Covid UK news live – Infection surge continues with 5,341 new cases today – The Independent

Too early to know if lockdown can be lifted on 21 June, Hancock says

The UKs recent surge in Covid-19 infections has continued today with 5,341 new cases confirmed, as of 9am on Sunday, meaning cases have risen by 11,022 (or 49 per cent) over the last seven days.

Government data also showed that a further four people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, suggesting that the recent rise in cases has not yet led to a surge in hospitalisations and deaths.

It came as health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that people aged under 30 would be invited to book their coronavirus vaccine jabs starting this week.

Speaking on Sky News Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme, the health secretary said vaccines had severed, but not broken the link between a rise in cases and and the number of people being admitted into hospital.

The majority of people going into hospital right now are unvaccinated, Mr Hancock said.

The health secretary added that the governments plans for a final lifting of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions would likely move forward as planned later this month if there is no increase in hospital admissions over the coming days.

However, he said it was too early to say whether restrictions would be fully lifted for sure.

Good morning and welcome to The Independents live blog tracking the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic as Boris Johnson prepares to call on G7 leaders to push for world vaccination by the end of 2022.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:02

Boris Johnson is expected to call on G7 leaders to defeat Covid by seeing the world vaccinated by the end of next year when he meets with counterparts in Cornwall on Friday.

The prime minister is expected to call on G7 leaders to rise to the greatest challenge of the post-war era by vaccinating the world by the end of next year, according to PA.

If the global community succeeds in that goal, it will be the single greatest feat in medical history, he is expected to tell G7 counterparts.

The meeting in Cornwall will be the first face-to-face G7 summit since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:06

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has urged pupils and their families to get tested for Covid before students return to schools next week after the half-term break.

Asymptomatic testing helps break chains of transmission by taking people who are infectious but dont know it out of circulation, Williamson said, amid concerns over the spread of the Delta variant in the UK.

As the half term comes to an end, take a Covid test before going back to the classroom, he has said.

Pupils have been urged to adopt twice-a-week testing routines.

The Government has said the effort has been critical to reaching the milestone of seeing more than 50 million rapid tests taken in schools and colleges across England since January.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:16

A doctor has warned that attempting to vaccinate teenagers during the summer months could prove difficult.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Sunday morning, Dr Ellie Cannonsaid summer can be a difficult time to get ahold of teenagers.

Rather than vaccinating them in the summer months, she said it would make more sense to administer jabs through schools.

Schools are certainly a better way to get teenagers vaccinated, Dr Cannon said.

Her comments came amid reports that that children and teenagers ages 12 to 15-years-old could start getting Covid jabs in the summer holidays.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that a huge proportion of the latest cases [of Covid-19] are in children, as education minister Gavin Williamson urged pupils to get tested for Covid before returning to schools after the half-term break.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:25

An employment law and HR specialist has said that workers whose summer travel plans will be affected by the Governments latest change to quarantine rules will need to have meaningful discussions with their employers about their plans.

Starting after 4am on Tuesday, holidaymakers arriving back in Britain from Portugal will need to self-isolate at home for 10 days as the Government moves the country from its green travel list to amber.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, employment law expert Kate Palmer said employees have a fundamental right...to be treated fairly and reasonably.

Those who have already made the trip to Portugal and will be returning after Tuesdays deadline, as well as those who have already booked trips to the southern European country, she said, will need to have a meaningful discussion with their employers to see what the possibilities are.

She said employees should discuss the issue with their bosses sooner than later to establish what that period of self-isolation is going to look like and the options available on the table.

Palmer said that employers should take an empathetic approach given that holidaymakers could not have known Portugal would be pulled from the green list.

The HR expert said she had seen an influx of calls from worried employers and employees alike following the Governments announcement on Portugals status.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:40

Tony Blair has said it is time to distinguish between the vaccinated and unvaccinated to allow greater freedoms for those who have received a Covid jab.

The former prime minister said that marking the difference between the two would allow for a greater lifting of restrictions for those who have been vaccinated both in the UK and around the world.

Mr Blair recommended the use of health passes to differentiate between the two.

Read more on his comments:

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:48

Health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested he is open to the idea of health passes for vaccinated people.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Hancock said the good news is we now have the technology available to do this.

If you download the NHS app right now and you get yourself registered on it, then you will be able to see your vaccination status, he said.

Weve got the technology in place, he said.

The health secretarys comments came after former Prime Minister Tony Blair called for health passes to differentiate between the vaccinated and vaccinated to allow greater freedoms both at home and around the world for those who have a jab.

Asked whether he supported that idea, Mr Hancock said: We know that this is going to be needed internationally because some countries have said it will.

He said he understand that part of his role is to help Britons be able to travel when its safe to do so, which he acknowledged could mean overseeing the development of such health passes.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:49

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has once again defended the timing of the Governments decision to add India to its red travel list amid the rise of the Delta variant.

What I can tell you is as we saw the case rise in India and as we saw this new variant, the now Delta variant, arriving, we took the caution to put India on the red list, Mr Hancock said.

His comments came amid ongoing criticisms of the Governments timing in adding India to the red list, with some accusing leadership of delaying the designation to allow a trade trip to move forward.

While Mr Hancock admitted that hindsight...is very helpful, he said the Government could not take decisions with information it did not have at the time.

You cant ask anybody to take decisions with information that isnt in your hands, he said.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 08:54

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said it is too early to make a final decision on whether the Governments planned full lifting of coronavirus restrictions will move forward on 21 June, as planned.

The health secretary said he, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and others would be looking at all of the data this week.

He said the Government would give people enough time to know whether the lifting of restrictions would move forward.

The critical thing is to see whether the four tests that weve set have been met, he said, referring to the Governments four tests allowing restrictions to ease.

We are not saying no to the 21st of June at this point, he said. However, he said the Government would need to consider that cases are rising slightly as well as the impact of new variants.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 09:04

A final lifting of Covid restrictions will move forward as planned later this month if there is no increase in hospital admissions in the coming days, Matt Hancock has suggested.

The health secretary said the number of serious illnesses will be the crucial test in determining whether the 21 June lifting of restrictions can move ahead.

Mr Hancock pointed out that the number of people in hospital is currently flat, despite the surge of the Delta, or Indian, variant, but he said it was still too early to say whether the full lifting will happen.

Chantal Da Silva6 June 2021 09:07

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Covid UK news live - Infection surge continues with 5,341 new cases today - The Independent