UK Covid: masks likely to remain compulsory in Scotland in shops and on public transport after measures lift

Latest updates: Nicola Sturgeon says masks will likely remain compulsory in some settings but added surge in Scotland cases was levelling off

• No quarantine for fully vaccinated amber list returnees in England
• Boris Johnson announces end to UK military mission in Afghanistan
• PM criticised over handling of Mustique holiday investigation
• Sunak suggests changes to test-and-trace app to cut numbers isolating
• Coronavirus – latest global updates

2.44pm BST

Public Health England has published its latest Covid surveillance report (pdf). It covers the week up to Sunday 4 July. Case rates increased “in all age groups, ethnic groups and regions”, it says. Hospitalisations and deaths also increased, but only “slightly”, it says.

This week’s #COVID19 surveillance report shows case rates continue to be highest in those aged 20-29 years old.

Read more: https://t.co/a6mN93iPod pic.twitter.com/spDg546UVg

Our weekly #COVID19 surveillance report also shows that case rates continue to be highest in the North East.

Read more: https://t.co/a6mN93iPod pic.twitter.com/w4MF2O6LAu

2.11pm BST

Covid cases may be rising partly because of men mixing at Euro 2020 events, researchers say.

The latest React study, which is run by Imperial College London and Ipsos Mori and involves surveying thousands of people to monitor Covid infection levels, found that Covid rates increased fourfold in June. It says:

Based on home swab tests taken by over 47,000 people between 24 June and 5 July, around 1 in 170 people had the virus during this period, or 0.59% of the population. This is four times higher than the study’s previous report when 0.15% of people were infected, or 1 in 670, as of 7 June.

We saw the same in Scotland around the Euros and visits to Wembley and matches in Glasgow. Clearly it’s not just going to the match but it’s going to the pub, being in close proximity …

We have noticed in the current round that the prevalence is higher in men than women – around 0.7% in men and 0.5% in women.

The degree to which men and women are socialising is likely to be responsible. And then because of the timing of that, then it could be that watching football is resulting in men having more social activity than usual.

Across the country London had the highest rate of infections at 1.08%, up from 0.13%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber at 0.78%, up from 0.17%. The south-east and south-west had the lowest rates at 0.34% and 0.35% respectively.

Continue reading…

Source link