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Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight: Boris Johnson forces Greater Manchester into tier 3 lockdown as UK deaths reach 241 in 24 hours

Total number of coronavirus infections in UK now stands at 76,542

Kate Ng
Wednesday 21 October 2020 04:20 EDT
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Andy Burnham: 'I don't think we can proceed as a country on this basis through the pandemic'

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More areas in England are expected to fall under the most stringent tier of coronavirus restrictions, as the number of infections across the country continues to rise.

People throughout the UK are continuing to deal with the effects of the pandemic, with scientists warning of a difficult winter to come.

Here is your daily summary of coronavirus news you may have missed overnight.

Fury as Boris Johnson provides just £22m support in Greater Manchester

The prime minister is facing fury in Greater Manchester after he announced support worth just £22m and imposed the harshest coronavirus restrictions unilaterally after talks with local leaders broke down.

Pubs, bars, bingo halls, betting shops, casinos and soft-play areas must closed from 12.01am on Friday, but financial support for businesses has not been agreed.

Mayor Andy Burnham accused Mr Johnson of “playing poker with people’s lives”, while Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, who represents a constituency in the city, said the prime minister was personally responsible for driving residents into “destitution and poverty”.

An offer of an additional £60m made to local leaders earlier on Tuesday was not confirmed by Mr Johnson, but the health secretary, Matt Hancock, later told MPs that the offer remained on the table if local leaders came and asked for it.

UK deaths reach 241 in 24 hours, highest since early June

A further 241 people have died after contracting Covid-19, the highest daily figure reported since 258 death were reported on 5 June.

According to the latest government figures, this brings the total UK coronavirus death toll to 43,967.

There have also been a further 21,330 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of Tuesday morning, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 76,542.

Poll shows lack of trust in Boris Johnson as Britons feel financial pinch from pandemic

A poll by BMG Research for The Independent shows that British voters do not trust Boris Johnson and his health secretary Matt Hancock to tackle the coronavirus crisis, with less than a quarter thinking it would be reasonable for ministers to expect them to keep obeying restrictions beyond spring.

Over a quarter of those questioned (26 per cent) said their household incomes had gone down as a result of the pandemic. Some 3.4 per cent – equivalent to more than 900,000 families or sole-person households – said their income had fallen by more than half.

Only 36 per cent now trust the prime minister to lead the response to the pandemic, against 44 per cent who do not. The figures are worse for Mr Hancock, with only 26 per cent trusting him and 39 per cent who do not.

Bubonic plague outbreaks spread four times faster in the 17th century than 15th century, study suggests

A study examining the impacts of bubonic plague in London – from when it first arrived from Asia in the mid-1300s until the last major epidemic in 1666 – has estimated the disease spread four times faster in the 17th century than in the 14th century.

Researchers from McMaster University in Canada analysed thousands of documents covering the 300-year period and found that the disease spread faster during later epidemics.

They believe that population density, living conditions and cooler temperatures could potentially explain the acceleration and that the transmission patterns of these historical plague epidemics offer lessons for modern pandemics, such as Covid-19.

Trump claims to be ‘immune’ and says he has ‘protective glow’

US president Donald Trump has claimed again that he is now “immune” to Covid-19 as he said he has fully recovered from the disease.

Speaking to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo over the weekend, he said he felt “fantastically” good, adding: “I even feel good by the fact that, you know, the word immunity means something – having really a protective glow means something.”

Mr Trump first tested positive for coronavirus on 1 October. On Monday, his doctor said the president had taken a test showing he was no longer infectious, but did not say if Mr Trump tested negative for the virus.

The president is expected to make his first public appearance on the campaign trail since his diagnosis at a rally in Florida on Monday.

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