Scott Morrison has pledged.

The country has signed a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca to secure a potential vaccine and plans to produce and distribute enough doses for its population, he announced.

"Under this deal we have secured early access for every Australian," he said in an emailed statement.

"If this vaccine proves successful, we will manufacture and supply vaccines straight away under our own steam and make it free for 25 million Australians."

Countries around the world are looking to secure supplies of Astrazeneca's potential vaccine. Argentina and Mexico said last week they would produce it for much of Latin America.

Mr Morrison, however, warned that while AstraZeneca's candidate is showing early promise, there was no guarantee it would materialise as an effective tool in preventing Covid-19.

British tourists flock to south west coast but locals refuse to welcome them

Residents in the south west of England are reluctant to welcome more guests as large numbers of tourists decide against holidaying abroad and turn to vacations closer to home.

Many locals would have preferred lockdown to continue - but the region relied heavily on its tourism industry.

Jon Lewis reports:

Depression in British adults doubles during pandemic

The number of adults experiencing depression has almost doubled during the pandemic, according to new figures.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that almost one in five adults (19.2 per cent) were likely to be experiencing some form of depression in June.

This had risen from around 1 in 10 before the nationwide lockdown, Samuel Lovett reports:

Australia signs deal for vaccine that will be 'free for all'

Canberra is also buying 100 million syringes and needles from a US company.

AstraZeneca’s experimental jab is considered a leader in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine against Covid-19, Jon Sharman reports:

Coronavirus cases among students will ‘inevitably’ rise, says Nicola Sturgeon

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a rise in the number of pupils testing positive for coronavirus is inevitable as they return to the classroom.

Speaking during the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Ms Sturgeon stressed the importance of keeping schools open as the harms of children losing out in an education are “considerable”.

“But we will inevitably I think see more cases which involve school pupils in the weeks and months ahead,” she said.

“In those cases, as has happened in the ones I’ve mentioned today, contact tracers will identify if other students or staff at schools need to isolate and will let them and their parents know.”

It comes after at least three pupils tested positive for coronavirus in Scotland, in Paisley, Perth and Kinross.

Leicester lockdown to ease, nail bars, outdoor pools and beauty salons can reopen from tomorrow

Certain restrictions will be eased in Leicester, with some establishments and outdoor venues allowed to reopen but rules for gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place.

Nail bars, beauty salons, massage parlours, tattoo parlours and outdoor pools are among some of the venues that can reopen from tomorrow, 19 August.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “My gratitude goes out to the people of Leicester who have all made sacrifices to keep the virus at bay and protect their local communities.

“The rate of infection has now dropped to a safe enough level to allow further businesses including beauty salons, nail bars and some outdoor venues to reopen in the area. Current restrictions on gatherings must remain in place to further bring down the rate of infection.

“We must remain vigilant and I urge everyone in Leicester to continue to follow the rules - wash your hands regularly, follow social distancing, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.”

Germany pauses easing lockdown further

Angela Merkel has ruled out easing coronavirus restrictions any further after a surge in infections in Germany.

Last week, Germany recorded its biggest daily increase in coronavirus infections in more than three months, with over 1,200 cases reported in 24 hours.

Jane Dalton reports: