COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 25th May 2020.
There's a problem with figures and hospital tests aren't included today, plus it is a Bank Holiday after a weekend, so numbers are artificially low.
The UK added 1,625 cases today and now has reported a total of 261,184 positive cases of COVID-19.
In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 121 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 36,914 losses of life in all settings.
England 149,802 / 32,864
Northern Ireland 4,609 / 506
Scotland 15,156 / 2,270
Wales 13,415 / 1,274
Rep. Of Ireland 24,698 (+59) cases and 1,608 losses of life. For the first time since March they have reported no new losses of life - excellent news.
There have now been a total of 5,554,316 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 348,139. Already 2,331,597 people have recovered.
I'm not waiting for a 7pm UK briefing because we won't get tea until gone 9pm, so if anything exciting happens, I'll seamlessly edit it in later.
The average timescale for COVID-19 (will vary):
Day 0 - catch COVID-19
Day 2 - become infectious
Day 5 - symptoms start (day 2 to day 14+. Around 30%+ have no symptoms)
Day 12 - patients whose symptoms have not eased may now have the severe form of the virus (and develop pneumonia and other complications).
At 8am today Weston Super Mare hospital was full:
"Weston General Hospital will temporarily stop accepting new patients, including into its A&E department, as of 8am today (Monday 25 May 2020).
This is a precautionary measure in order to maintain the safety of staff and patients in response to the high number of patients with Coronavirus in the hospital."
2 weeks ago Weston Super Mare tourism bosses were in the media, worried about people visiting over the V.E. Day Bank Holiday weekend and bringing COVID-19 from harder hit areas.
I think it's fair to say Boris Johnson's top advisor Dominic Cummings' COVID-19 UK Tour is getting support from pretty much only Boris Johnson.
In an unprecedented move, the Conservative-supporting Daily Mail has led with the question on everyone's lips "What planet are you on?" Other traditional Tory favourite The Telegraph has been more subtle, with a front page quoting scientific advisors and angry MP's.
Mr Cummings own neighbours were leaning out of their windows to pass on personal messages as he arrived home last night. According to media they included "People haven't been able to go to funerals. What do you say to that?"
Dominic Cummings led today's UK briefing. Lol, no he didn't. He led his own press briefing, outdoor in the No.10 Rose Garden. Sat at a fold-out table, while someone blared an airhorn somewhere nearby most of the way through.
He read his new novel. It's an epic based loosely on a factual story, with several 'what ifs', a 240 mile road trip to flee the zombies, hair-raising blind driving and a dystopian horror farm building. He said with his wife ill, and him thinking he might also become ill, he drove 240 miles to stay at his parent's property, so that his nieces could be nearby for emergency childcare for his 4 year old if necessary.
He did mention they went to the toilet en route, but said it was in woodland. They DID go on a 30 mile day trip to Barnard Castle (which is a place, not an historical monument), but didn't get out of the car in town, only nearby to sit by a river. They DID go for a walk in the Bluebell Woods, and may have had another nature wee, but I'm not sure on that one. They did NOT return to Durham on a second occasion.
His son was ill enough at one point to go to be checked out in hospital, and for that I am sorry, but thankfully he wasn't ill enough to be admitted, or miss out on any day trips.
Press asked repeatedly if he was sorry or had any apology for people who feel wronged. He did NOT apologise. He said he felt he had behaved reasonably. He said he saw his parents only from a distance and stayed in a distant area of the farm, made mostly of concrete blocks. He says Boris was ill and did NOT know about his plans. He refused the suggestion that he had 'broken the spirit of the lockdown'. He said he took the 30 mile daytrip because his eyes were weird and he wanted to "test his eyesight". He said he did not offer to resign, nor did he consider it.
"I don't think I've made a mistake about the 14 days in question.... I have behaved reasonably in these circumstances."
It was a good pounding, and he didn't convince me of anything other than his own privilege and selfishness. You may feel differently.
I bet Jenny Harries loved watching him squirm. Revenge for Saturday.
The World Health Organisation have interrupted trials for Hydroxychloroquine, after studies are showing it may actually worsen outcomes for COVID-19 patients - it'll be a big blow and I'm sure we'll hear more on this:
"The Executive Group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the Solidarity Trial while the data is reviewed by the Data Safety Monitoring Board … WHO will provide further updates as we know more.” Dr Tedros
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The US has barred visitors from Brazil. Brazil have so many cases of COVID-19 and such a bad trajectory, they're in danger of surpassing the USA's total number of confirmed cases.
India's domestic flights have resumed today and it didn't go entirely to plan. Confusion over procedures and variations from state to state, meant that by lunchtime GMT over 100 flights had already been cancelled. Oops. They'll get there....
Boris graced us with his presence again for today's UK briefing. 2 days running, for the first time since March.
8,834 people are in hospital, down 12 % this time last week.
Our survey results suggest the R is falling and hasn't risen above 1 (currently 0.7-1.0), so we relaxed measures 2 weeks ago. We will set out a formal assessment of the 5 tests this week, but we intend to move to Step 2 as planned.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms can reopen on 1st June.
Schools will open to more pupils.
From the 15th June we intend non-essential shops can re-open, as long as they meet social distancing and hygiene standards.
Boris said it's vital people social distance "obviously you should feel free to speak to people yourself if you feel {the police} are not available".
(I can't see that going well. Maybe don't.)
Press asked if Boris can't cope in No.10 without Dominic. Boris did not answer this question.
"Please stick to lockdown rules for now & not just because they are the rules - they remain the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones. Please stay at home except for essential purposes, stay 2 metres apart from others when you are out and don’t meet other households." Nicola Sturgeon there with a reminder of the current advice for you lucky lot North of the border, and it also applies for Wales, and any sensible country who can afford it.
Scotland will start easing lockdown measures from Friday, further details will be released on Thursday.
The British Medical Journal have published a study with some details about 20,133 UK COVID-19 patients sick enough to be admitted to hospital between 6 Feb and 19 April:
60% (12,068) of patients were men.
23% (4,161) had no reported major comorbidity.
17% (3,001) required admission to high dependency or intensive care units.
8% (1,658) required mechanical ventilation.
South Africa's lockdown is being eased significantly from June 1, despite an increase in cases, because they simply can't afford not to.
Around 8m people will be able to return to work. The night time curfew and restrictions on exercise will end. Limited alcohol sales will be allowed. Social buildings such as bars, clubs, religious buildings and conference centres will remain closed.
Peru and Colombia have announced a joint project to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable indigenous populations that live in the Amazon region along their shared border.
Spain's Tourism Minister has said he expects the two-week quarantine rule will be suspended from July and foreign tourists will be allowed return.
My new favourite political hero Jacinta Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, smiled her way through an earthquake during a live TV interview last night. In a display of the sort of quick-thinking that has meant New Zealand have reported only 1,504 cases of coronavirus, she instantly assessed the situation and structural integrity of her location, and reassured viewers she was in a safe place.
Children in Australia return to face-to-face teaching from today. Australia has reported 7,118 cases of COVID-19 and lost 102 citizens. They only have 485 currently active cases (without an outcome).
There is a truly fantastic hoax that another deadly virus is circulating and it's more deadly than COVID-19. There is a new tomato virus, and it's very deadly, but as long as you aren't a tomato, you can relax because you won't be affected.
Tonight Idris Elba will host a 2 hour musical extravaganza for Africa Day, to raise money for those impacted by coronavirus in Africa.
Some people. all of whom were once a glint in their father's eye:
Countries / Cases / Losses of Life (some states/provinces yet to report):
USA 1,694,562 (+8,126) 99,464 (+164)
Brazil 367,906 (+4,288) 22,965 (+249)
Russia 353,427 (+8,946) 3,633 (+92)
Spain 282,852 not yet reported today 28,752
UK 261,184 (+1,625) 36,914 (+121)
Italy 230,158 (+300) 32,877 (+92)
France 182,584 not yet reported today 28,367
Germany 180,602 (+274) 8,395 (+24)
Turkey 157,814 (+987) 4,369 (+29)
India 144,135 (+5,599) 4,147 (+123)
Iran 137,724 (+2,023) 7,451 (+34)
Peru 119,959 not yet reported today 3,456
Canada 85,104 (+405) 6,453 (+29)
China 82,985 (+11) 4,634
Saudi Arabia 74,795 (+2,235) 399 (+9)
Chile 73,997 (+4,895) 761 (+43)
Mexico 68,620 (+2,764) 7,394 (+215)
Belgium 57,342 (+250) 9,312 (+32)
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Sources:
https://twitter.com/QuintFactCheck/status/1264398213781610496?s=19
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1264718885674086403?s=19
https://twitter.com/MomentsIndia/status/1264861487484592128?s=19
https://twitter.com/BethRigby/status/1264662658785173505?s=19
https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1264661704677502978?s=19
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/fears-weston-super-mare-could-4126605
https://twitter.com/petespurs/status/1264594301738246144?s=19
https://twitter.com/nickbaines/status/1264600374566100992?s=19
https://twitter.com/dw_europe/status/1264847500017651712?s=19
I think after yesterday even more of us are wanting to move to New Zealand or kidnap their prime minister and give them ours. Dominic Cummings, what can I say.... other than I laughed at the air horn and threw multiple things at my tv before storming out the room in disgust. Hugs and love xx
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