Coronavirus news: Boris Johnson ‘blind’ to risk of lifting lockdown as more cities being monitored for spikes ahead of ‘Super Saturday’

South Korea to start talks on Covid-19 drug remdesivir purchases in August

South Korea has started distributing stocks of the Covid-19 treatment remdesivir that have been donated by Gilead Sciences Inc and plans to begin talks to purchase more supplies in August, its disease control agency said.

It is the first country to disclose a timeline for talks with Gilead. The drugmaker said this week it has priced remdesivir at $390 per vial in developed countries and agreed to allocate nearly all of its supply of the drug to the United States over the next three months.

One of the few treatments shown to alter the course of Covid-19, remdesivir is expected to be in high demand. The intravenously administered medicine has won emergency-use authorisation in several countries and full approval in Japan after a clinical trial showed it helped shorten hospital stays.

Only patients severely ill with Covid-19 are eligible for remdesivir and South Korea currently has 33 such patients, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

Thailand reopens schools, pubs and massage parlours

Thailand has begun a fifth phase of relaxations of Covid-19 restrictions, allowing the reopening of schools and high-risk entertainment venues such as pubs and massage parlours that had been shut since mid-March.

It is also allowing in foreign visitors on a controlled basis, limiting entry to those with existing family or work ties to the country, students, technical experts for businesses, investors and specially invited VIPs. Scheduled passenger flights to Thailand were suspended in early April.

The number of foreign visitors allowed into the country each day is limited to 200, and they are supposed to travel on repatriation flights bringing Thai citizens home. All returnees, foreign and Thai, will be subject to varying degrees of quarantine.

All confirmed coronavirus cases for the past five weeks have been repatriated Thais rather than cases of local transmission, giving the government confidence to lift restrictions. However, it has extended through July a state of emergency, though critics claim it is being used to suppress political dissent.

Reopened establishments still have to maintain social distancing rules. A contact tracing app already used at shopping malls is also mandated for the reopened entertainment venues, including "soapy" massage parlors, which are often illegal fronts for sexual services.

Austria's foreign minister,  Alexander Schallenberg, has said the country is issuing travel warnings for all six countries of the western Balkans because of coronavirus.

Philippines reports 999 new cases, including four deaths

The Philippines' health ministry has reported 999 more coronavirus infections and four additional deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases have reached 38,511 while deaths have increased to 1,270.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday retained partial restrictions in the capital Manila for another two weeks to contain the spread of the virus while reducing the pandemic's economic damage.

Opinion: After the terrible damage lockdown has caused, we can never do it again

This week marks 100 days since our liberties were stolen. It also marks 100 days of rising inequalities, countless avoidable deaths and the ruin of a generation, writes Simon Dolan.

Prague throws huge ‘farewell pandemic’ party with thousands of guests

Prague has celebrated a self-proclaimed end to its coronavirus epidemic – by throwing a massive party attended by thousands of people all sharing food and without any social distancing.

The Czech capital held the unorthodox gathering to say a “symbolic farewell” to the infection and to show residents should no longer be scared to meet with friends or visit local businesses.

Thousands attend huge 'farewell' party to celebrate end of pandemic in Prague

PM urged to axe Public Health England over response to coronavirus crisis

Boris Johnson has been urged to scrap Public Health England (PHE), the government body facing criticism for delays in sharing data that shows how the coronavirus is spreading in different parts of the country.

Former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith said he would “abolish PHE tomorrow” if he was in charge, claiming the agency was guilty of “arrogance laced with incompetence”.

Turkish president claims EU's restrictive treatment of Turkey is 'political'

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has claimed the European Union had treated Turkey in a restrictive way over the coronavirus pandemic in what he said was a political stance.

He did not provide further details but his comments came after the EU excluded Turkey, along with the United States and other countries, from its initial "safe list" of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel from Wednesday.

The president was giving a speech to officials from his AK Party.

Stormont first minister calls on deputy to apologise over IRA funeral scenes

(PA)Stormont's first minister has called on the deputy first minister to apologise over an IRA veteran's funeral that saw hundreds of people line the streets.

Arlene Foster's comments come as Michelle O'Neill faces calls to resign after she and party colleagues attended Bobby Storey's funeral in west Belfast on Tuesday.

Police are investigating potential breaches of coronavirus lockdown rules that restrict outdoor public gatherings to 30 people.

A picture posted on social media by a Sinn Fein branch in the Irish Republic showed Ms O'Neill posing for a selfie close to two men, one of whom had his arm on her shoulder. The picture was subsequently deleted.

Ms Foster said the scenes at the funeral and apparent lack of social distancing "undermined the credibility" of Stormont's Covid-19 guidance.

The DUP leader said it sent out a message of "do as I say and not as I do".

"She needs to apologise and recognise the wrong that has been done and she absolutely needs to make amends for what happened yesterday and take steps to try and build up that credibility again," said Ms Foster.

Ms O'Neill said the funeral had taken place "in accordance" with coronavirus guidelines.

She has defended the event, saying the cortege only had 30 people in it and social distancing inside the church was "exemplary".

PA

Remdesivir: What is the coronavirus drug stockpiled by US?

Health officials in the US have announced that the Trump administration has bought almost the entire world’s stock of the Covid-19 drug remdesivir.

But what is remdesivir, how does it work in treating Covid-19 and is it available to patients in the UK?