Coronavirus news: UK could be locked out of EU vaccine scheme, as Johnson refuses to apologise for care home comments

Pandemic plunges working world into 'unprecedented crisis', ILO says

Global leaders called for a comprehensive approach to counter the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which International Labour Organisation chief Guy Ryder said on Wednesday had plunged the world of work into "unprecedented crisis".

"Let's be clear: it's not a choice between health or jobs and the economy. They are interlinked: we will either win on all fronts or fail on all fronts," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an ILO summit that will be addressed by dozens of heads of state and government.

Catalonia makes masks mandatory

Catalonia's regional authorities will decide to make it mandatory to wear masks regardless of people's ability to maintain a safe distance, becoming Spain's first region to do so, Catalan regional leader Quim Torra said.

Mr Torra said the measure would come into force on Thursday.

Wearing masks indoors and outdoors is mandatory in Spain if people cannot guarantee a 1.5 metre distance from one another until a cure or vaccine for the coronavirus is found.

Sailors from HMS Prince of Wales run Covid-19 testing stations

Sailors from Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales are helping to run Covid-19 testing stations.

The teams from the Portsmouth-based warship are currently manning seven mobile testing unit sites across Hampshire including Eastleigh, Fawley and Brockenhurst with further assistance planned for Farnborough and Alton.

The crew members are carrying out the work while the Prince of Wales is undergoing maintenance ahead of sea trials including embarking F-35 Lightning jets for the first time.

Technician Steven James, who's normally responsible for the carrier's communications and IT systems, said: "While learning about the process and procedure, I have an understanding of the virus and how to protect myself and others from it.

"This has been a learning curve for all of the public and ourselves and together we can put an end to the virus."

Nearly 3,000 military personnel are involved in assisting with the national response to the pandemic with Royal Marines also running testing centres in the South West.

Netherlands bans arrivals from Serbia and Montenegro

The Netherlands shut its borders to people from Serbia and Montenegro again, a week after opening them, citing a rapid rise in coronavirus infections in both countries.

Travellers from Serbia and Montenegro regained access to the Netherlands on July 1 when the Dutch, following European Union guidelines, reopened their borders to a list of 14 countries outside the bloc.

But the government said a rise in coronavirus infections in Serbia and Montenegro had forced it to take those countries off the list again, and that Dutch travellers should only visit them if absolutely necessary.

Serbia declared a lockdown in Belgrade over the coming weekend due to the Covid-19 surge, sparking overnight rioting in the capital in which dozens were injured.

Earlier on Wednesday, Austria issued travel warnings for Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova because of the worsening coronavirus situation there.

WHO chief pulls out of London events after US confirms exit

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pulled out of a London event at the last minute after organisers said he had to attend meetings linked to the US notification of its withdrawal from the WHO.

The event at London's Chatham House think tank had been due to feature Tedros in a live webinar about the Covid-19 pandemic led by David Heymann, a former senior WHO official and a professor of global health.

Mr Heymann told the online event: "I have been in touch with his [Mr Tedros'] office on another issue (this morning), and I was told he has a series of diplomatic meetings today which is the result of the US withdrawal."

The United States confirmed on Tuesday it will leave the WHO on 6 July, 2021.

Donald Trump has accused the agency of becoming a puppet for China during the Covid-19 pandemic. The WHO denies this. 

Scientists warn of coronavirus-related brain damage

Scientists have warned of a potential wave of coronavirus-related brain damage as new evidence suggested Covid-19 can lead to severe neurological complications, including inflammation, psychosis and delirium.

A study by researchers at University College London (UCL) described 43 cases of patients with Covid-19 who suffered either temporary brain dysfunction, strokes, nerve damage or other serious brain effects.

Adrian Owen, a neuroscientist at Western University in Canada, said the emerging evidence underlined the need for large, detailed studies and global data collection to assess how common such neurological and psychiatric complications were.

He is running an international research project at covidbrainstudy.com where patients can sign up to complete a series of cognitive tests to see whether their brain functions have altered since getting Covid-19.

Dozens injured in rioting over reimposed lockdown in Serbia

Dozens of demonstrators and police were injured in overnight rioting in Belgrade, triggered when a crowd stormed Serbia's parliament in protest at plans to reimpose a lockdown following a surge in coronavirus cases.

Footage showed police kicking and beating people with truncheons while protesters pelted officers with stones and bottles, after thousands chanting for the resignation ofpPresident Aleksandar Vucic gathered outside the building.

Mr Vucic announced the new lockdown on Tuesday, saying it was needed because of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

The government's critics say its decisions to allow soccer matches, religious festivities, parties, and private gatherings to resume, and parliamentary elections to go ahead on 21 June, are to blame for the spike in infections.