Coronavirus news: R rate climbs again as cases surge and London braces for tighter restrictions

Two more test positive at White House

A journalist and a press staffer working at the White House are the latest to test positive as the fallout from Donald Trump’s Covid-19 infection continues.

Lebanon shuts down 111 towns and villages

All social events and gatherings will be cancelled in 111 towns and villages across Lebanon amid a rise in coronavirus cases and a shortage of hospital beds.

Outgoing Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said in a statement the complete lockdown will go into effect Sunday morning and last until 12 October.

The order, which covers some suburbs of Beirut, says that all state and private institutions will be closed during the period. The ministry will also coordinate with local religious officials over the closure of places of worship and religious events.

Lebanon has witnessed a sharp increase of cases in recent weeks and set a new daily record today with 1,291 new cases reported over the last 24 hours. The country of five million people has registered 386 deaths so far.

Police launch investigation into MP’s coronavirus trip

Here’s Whitehall editor Kate Devlin with the full story on the investigation into Margaret Ferrier’s trip to Westminster and back while infected with Covid-19.

The MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West has been suspended by the Scottish National Party but has so far ignored calls for her to resign.

Global vaccine project under fire over funding

The global project to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the world’s poorest people has been criticised for the decision to share costs among lower-income countries - despite a previously pledge that funding for these nations would be largely provided by donors and development aid.

Here’s Samuel Lovett’s report:

White House insists Trump is 'hard at work' after coronavirus diagnosis

The White House press secretary has insisted that Donald Trump is “hard at work” and still planning to take part in the next scheduled debate with Democratic candidate Joe Biden after his coronavirus diagnosis.

Kayleigh McEnany’s comments came amid an unusually-long lull in activity from the president, in which he did not appear on a noon call with “vulnerable seniors” to talk about the coronavirus.

Our Washington bureau chief, John T Bennett, has the full story below:

WHO wishes Trump swift recovery from coronavirus

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has wished Donald Trump well after his coronavirus diagnosis, but declined to comment on whether he may have brought it upon himself by refusing to wear a mask.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director general, wished the US president a full and swift recovery on Friday as he opened the organisation’s press conference.

When asked whether Mr Trump was somehow to blame for his infection, Dr Michael Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's Emergencies Programme, said: “Doing all of that to protect yourself and others is the best way to protect society. Our advice doesn't change.

“We will not comment on the specific management measures or specific behaviour of an individual.”

He added: “We are a community. We need to get through this together. This is not the time to turn on each other."

Dr Ryan also said he could not comment on whether Mr Trump's behaviour had put Mr Biden at risk.

He pointed out that the WHO had no idea of the nature of the confirmation of the diagnosis, the timing of the diagnosis, viral counts, distances or anything else.

Two students fined £200 each over illegal party in university halls

Two students have been fined £200 each following an illegal party in a university's halls of residence, West Midlands Police has said.

Up to 200 people are thought to have joined the party at Arundel House in Coventry in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police said they were called to the accommodation block following reports of a “large gathering of students” in the common room.

“We've fined two students £200 each following a party at accommodation used by Coventry University students early on Tuesday morning,” the force said.

“Social media footage showed dozens of people breaching social distancing guidelines at Arundel House in the city centre.

“We launched an investigation, in conjunction with the university, and we'll continue to work with others around the region to ensure their students are as safe as possible.

“Anyone thinking about organising a big gathering must think about the consequences.”

Coventry University, whose students use the privately managed halls, said earlier this week that it was “deeply concerned” by the incident and condemned what it called “blatant breaches of the rule of six and other guidelines”.

It warned that any students found to have breached its own Covid-19 code of conduct may face disciplinary action.

Culture secretary visits cinema to promote coronavirus support fund

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has visited one of the 42 cinemas receiving a share of the government's £650,000 coronavirus support fund for the independent cinema sector.

Mr Dowden shared photos from his visit to Reel Cinemas' outlet in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, on Friday, where he was accompanied by members of the British Film Institute.

The minister described the fund as a “shot in the arm to independent cinema with more to come” and encouraged members of the public to support local cinemas.

Some 14 of Reel Cinemas' venues - in locations including Chippenham, Chorley and Rochdale - are receiving support from the scheme, totalling £139,958.

The money is drawn from the government's previously announced £30m fund to help independent cinemas weather the pandemic.

The first tranche of support has gone to venues across England in locations including Gloucester, London, Plymouth, Rochdale, Wakefield and Sheffield, with more being allocated soon.

Canada to ease border curbs to allow more family reunifications

Canada will ease some border restrictions next week to allow for more family reunifications and plans to allow some new international students to attend learning institutions, the country’s government has said.

Canada and the US have banned non-essential travel across their shared frontier for months in a bid to combat the coronavirus outbreak, prompting protests from separated family members.

“We recognise that travel restrictions should not keep loved ones apart,” Marco Mendicino, Canada’s immigration minister, told reporters.

“In these challenging times, we know those challenges are best met with the strength and support of those we love by our side.”

As of 8 October, Canada will allow the entry of certain extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, including those in an exclusive dating relationship of at least one year.

Foreign nationals can enter for compassionate reasons in specific circumstances, such as life-threatening illness, critical injury or death.

Safety review over remdesivir after patients report kidney problems

The European Medicines Agency has said it has started a safety review after some patients taking the coronavirus drug remdesivir reported serious kidney problems.

In a statement on Friday, the EU regulator said it was not clear whether remdesivir was causing the “acute kidney injury,” but the issue warranted “further investigation.”

Remdesivir was given a conditional marketing authorisation by the EMA on 3 July and can be used to treat people older than age 12 with severe Covid-19 and pneumonia who require oxygen treatment.

The approval for the drug was fast-tracked with the understanding that more evidence would be submitted after a license was granted.

“The benefits to these severely ill patients outweigh the risks of making the medicine available despite having less complete data than normally expected,” the EMA said.

Remdesivir is one of the few licensed treatments for the coronavirus, in addition to the generic steroid dexamethasone.

The European Medicines Agency said the potential problem of kidney toxicity caused by remdesivir was evaluated when the conditional approval was given but that analysis was mainly based on animal studies.

It noted that kidney injuries can be caused by other factors, including diabetes and the coronavirus itself.

Recommendations for the use of the drug remain unchanged, with doctors already advised to monitor patients for kidney complications prior to starting treatment and not to use the drug in patients with known kidney problems.

AP