Coronavirus news – live: Russia Covid vaccine branded ‘foolish’ as young people who vape found to be seven times more at risk

New UK deaths

Six more people who have died in hospital in England after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,425, NHS England has announced.

The patients were aged between 46 and 96 and all had known underlying health conditions.

The region with the highest number of deaths was the northwest with four, while the remaining two deaths were recorded in the Midlands and the southeast respectively.

In Wales, a further two people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,581.

Public Health Wales said the total number of cases in the country increased by 13, bringing the revised total of confirmed cases to 17,476.

No new deaths with Covid-19 have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said. Another 48 people tested positive, bringing the overall tally to 6,188.

Celtic and Aberdeen football matches suspended

Celtic’s upcoming games have been postponed but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon let Scottish football off with a “yellow card” after Hoops defender Boli Bolingoli played following a secret trip to Spain, writes Gavin McCafferty.

The Scottish Government had earlier admitted it was considering a suspension of football after it emerged Bolingoli failed to quarantine for 14 days as required and then came off the bench during the 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Kilmarnock on Sunday.

268 coronavirus arrests in Scotland

Police have made almost 270 arrests using emergency coronavirus legislation in Scotland.

Mike Russell, Scottish constitutional secretary, told Holyrood that officers had used the powers for 3,310 fines, to make 349 forceful dispersals and to make 268 arrests between 27 March and 21 July.

He said 94 per cent of the 61,593 interventions had been peaceful dispersals.

France's coronavirus situation 'going the wrong way' - PM

France's coronavirus situation has been going "the wrong way" for the past two weeks, the nation's prime minister has said.

Addressing citizens PM Jean Castex went on to say he was in favour of mask wearing in all public spaces to limit the spread of the virus.

Cases in the country have steadily increased since the end of June, with 2,278 on 7 August compared to 475 a month prior.

MP accuses government of being 'too quick to hand out contracts' over test and trace outsourcing

Labour has raised fresh questions over outsourcing giant Serco's role in the Government's test-and-trace programme to track coronavirus cases.

Shadow health minister Justin Madders accused the Government of being "too quick to hand out juicy contracts to the private sector" as he shared a letter on Twitter, which he claimed revealed communication with the company back in January months ahead of the coronavirus lockdown.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Madders said: "I think it's for the Government to explain the process they underwent and what conversations were taking place in January about test and trace...It just seems really, really shambolically handled all the way along."

 Scotland pupils to receive original predicted grades after controversial results decision scrapped

Students in Scotland will now receive their original grades estimated by teachers, as more than 120,000 results downgraded in moderation will be scrapped.

After children found out their grades last week, it emerged tens of thousands had been lowered by the exam board.

The Scottish educations secretary said on Tuesday these results would go back to the original teacher estimate.

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Americas reporting more than 100,000 cases a day

More than 100,000 cases of the virus are being reported every day in the Americas - half of them in the United States - and there are worrisome spikes in countries that had controlled their epidemics like Argentina and Colombia, the World Health Organization regional director Carissa Etienne has said.

"Our region remains under Covid's grip," she said in a virtual briefing from Washington with other Pan American Health Organization directors.

Ms Etienne said the disruption of healthcare services threatened an increase in illnesses that were under control such as TB, HIV and hepatitis.

Malaria discovery could be used to develop coronavirus treatment

Scientists hope a breakthrough in our understanding of malaria could offer potentially effective treatment for coronavirus and other infectious diseases.

A new study has found that the parasites causing the mosquito-borne infectious disease are heavily dependent on particular enzymes inside a human host’s red blood cells.

Led by experts at Australia’s RMIT University, the research revealed that drugs which deactivate these human enzymes are highly effective in killing the malaria parasite – and represent an alternative to drugs targeting the parasite itself.

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WHO yet to see proof Russian vaccine is safe

The World Health Organization has not received enough information on the Russian Covid-19 vaccine to evaluate it, the assistant director of its regional branch, the Pan American Health Organization, Jarbas Barbosa, has said.

Asked about plans to produce the potential vaccine in Brazil, Mr Barbosa said that should not be done until Phase 2 and 3 trials are completed to guarantee its safety and effectiveness.

"Any vaccine producer has to follow this procedure that guarantees it is safe and has the WHO's recommendation," he said in a virtual briefing from Washington.

Vaping 'makes young people up to seven times more likely to contract coronavirus'

Young people who use e-cigarettes are five to seven times more likely than non-smokers to be infected with coronavirus, a study suggests.

Vaping also appears to diminish the protections afforded by youth against the symptoms of the virus, warned scientists who analysed data from across the US.

“Teens and young adults need to know that if you use e-cigarettes, you are likely at immediate risk of Covid-19 because you are damaging your lungs,” said the study’s senior author Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, professor of paediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

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