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

Australia to put 300,000 under lockdown after cases spike in Melbourne suburb

Around 300,000 people living in the suburbs of Melbourne will go under lockdown for a month from midnight after the number of positive coronavirus infections rose in double digits for two weeks.

The “unacceptable number of cases” prompted Australian authorities to try and contain the outbreaks in the country’s second largest city, which has a population of nearly five million people.

More than 30 suburbs will return to stage-three restrictions, which will confine residents to their homes except for grocery shopping, medical appointments, work or caregiving, and exercise.

Government accused of keeping Leicester authorities ‘in the dark’

Local leaders in Leicester have accused the government of failing to communicate in the run-up to the country’s first localised lockdown, saying the city has “been kept in the dark”.

A picture of confusion and delay has emerged in the wake of Monday night’s announcement, in which health secretary Matt Hancock ordered the closure of non-essential shops and schools in the city following a recent surge in Covid-19 cases.

No new laws planned to stop people entering and leaving Leicester

New laws are not planned "at this stage" to stop people entering or leaving Leicester, Downing Street has said.

Asked about the police's powers in the city, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "We are recommending against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester, and we expect the vast majority of people to abide by the rules, but we are not putting that into law at this stage."

UK death toll rises to 43,906 after 176 more deaths

A further 176 people have died in the UK, bringing the overall death toll to 43,906, according to the Department of Health.

The UK’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 176 in 24 hours to 43,906, according to government figures.

Barnsley Council reassures residents town 'not at risk of going into further lockdown'

Barnsley Council has sought to reassure residents the town is not at risk of going into a further lockdown like Leicester has.

The local authority acknowledged the town has seen higher rates of coronavirus than the national average, but put this down to "some natural variation in the disease; our proactive and targeted testing; our higher density of care homes; and our local population which is older than the national average and has higher rates of underlying diseases and other Covid-19 risk factors such as smoking".

It added in a statement: "According to our most up-to-date data, we have seen a reduction in the number of daily new cases and in the average number of new cases for four consecutive days.

"We are continuing to monitor this and other data very closely, and to proactively manage the disease locally and in line with national guidance.

"This is why we do not believe at this stage any further measures will need to be implemented such as the ones seen in Leicester."

Read the statement in full: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/statements/01072020-numbers-of-coronavirus-covid-19-cases-in-barnsley/

Greater Manchester councils publish figures showing rate of infection

Councils in Greater Manchester have published new figures about the rate of Covid-19.

They said the rate of infection for Greater Manchester as a whole - which includes 10 councils - was 13.3 per 100,000 people as of June 30, compared to locked-down Leicester, which they said was 135.

In a statement, they said: "Some of our ten districts have higher infection numbers and rates than others, and compared to the North West and national they are still higher than they should be."

Sir Richard Leese, chair of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said: "The figures published today show the situation in each of our districts and while the number of positive cases of Covid-19 is slightly higher in some councils compared to others, we are closely monitoring and managing the situation. We don't want anyone to be alarmed.

"Rather, the purpose of making this information public is to be open, honest and transparent with the public about what's happening in their area so they can make an informed choice in their day-to-day lives.

"We've also been doing more testing compared to other parts of England and this will be reflected in our figures."

Oxford University has seen 'right sort of immune response' in potential vaccine trial

A leading scientist behind the University of Oxford's potential Covid-19 vaccine said the team has seen the right sort of immune response in trials, which have entered the Phase III clinical stage.

Speaking at a parliamentary hearing, Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the university, said the trial has enrolled 8,000 volunteers for Phase III of its trial into the vaccine, AZD1222, which was licensed to AstraZeneca.

She said she couldn't give a timeline for when the vaccine might be ready as it depends on the results of the trial. 

UK must 'prepare for the worst' this winter, warns scientist

The UK must "prepare for the worst" this winter rather than relying on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, a senior scientist has warned.

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, told MPs that planning for the pandemic had relied "too heavily on assumptions" and it was better to prepare to face the colder months without banking on a breakthrough by scientists hunting for a vaccination.

US Covid-19 deaths likely higher than reported, study finds

The number of Americans who died from Covid-19 between March and May was likely significantly higher than the official US count due in part to state-level reporting discrepancies, according to a study published today.

The overall number of US deaths for any cause tallied by the National Centre for Health Statistics during March, April and May was 781,000, or 122,300 more than the historical average for the period, according to the study funded by the National Institutes of Health and private foundations published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The number of deaths officially listed as due to Covid-19 from March until May was 95,235, or 28% less than that excess number. A Reuters tally for the period that includes "probable" COVID-19 deaths was higher at 103,649.

Media reports have suggested that many early nursing home deaths or those attributed to pneumonia rather than Covid-19 may have contributed to an undercount.