Coronavirus UK news LIVE: A-level results due today amid appeals crisis as deaths fall to 41,329 after review
A-LEVEL students receive their results today however teens could face a results day crisis after exam bosses admitted they have not worked out the appeals process.
Because exams were cancelled during lockdown, a computer algorithm is for the first time being used to adjust grades given by teachers to 250,000 students.
Four in ten grades have been changed, with many marked down, after teachers tried to dish out record numbers of A*s.
It means pupils will be able to appeal, resit exams in the autumn or use their mock grades — as long as mocks were sat under proper exam conditions.
However exam bosses Ofqual admitted those teens who miss out on a university place will have to wait until next week to find out how the appeal process works.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus death toll has dropped by 5,377 following an urgent review into the way deaths are recorded.
It means that now, only deaths that happen within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test will be counted towards the official figure.
It comes following the announcement that positive tests have remained above the crucial 1,000-a-day mark.
A total of 1,009 new cases have been diagnosed – bringing the total number of positive tests to 313,798.
However, the number of new cases diagnosed is lower than yesterday, when 1,148 people were confirmed to have the virus.
Follow our coronavirus live blog for all the latest news and updates…
RISHI'S THREE R'S
Rishi Sunak issued his own version of the three Rs tonight as he urged Brits to “rally round and fire up” the nation.
The Chancellor said now is the time to: RELIGHT the economy, RETURN to work and REOPEN schools.
He said: “The figures confirm we’re in an acute recession and the hard times are here. But in amongst the gloom there are some glimmers of growth.
“Now is the time for everyone to rally round and really fire up the economy together.
“Whether it’s going back to school or work in the office again, going to your local restaurant or pub for a meal or visiting your local shops for a bit of retail therapy, if we all play our part we can relight our economic firepower together.”
VIRUS OUTBREAK 'DID NOT SPREAD FROM LONDON'
The coronavirus outbreak in the UK appears to have been “widely dispersed” from the start, one of the scientists leading a study into the prevalence of the virus said.
Helen Ward, from Imperial College London, told BBC Breakfast: “What was interesting (about the study) is that we can tell from people who reported not only having a positive test, but we also asked about their symptoms so we can actually track for most people – the 70% of people who reported symptoms – when they think they were infected.
“And it did start in January, February, and actually it started right across the country, so you can't say that it started in London and spread out.
“Right from the beginning it was widely dispersed.”
CONTACT TRACING TRIAL
A NEW coronavirus contact-tracing app is due to begin trials in England today.
It will be based on Apple and Google's method, which involves smartphones detecting one another, the BBC reports.
The app is meant to support the NHS Test and Trace effort.
An app on people's phones will log when they have come close to someone for long enough for there to be a high risk of contagion.
The Isle of Wight, one other area and volunteers will be involved in the trials.
CORONAVIRUS ANTIBIODIES HIGH IN LONDON
AN IMPERIAL College study suggests the UK's coronavirus infection rate is much higher than previously thought.
Research found six per cent of England’s population had been infected with Covid-19 by July 13.
If correct, it would mean 3.4 million people have had the disease.
The study found 13 per cent of people in London had antibodies, with the figure three per cent in South West England.
Care workers (16 per cent) and health care workers (12 per cent) had higher results than non-key workers (five per cent), the study suggested.
NEW ZEALAND SPIKE
NEW Zealand has reported 14 new coronavirus cases.
It comes a day after its largest city, Auckland went back into lockdown.
It was found earlier this week that members of the same family had become infected.
It comes after New Zealand that seen no locally transmitted cases for more than three months.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: “We can see the seriousness of the situation we are in.”
TRAVEL FEARS GROW
FOURTEEN countries with travel corridors to the UK have higher or similar Covid-19 rates to France, analysis suggests.
It comes amid fears for British holidaymakers that quarantine measures for travellers returning from France will be tightened on return to Britain.
The Daily Telegraph research found France had 18.1 cases per 100,000 of population.
The Netherlands (23.1 per 100,000), Gibraltar (35.6), Monaco (38.2), Malta (46.7), San Marino (53.0), the Faroe Islands (198.5), Turks and Caicos (278.9) and Aruba (547.9) had higher rates of new cases per 100,000 than France, analysis from The Daily Telegraph found.
Denmark (15.3 per 100,000), Iceland (14.7), the Czech Republic (14.0), Switzerland (13.3) and Poland (12.7) had a slightly lower rate than France.
SCHOOLS BOOST
CHILDREN accounted for just one in every 100 cases of Covid in England during the first wave of the pandemic, figures show.
Researchers from Public Health England (PHE) say the “reassuring” numbers confirm kids are not an important source of the infection.
They are also highly unlikely to die from it, with just one child with no underlying conditions killed by the bug during the study period.
The findings come after Boris Johnson said getting all pupils safely back into class next month is a “national priority”.
Read the full story here.
TOP COP'S A-LEVEL WARNING
A POLICE chief has told A-level students not to break lockdown rules when they party after receiving their results.
Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Nick Bailey’s warning comes as Oldham faces further lockdown following a surge coronavirus cases.
The current Covid-19 lockdown regulations in the region will severely restrict any partying after students get their A-level exam results on Thursday.
IBUPROFEN DOESN'T RAISE RISK
TAKING painkillers such as ibuprofen does not increase the risk of dying from Covid, a UK study has revealed.
A warning issued by a French health minister at the start of the pandemic sparked global fears about the drugs.
But researchers led by the University of Aberdeen now say the concerns were ill-founded.
Read the full story here.
PPE STOLEN
THIEVES have stolen 1,000 boxes of PPE equipment from a lorry in Leicester.
The raiders swiped the boxes of latex gloves worth more than £90,000 from the truck parked on the A42.
Leicester had to go back into lockdown in June after coronavirus cases spiked.
Leicestershire Police said: “Officers investigating the theft of more than £90,000 worth of latex gloves from a HGV are appealing to any motorists who were in the area to come forward.
“Thirteen pallets containing more than 1000 boxes of latex gloves were stolen from the trailer.”
FRANCE HOLIDAYS RISK
THE holiday plans of up to 400,000 British tourists are on a knife edge as France’s rising infection rate leaves ministers on the brink of imposing fresh quarantine measures.
At a crunch meeting officials were handed the latest Covid stats which show France’s infection rate has crept up to worrying levels.
And a string of getaway destinations including Malta, Holland and Gibraltar are now likely to be added to a list of nations requiring visitors to quarantine for up to two weeks when they return to the UK.
Read the full story here.
CONTACT TRACING TRIAL
ANEW coronavirus contact-tracing app is due to begin trials in England today.
It will be based on Apple and Google's method, which involves smartphones detecting one another.
An app on people's phones will log when they have come close to someone for long enough for there to be a high risk of contagion.
The Isle of Wight, one other area and volunteers will be involved in the trials.
SIX PER CENT INFECTED
AROUND 3.4 million people in England have been infected with Covid-19, a new a study suggests.
The report found about six per cent of the population had been infected with coronavirus by July 13.
The figure is much higher than previous estimates.
The Imperial College London study looked at 100,000 volunteers.
CARE HOMES ‘LIKE PRISONS’ AMID PANDEMIC
Care homes have been turned into prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic, with residents “losing the will to live” as they are deprived contact with their families, charities for the elderly have warned.
The Telegraph report the All-Party Parliamentary Group was told restrictions on visiting homes had become so extreme that vulnerable people were being left distressed and lonely, in some cases unable to recognise their loved ones.
Charities said attempts to keep residents safe from the spread of Covid-19 were often creating misery and isolation.
They also criticised the Government for acting so slowly to attempt to protect care homes from the pandemic that 6,000 deaths had occurred by the time testing was introduced.
TRUMP INSISTS U.S. ‘SHARING INFORMATION’ ON COVID-19 VACCINE
President Donald Trump said the US is continuing to work with other countries to develop a Covid-19 vaccine.
He repeated his previous forecast that an effective vaccine could be ready before the end of the year.
Trump told reporters at his White House briefing: “We are working with a lot of countries and sharing our information.”
TWO MEN ARRESTED ACCUSED OF SELLING COVID-19 CURE
Colombian officials say they have arrested two Florida men wanted in the United States on charges they illegally sold a bleach-like chemical as a miracle cure for coronavirus.
The Colombian prosecutor's office said they arrested Mark and Joseph Grennon in the beach town of Santa Marta, where they had been shipping their “Miracle Mineral Solution” – chlorine dioxide – to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa.
It is believed seven Americans had died from using the substance.
SPANISH ARMY SET UP FIELD HOSPITAL AS COVID-19 CASES RISE
Spain's army is setting up a field hospital in Zaragoza as the northern city struggles to stop a new spike in Covid-19 cases.
Associated Press report the region of Aragón, home to Zaragoza, has led Spain over the past seven days with 242 hospitalisations and 32 deaths from coronavirus.
TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL SCHOOL REOPENING
President Trump has repeating his call to reopen schools in the U.S. – while pressing congress to steer future coronavirus funding away from schools that do not reopen this fall.
Trump made comments during a White House event with parents, teachers and doctors who support a full return to the classroom.
Also joining Trump were Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence, who said the health risks tied to keeping children at home are greater than those associated with the coronavirus.
PERU EXTENDS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
Peru has extended its coronavirus lockdown following a surge in cases.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra has banned family gatherings and extended lockdowns to five more regions of the country amid a fresh spike in cases of the novel coronavirus.
Fifteen of Peru's 25 regions were already covered by rolling lockdowns.
Vizcarra announced the return of a blanket Sunday curfew as figures revealed a 75 per cent surge in infections among children and adolescents
He said: “Now those who are infecting us are the people we know, the relatives who come to visit us, the friends who get together to kick a ball around or enjoy a barbecue.”
“It is a problem that together we have to solve.”
COVID-19 CAN SPREAD ON SURFACES, SCIENTISTS SAY
Scientists have said it is possible for coronavirus to spread on surfaces, but say the biggest infection risk remains from person to person.
It comes amid claims that new outbreaks in New Zealand and China are linked to surface spreading.
The Telegraph report that authorities in New Zealand are currently investigating whether the country’s new Covid-19 outbreak was brought into the country via refrigerated goods.
In China, officials have pointed to frozen fish as a potential source of transmission after the virus was found on seafood packaging in the city of Yantai.
However, the World Health Organisation says there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus transmitted through food or food packaging.
RISHI SUNAK WARNS ‘HARD TIMES ARE HERE’
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned “hard times are here” as the UK economy enters into the “worst ever” recession.
The economy shrunk by a record 20.4 per cent in just three months. It’s the first time in 11 years that the UK has tipped into a recession.
Economists consider two consecutive three-month periods where GDP falls as the technical definition of a recession.
The latest GDP figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this morning showed that GDP fell by 20.4 per cent between April to June.
It follows a drop of 2.2 per cent between January to March.
Sunak said: “I’ve said before that hard times were ahead, and today’s figures confirm that hard times are here.”
TURKEY DELAYS REOPENING OF SCHOOLS
Turkey is set to delay the reopening of schools by almost a month amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Students will return to classrooms in Turkey in late September, nearly a month after the start of the new academic year, the government announced.
It comes as daily coronavirus cases remain above 1,000.
The reintroduction to classes will be a gradual transition, starting with online learning before transitioning to in-person education.
NZ OUTBREAK COULD HAVE BEEN IMPORTED VIA REFRIGERATED GOODS
New Zealand's health authorities are investigating whether the coronavirus that sparked its new outbreak was brought into the country via refrigerated goods.
The Covid-19 cluster in Auckland has grown to five after a new positive case was confirmed yesterday.
Up to 200 close contacts are being tested.
The country's largest city has been returned to a level three lockdown and the rest of New Zealand placed at level two after the first positive cases in 102 days were revealed on Tuesday.
1,175 NEW COVID-19 DEATHS IN BRAZIL
Brazil has registered 55,155 new confirmed cases of coronavirus.
There were also a further 1,175 deaths, the health ministry said.
The country now has 3,164,785 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 104,201 deaths.
2,524 NEW COVID-19 CASES IN FRANCE
France has reported 2,524 new coronavirus infections in what is a new post-lockdown daily record.
but there was no strain on hospitals as the virus circulates mainly among younger people, the health minister said.
The country’s total number of cases is now 206,696.
Despite the rise in infections, the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 continued to fall and was down by 121 to 4,891, the first time it fell below 5,000 since 19 March.
The number of people in intensive care with coronavirus also continued its slide, down by 12 to 379.
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