Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

11 Aug

11 August 2020

A series of daily updates for CHO members regarding relevant updates pertaining to Coronavirus from home and abroad.

Key Announcements   

  • Sky News is reporting that the latest official figures show that the number of workers on payrolls in the UK fell by 730,000 between March and July, with 81,000 jobs lost last month, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Hospitals across England are to receive £300 million to help them brace for a potential spike in coronavirus cases this winter.
  • The Times reports  that new research published by Public Health England suggests that secondary school pupils could spread coronavirus as easily as adults.  Scientists at Public Health England (PHE) believe that tougher rules are likely to be needed for older children, having found that primary pupils do not seem to pass the virus to each other.
  • The Telegraph reports  that NHS Test and Trace staff are successfully reaching only one contact each a month, analysis reveals, and Sky  reports  that the  number of national contact tracers will be cut by 6,000 in the next two weeks with the remaining teams redeployed to local contact tracing groups .
  • Universities have been urged by the UK government to be flexible in their admissions ahead of A-level results day this week,  according  to Sky News.
  • According to retail industry figures, sunny weather and the reopening of non-essential shops across most of the UK has fuelled an increase in consumer spending close to pre-pandemic levels, the Guardian  reports .
  • The BBC is reporting  that diners used the “eat out to help out” scheme more than 10.5 million times in its first week .

Regional /Devolved  

  • The BBC reports  that schools in the Borders and Shetland will be the first to open later today, with most other local authorities due to follow tomorrow.
  • Public sports facilities across Scotland are facing the threat of permanent closure as a result of the lockdown, the BBC has   
  • Indoor gyms, swimming pools, dance studios and leisure centres in Wales were allowed to reopen yesterday.
  • Belfast News Letter reports  Northern Ireland has recorded its first Covid-19 related death for four weeks, and that face coverings are now mandatory in shops.
  • The Evening Standard reports  that the number of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in London is highest in Hounslow and Hackney and City of London, new data has revealed.   The rolling seven-day rate of  Covid-19 cases shows that new cases per 100,000 people have increased in 15 boroughs.
  • According to Public Health England data, the North West has overtaken London with the worst coronavirus death toll in the country,  reports  the Evening Standard.
  • Sky News is reporting  that there has been an outbreak of coronavirus among staff at a Tesco supermarket in Swindon.

International     

  • Global Covid-19 infections have passed 20m cases, and in acknowledging  the milestone, the health body’s chief warned against despair, saying if the virus could be suppressed effectively, “we can safely open up societies” , the Guardian   
  • Reuters reports  that Bhutan has ordered its first nationwide lockdown  after  a returning resident tested positive for coronavirus after being discharged from quarantine and coming into close contact with people in the capital Thimphu .
  • The Guardian has published an article  stating that the Trump administration  is reportedly considering a measure to block US citizens and permanent residents from returning home if they are suspected of being infected with coronavirus.
  • The Daily Mail reports  that Greece has announced a night curfew for restaurants and bars in some of its top tourist destinations after new coronavirus infections hit a new high.
  • The BBC reports  that  Australia’s remote Northern Territory (NT) will keep its borders closed to coronavirus-affected states for at least another 18 months, officials say.
  • There is a huge gap between funds needed to fight the coronavirus and funds committed worldwide, World Health Organization chief Tedros  Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday ,  reports 

Stakeholders  

  • The Independent reports  that the Terrence Higgins  Trust has said that wearing face masks and avoiding kissing during sex are crucial in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
  • Justin Madders MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding  to reports that the Government may end the daily publication of Covid-19 deaths, said:   “The Government must be as transparent as possible with all aspects of coronavirus, including daily death figures. While there may be issues with how the figures are collated, Ministers must find solutions rather than end the publication of these statistics.”
  • Following a recent announcement  by the government to make available £100m of public money to English zoos and aquariums as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Freedom for Animals  wrote  to Zac Goldsmith to demand greater transparency within the industry.
  • Regarding Boris Johnson’s funding announcement for hospitals, Dr Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said while any additional funding was helpful, there were limits to what it could achieve.  “The money is welcome but how do we think we can actually implement what would be building works in existing units whilst remaining safe and efficient – all before any rise in either Covid  or non-Covid  patients which, if like last winter, may start before the end of October?”

Unconfirmed  

  • The Telegraph reports  that, as well as France, other countries at risk of being dropped from the UK’s “green list” of quarantine-free countries include the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and Malta.