Covid UK news – live: Just 28 in 58,000 test positive at event pilots as Delta cases rise by 46% in a week
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Just 28 people attending large-scale event pilots including a total of 58,000 participants were found to have tested positive for Covid – but experts have urged a cautious interpretation of the results.
Scientists warned that low uptake of PCR testing before and after the Events Research Programme (ERP) events meant it was “challenging to determine” the nature of Covid transmission, but insisted that “no substantial outbreaks” emerged in the aftermath of the events.
The results came from nine pilots held between 17 April and 15 May, including the FA Cup Final, the Brit Awards and World Snooker Championships. All participants were required to prove a negative rapid test as a condition of entry to each venue.
Confirmed and probable cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant identified in the UK have risen by 46 per cent on the previous week.
A further 35,204 cases have been detected, taking the total to 111,157, Public Health England said.
The rate of acceleration is slowing, as the previous week’s increase was 80 per cent.
There have been a total of 117 deaths from the Delta variant, rising from 73 reported last week.
Bolsonaro denies ‘irregularities’ in Covid vaccine deal
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has insisted there were no irregularities in the country’s coronavirus vaccine deal with India’s Bharat Biotech, ahead of the testimony of two brothers who refute this claim.
The controversial leader, who campaigned on an anti-graft platform, said: “There is nothing wrong with the Covaxin contract, there is no overpricing.”
“I am incorruptible,” he added.
Luas Ricardo Miranda, who works at the health ministry, said this week that he warned the president of anomalies in the deal.
Government confirms another 15,810 coronavirus cases in UK
Another 15,810 coronavirus infections were identified in the UK in the 24 hours up to Friday morning, the government has announced.
Ministers also said that a further 18 people had died within a month of testing positive for the virus, raising the country’s death toll to 128,066.
So far, there have been 153,000 deaths with Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Denmark continues AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jab ban
Denmark will continue to exclude the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs from its vaccine rollout, its health authorities said on Friday following a review of it existing policy.
“The balance between possible benefit and possible harmful effects is still not favourable, even when we include assumptions in our analyses that benefit the vaccine,” they said in a statement.
The country became the first in the world to ditch both jabs by May over worries they could cause a rare form of blood clot.
Other nations have taken a different approach, with some like the UK deciding not to give people in younger age groups the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Hancock’s breach of Covid-19 rules erodes trust in the government, says Khan
Matt Hancock’s breach of coronavirus rules is another Barnard Castle moment, Sadiq Khan has warned.
The mayor of London said that the health secretary’s flouting of social distancing guidelines would make it harder for the public to have confidence in those in power - as was the case with Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to County Durham last year.
Mr Khan added that the minister’s actions should be investigated rather than “brushed under the carpet”.
His comments related to a picture of Mr Hancock kissing his aide Gina Coladangelo, which was published in The Sun this morning.
In response, the health minister said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances, I have let people down and am very sorry.”
WHO expresses concerns about Delta variant
The World Health Organization has expressed its concerns about the Delta variant, which has been identified in at least 85 countries.
Speaking on Friday, the WHO’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “the most transmissible” of all variants and “is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated populations”.
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