MORE than 800,000 people in the UK are thought to have caught Covid in the space of just ONE week, a national survey has suggested.
Shock figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, as part of it's ongoing Covid infection survey, say 1 person in 75 was estimated to have the virus -a steep rise from 1 in 95 recorded the previous week.
Meanwhile, UK charities are warning of a spike in youth violence this summer, fuelled by lockdowns, patchy education and compounded mental health issues.
Youth worker Kayeligh Wainwright told The Guardian: “In recent weeks some youth workers have said to me that lockdown, especially for young people already involved in gangs, has given them the opportunity to strategise and to think.
"Now lockdown has been lifted, we’re seeing this violence and conflict play out."
The director of collective action at UK Youth added: "We saw a real increase in the number of young people being exploited as a result of Covid, because they were vulnerable and isolated.”
Read our coronavirus live blog for the very latest updates…
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HOSPITALITY BOSSES RAGE THAT THEIR STAFF WILL BE KEPT IN PINGDEMIC ISOLATION UNTIL AUGUST 16
Hospitality has not been named as a critical sector viable for exemption or earmarked for a “test and release” scheme like the food supply industry.
Pubs and bars crippled by staffing shortages are urging ministers to broaden the exemption scheme so more venues don’t go to the wall.
Alastair Kerr, from the Campaign for Pubs, said the industry is not “out of the woods yet” and the pingdemic would only worsen the situation.
He told The Sun: “A lot of venues aren’t being able to open at full capacity – they’re having to enforce their own restrictions – or worse not open at all because of staffing shortages in the pingdemic.”
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ENGLAND'S R RATE
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12 NORTH EAST AREAS ADDED TO COVID HOTSPOTS LIST WITH MEASURES BROUGHT BACK
The Department of Health says the decision is based on the latest data from the area which is currently reporting 2,212 cases each day.
Residents in areas across Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham, and in the Tees Valley will be urged to continue to wear face coverings in crowded areas.
They will also be asked to meet outdoors where possible; let fresh air into homes or other enclosed spaces, and consider minimising the number, proximity and duration of social contacts.
The announcement in the North East comes as it was earlier this week revealed that 11 areas across England would also be receiving additional support.
The majority of these places were in the North West of England, which is currently the region with the highest number of Covid cases in the country, with 4,172 people testing positive each day.
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ENGLAND COULD SEE 250 DAILY COVID DEATHS BY AUGUST IN WORST-CASE SCENARIO, SAGE WARNS
At the moment around 37 deaths are occuring every day from the disease.
But due to the rapidly spreading Delta variant, causing infection rates to rocket even before restrictions were eased, deaths could hit a couple-hundred within weeks.
The models come from SPI-M, a group that feeds into Sage.
Graphs in a SPI-M paper published today show deaths reaching more than 250 by August 1. It did not take projections further than that date.
The group's paper a week prior, on July 7, had only considered daily deaths could reach a maximum of 100 per day by August 1 in the worst possible scenario.
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NEW COVID VARIANT EMERGES IN UK AS DELTA CASES RISE BY 33,716 IN A WEEK
Experts at Public Health England (PHE) are currently carrying out analysis of B.1.621 and have confirmed 16 cases of the variant.
There is no evidence to suggest that the strain causes more severe disease or renders the vaccines any less effective.
Where cases of the new variant have been detected, health officials have followed up and tested contacts.
If necessary PHE will deploy surge testing to limit the spread.
PHE also highlighted today that cases of the Delta variant have risen by 33,716 since last week to a total of 286,765.
The variant now accounts for 99 per cent of all cases in the UK and PHE have urged Brits to continue to get their jabs.
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NO MORE GROUPS WILL BE ADDED TO AUGUST 16 PINGDEMIC SELF-ISOLATION EXEMPTION LIST
Staff in critical sectors – including food and water supply, medicines and public transport – can dodge 10 days quarantine if their bosses get permission from the Government.
The news was welcomed by industries facing major staff shortages, with more than 618,903 Brits ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app in just one week.
The Government has not published a list of essential workers – like it did in the first lockdown – but has identified vital industries.
George Eustice said today that the exemption from self-isolation would not be extended to the hospitality industry.
And he made clear that no other sectors are being considered to dodge self-isolation before August 16.
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WATCH: BOOZY BRITS ENJOY FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT OF FREEDOM SINCE COVID RESTRICTION ARE LIFTED
Boozy Brits enjoy first Friday night of freedom since Covid restriction are lifted
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SINGLE DOSE OF ASTRAZENECA COVID JAB WILL KEEP 90% OF PEOPLE OUT OF HOSPITAL
Ministers slashed the gap between doses from 12 weeks to eight amid fears one jab wouldn’t protect people from the Delta variant.
But a Canadian study now shows the first dose alone gives 88 per cent protection against hospital admission – and stops most infections too.
Sir Mene Pangalos, vice-president at the company said: “Different variants are threatening to disrupt our route out of the pandemic.
“This real-world evidence shows the vaccine provides a high level of protection against the most serious forms of the disease even after just one shot.”
But scientists say it is vital people got the second dose, too, for maximum protection.
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COMPANY ACCUSED OF FAKING PCR TESTS BANNED FROM OPERATING
The Sun exposed RT Diagnostics last week, after secret footage revealed tens of thousands of tests were allegedly being dumped.
The Halifax firm had been on the government-approved list of private providers.
Accreditation body UKAS confirmed it has been removed.
A UKAS spokesman said: "We are aware that this matter is being followed up by the appropriate regulatory bodies which includes Trading Standards.
"In the interim this body is not listed on the Department of Health and Social Care website and may not offer Covid 19 services.
"It is now for the regulators to take this matter forward and prosecute if there have been breaches of legislation."
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GARETH SOUTHGATE URGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET COVID JAB
England manager Gareth Southgate has urged young people to get their freedom back by supporting the coronavirus vaccination programme. In the UK, more than 46 million people have now had a first Covid-19 vaccine dose, and more than 36 million have had both doses.
Southgate, 50, whose England side lost this month’s Euro 2020 final on a penalty shoot-out to Italy at Wembley, said in a video message: “I just firstly wanted to say thank you for the support you gave the team this summer, but also to say we know the last 18 months have been incredibly difficult for everybody.
“And there’s no doubt that the vaccination programme is our best route out of this problem, not only for us as a country but across the world. So I just wanted to say how important it is, if you haven’t had your vaccine yet, to go and get it done.
“I know oldies like me have had both jabs so we can crack on with our lives, but for you younger ones especially it’s the chance for everything to open up, to get your freedom back. So much of that is going to rest on you having the vaccine.
“So, don’t put it off any longer, go and get it done, we can open everything up, we can protect the people we need to protect and you guys will get your freedom back.”
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NORTH EAST GETS EXTRA SUPPORT IN BID TO SLOW GROWTH OF COVID-19
The North East of England is to be given a five-week package of support by the Government in a bid to slow the growth of Covid-19 in the region.
The package includes the option to deliver extra testing in the area, as well as providing logistical support to maximise vaccine and testing uptake.
It will be deployed to the seven local authorities across Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham, and five local authorities in the Tees Valley.
The move comes as similar support in Bedford and much of the North West, which has been in place for between six and 10 weeks, is being scaled back.
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HOSPITALITY BOSSES RAGE THAT THEIR STAFF WILL BE KEPT IN PINGDEMIC ISOLATION UNTIL AUGUST 16
Hospitality has not been named as a critical sector viable for exemption or earmarked for a "test and release" scheme like the food supply industry.
Pubs and bars crippled by staffing shortages are urging ministers to broaden the exemption scheme so more venues don't go to the wall.
Alastair Kerr, from the Campaign for Pubs, said the industry is not "out of the woods yet" and the pingdemic would only worsen the situation.
He told The Sun: "A lot of venues aren't being able to open at full capacity – they're having to enforce their own restrictions – or worse not open at all because of staffing shortages in the pingdemic."
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GREGGS, TOBY CARVERY AND MANY OTHERS CLOSE VENUES DUE TO PINGDEMIC STAFF SHORTAGES
Hundreds of thousands of workers are isolating after being pinged by the NHS COVID app, bringing businesses to their knees with staffing crises.
Greggs has had to shut a small number of stores although the closures are not long term, the Sun understands.
Harvester said on social media that its Clifton Moor, York branch temporarily closed this week while Toby Carvery wrote on Facebook that its Park Place branch in London had shut – although neither gave specific reasons as to why.
Pub chain Wetherspoons also warned it had a couple of hundred staff off.
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COVID RULES COULD BE ‘BACK IN WEEKS’ AS MINISTERS DRAW UP PLANS AMID RECORD CASES IN YOUNG BRITS
Infections are on the up in younger age groups as society opens up once more.
Now, ministers part of a Covid task force are set to be drawing up plans which will include fresh guidance on working from home, social distancing and mask wearing.
Sources told the Independent that there was "no plan" to return to a hard lockdown that had been seen at the start of the year with others saying adding restrictions would be a "last resort".
One expert told the Independent that the government's current plan for reintroducing lockdowns fits with the way they have handled previous waves.
They said: "First ignore the problems and deny action is needed, then realise there is a problem and tell people it is up to them to act, then, belatedly, impose greater restrictions than would have been needed if one acted early.”
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TOO EARLY TO SAY IF COVID-19 NUMBERS ARE LEVELLING OFF, WARN EXPERTS
The apparent fall in Covid-19 case numbers may be temporary ahead of a return to exponential growth, experts have warned. By 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 39,906 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK – down from 44,104 at the same time on Wednesday.
A further 84 people had died within 28 days of testing positive as of Thursday, up from 73 on Wednesday. Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, said Thursday was the first time reported case numbers had been lower than the same day the previous week since early May.
“They represent a 18% drop. Also the week-on-week percentage increase in cases has fallen from a peak of 43% last Sunday to just 24% today.
“But it is still too early to see any impact of the relaxations of Monday 19 and some of the reduction in cases will be because of many children no longer being tested as regularly now schools are closed.
“I would caution that this may just be a temporary slowing in reports before we start to see a return to exponential growth towards the end of next week as a result of the ending of restrictions last week,” he said.
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CASES OF CHILDHOOD VIRUS EIGHT TIMES HIGHER THAN PRE-COVID
The number of RSV infections is currently eight times higher than the same time period before the pandemic.
The "out-of-season" trend has resulted in PHE giving a warning to parents to watch out for symptoms.
It's expected the wave will continue well into the winter, when experts have warned of pressure on NHS paediatric intensive care units.
Azra Ghani, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Imperial College London, told the Sun: "This is of concern for the NHS because although RSV is a mild infection in the majority of children, a few require intensive care.
"Paediatric intensive care units are limited in capacity."
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THREAT LEVELS
The UK has 25 areas on the Covid watchlist due to their amount of active cases.
The Delta variant is now the cause of around 99 per cent of infections and driving the third wave in the UK.
North East Lincolnshire is number one on the watchlist created by the ZOE Covid Symptom Study, with the most active cases as of July 18 (3,324 in every 100,000 people).
Prevalence is second highest in Stockton-on-Tees, with 2,691 cases in every 100,000, and third highest in Falkirk (2,434).
The most hotspots are in London, making up eight of the 25 spots on the list.
Read more here.
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WATCH: SHOPS WILL START TO RUN OUT OF FOOD IN 48 HOURS IF DISASTROUS PINGDEMIC RULES AREN’T SCRAPPED
Some supermarkets last night warned the PM he has just 48 hours to fix the pingdemic or customers could face bare shelves for weeks.
Iceland said it has closed “a number of stores” after 1,000 workers – four per cent of its workforce – forced to self-isolate after being pinged.
BP has temporarily closed some petrol stations due to fuel supply problems, with M&S warning 20 per cent of its staff could be self-isolating by next month.
Supermarket pingdemic shortages – empty shelves hit shops as people urged not to panic buy
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KEIR STARMER DID NOT LOOK FOR A “GET-OUT CLAUSE” FOR SELF-ISOLATION, SAYS KEY ALLY
Sir Keir Starmer did not try and find a “get-out clause” to avoid self-isolation like the Prime Minister and Chancellor, a senior member of his shadow cabinet has said.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves criticised Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak after it emerged they planned to avoid isolating after being a close contact of Health Secretary Sajid Javid – who tested positive for the virus – by being part of a daily testing pilot scheme.
A public backlash forced a retreat, meaning both the Prime Minister and Chancellor were self-isolating on “freedom day” when most legal restrictions were removed in England.
Labour leader Sir Keir was also forced to self-isolate on Wednesday after one of his children tested positive for Covid-19.
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SUPERMARKET SWEEP
Shoppers have spotted shortages in supermarkets including bottled water and fresh fruit and veg.
Supplies to shops have been hit by the “pindemic” forcing workers to self-isolate adding to existing worker shortages and increased demand from the heatwave.
Ice creams and beer are also among the items running low in some locations, as supermarkets warned customers not to panic buy.
Empty shelves have been spotted in supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland and Lidl.
Food will still be available in stores, but shoppers are likely to see fewer items on shelves and less choice of products.
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SAJID JAVID SAYS RESTRICTIONS WON’T LAST ‘A DAY LONGER THAN NECESSARY’
Sajid Javid has vowed he doesn’t want the remaining Covid rules to last “a day longer than necessary”.
But the isolating Health Secretary, who tested positive for the virus last week despite being double jabbed, admitted there will be no big bang ending to the pandemic as we learn to live with the virus.
Mr Javid also said his experience dealing with the pandemic has been “rather more personal than I would have wanted.”
In an article for The Spectator today he joked: “Testing positive for Covid-19 definitely wasn’t in the 100-day plan” and revealed he’s even had to isolate from his own wife on their wedding anniversary.
But he stressed that “curtailing people’s precious liberties, as vital as it has been, is never something that’s come easily to me” as a Conservative.
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THE 21 SYMPTOMS THAT MEAN YOU SHOULD GET A COVID TEST ASAP REVEALED
The 21 symptoms to look out for are:
- High temperature (fever)
- Chills or shivers
- Persistent cough
- Loss or change of smell
- Loss or change in taste
- Headache
- Unusual tiredness
- Sore throat
- Sudden confusion
- Skin rash
- Changes in the mouth or tongue
- Covid fingers or toes
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pains
- Muscle pains
- Hoarse voice
- Diarrhoea
- Skipping meals
- Abdominal pains
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
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THIRD OF YOUNG ADULTS IN ENGLAND BETWEEN 18 AND 29 HAVE NOT HAD FIRST DOSE OF COVID VACCINE
Some 66.4% of people aged 18 to 29 had received a first dose as of July 18, according to estimates from NHS England – meaning 33.6% are likely to be unjabbed.
This is the equivalent of around 2.9 million adults under 30.
A breakdown of this age group by gender shows vaccine take-up continues to be lower among males than females.
An estimated 71.9% of women aged 25 to 29 have had a first dose, compared with only 65.0% of men.
And among 18-24 year-olds, while 68.2% of women are estimated to have received one dose, only 60.0% of men have done so.
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COVID CASES WILL RISE ‘EXPONENTIALLY’ AGAIN WITHIN DAYS AFTER ‘TEMPORARY SLOWING’, EXPERT WARNS
Yesterday the Government reported 39,906 new Covid diagnoses, which was almost 18 per cent lower than last Thursday’s figure and down for the first time since May.
But Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine, The Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, said it was likely the unusual stat was only "temporary".
He said: “It is still too early to see any impact of the relaxations of Monday 19th and some of the reduction in cases will be because of many children no longer being tested as regularly now schools are closed.
“I would caution that this may just be a temporary slowing in reports before we start to see a return to exponential growth towards the end of next week as a result of the ending of restrictions last week.”
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ARMY ON STANDBY
The army is on standby to step in and help secure the nation's food supplies if the Pingdemic worsens, a Cabinet minister said today.
Environment secretary George Eustice revealed up to 20% of workers in the sector have now been forced into self-isolation.
Last night the Government scrambled to exempt 10,000 employees from strict quarantine rules to stop supermarkets running bare.
The move came amid warnings the country could be set to face its worst food shortages in 75 years with half of deliveries being delayed.
MPs have even called for troops to be deployed and tasked with vital roles like shipping goods and stocking shelves.
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