COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 26th to 31st August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 26th to 31st August 2021

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 6,789,581 (+32,181)
In Hospital: 7,015 (on Friday 27th)
Using A Ventilator: 988 (on Friday 27th)
Losses of Life: 132,535 (+50)
Tests: 672,479
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 48,048,009 (88.4% of UK population aged 16+)
Fully Vaxxed: 42,790,585 (78.7%)

Area: Cases last 7 days / Rate per 100,000 population last 7 days
Wales: 13,014 / 410.6
Scotland: 35,215 / 644.3
Northern Ireland: 11,664 / 615.3
England: 178,267 / 315.2

Rep. Of Ireland: 351,065 cases and 5,092 losses of life (not yet reported today.)

World: 218,223,304 reported cases and 4,528,320 losses of life. 

I'm back! There hasn't been too much COVID news while I was away on a relatively remote farm in Scotland thankfully, so I managed entire days without even reading a single news article, press release or study. And crikey, how amazing it was to see Grandma and Grandpa after 2 years apart! (Thanks for having us x.)

Sadly I'm not Boris, so I don't get another break this week... (who knew Prime Minister was such a part time position?)

While I was gone:
- The UK Government announced a study to see the effect of 3rd 'Booster Doses' in people with weakened immune systems (about time guys... tsk).
- We had movement in the UK travel 'Traffic Light' lists - Montenegro and Thailand move to the red list. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland move to the green list.
- There was extra COVID support sent to South West England. Holidaymakers arrived en masse bearing gifts. As a result, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay will receive help for around another month.
- The UK Government have announced a study to try and discover why some people are reinfected, and some are not. Data will be collected via the SIREN Study, the PITCH study and other studies with capital letter acronym names.
- The UK (and I suspect a few other places) is facing an 'unprecedented crisis' recruiting and retaining social care staff. Historically underpaid and undervalued, I think throwing them to the lions while their service users feared for their lives might have been a straw too many. Well, that... and Brexit plus a global pandemic saw a lot of staff wave goodbye and leave for elsewhere in the world. 

COVID Quick Update 21st to 25th Aug 2021

COVID Quick Update 21st to 25th Aug 2021

Today's UK Summary:
New Cases: 35,847
Losses of Life: 149 people
In Hospital: 6,172
Using a Ventilator: 957

There has been trouble in New Zealand at anti-lockdown protests.
Sometimes it's hard to see the big picture and appreciate what you have - and how much worse it could be. They might be under lockdown every now and again, but nothing compared to a lot of countries - and without the accompanying loss of life.

"You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it,"
That's the exasperated US FDA, warning people not to take super concentrated veterinary drugs to treat COVID.
Specifically they are referring to Ivermectin, which is generally used for parasites and fleas. There is NO accepted evidence it helps anyone with COVID - but if you take enough of it, you'll have no headlice and a glossy coat for your hospital photos.

Remember the other day we had a study that found everyone has a similar level of virus when they're at their most infectious? But I said it is anticipated vaccinated people will be at their most infectious for s shorter period of time? We've got data!
A new study from Singapore (Not yet peer-reviewed) has found that, among 218 patients hospitalised with the Delta strain, it takes 'eight to nine days for vaccinated people to clear their viral load to a point where it could not be picked up, compared to two weeks in those not vaccinated.'
The infection rises, peaks and then falls once your body overpowers it. If that whole event takes 8-9 days rather than 14, you'll have a far, far smaller chance of infecting anyone - hopefully just a small window (as opposed to a barn door).

The US FDA has granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Until now, all COVID vaccines just about everywhere are working on emergency use authorisation.
Normally it takes forever and a day to get everything written up and rubber stamped by all the correct departments, and because it all costs a fortune, money often has to be raised to pay for your new wonder drug too. Maybe a few people would request emergency use authorisation on compassionate grounds while this happens (such as with promising new Cancer drugs), but with COVID it has been a whole new game. It's amazing what can be done, especially when money, overtime and government pressure are thrown at something.

The Zoe Symptom app. has data on reinfection and waning protection from vaccination, and it matches pretty closely with other data we've already had.
It looked at positive Covid PCR tests from May to July this year, repirted by over a million people who had received two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine.
Pfizer decreased from 88% at one month to 74% at 4-5 months.
AstraZeneca dropped from 77% to 67% at 4-5 months.
Both are still really very effective, and we always knew it was likely immunity would wane over time - Coronavirus are not so good at that as things like Measles or Chicken Pox.
Tim Spector, the guy behind the COVID app. points out that distribution of booster doses should definitely be targeted because, for example, people with 2 doses and prior infection won't get much benefit, and those vaccines are going to save far more lives elsewhere.
You can read the results on the Zoe app. or the BBC have an excellent article with scientific comments.

Nicola Sturgeon has announced the Scottish inquiry into handling of the COVID response will take place before the end of this year. The English inquiry won't begin until Spring next year.

Johnson&Johnson (single dose vaccine) have issued a press release saying that early signs are that a second 'booster dose' generates a much stronger immune reaction - potentially up to 9 times higher than after a single dose.

Over 9,000 COVID cases can be linked directly to the EURO 2020 football matches.
Best quote of the report has to be that England's success at getting through to the final "generated a significant risk to public health across the UK".
So, as a reminder, that "Mass Event Trial" was a FAIL. Oh no, my error, official word is it was a success. Awesome.

The UK have announced a huge new COVID19 antibody testing survey.
From 24 August, up to 8,000 people per day who opt-in & test positive with a PCR test will receive two antibody tests - they want to try and understand how protected you are/will be, how that changes, and how it affects whether you become severely ill.

Business Insider are reporting that a prominent anti-vaxxer, who in June this year told a court that the COVID vaccine could make people magnetic and connect them to the 5G network, is making $$$,$$$s from people watching her videos.
I wonder if I can sue her and claim my life is ruined by disappointment because I'm not magnetic?

Rumour is that Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, was told to come home from Greece on the Friday, but ignored it, had his weekend and came back on Monday - the day AFTER the Taliban took power.
Turns out the UK's Minister For Afghanistan was also on holiday that weekend. At least Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon was in the UK..
I can imagine these factors are especially important if you are among the UK nationals or Government staff still over there.

On Monday Taiwan began administering their first domestically manufactured COVID19 vaccine, made by Medigen. Several politicians, including President Tsai Ing-wen were among the first in the queue.

The UK have signed a deal for another 35m doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, to be delivered in the 2nd half of 2022.
That's a booster dose for everyone who wants one I reckon.
Sajid Javid, Health secretary:
“The UK’s phenomenal vaccination programme is providing tens of millions of people with protection from Covid-19, saving 95,200 lives and preventing 82,100 hospitalisations in the over 65s in England alone."
Vaccines are like magic, but they work so well, we forget just how clever they are.

The Paralympics have started - best of luck to all of the competitors, and host country Japan.

Dozens of UK anti-vaccine protesters on Monday forced their way into the headquarters of ITN (who make ITV and Channel 4 News), and then went to protest outside the Google headquarters afterwards.
After they messed up their BBC protest last week, I'm not sure whether the point was to protest against vaccines (which aren't mandatory), or just to prove they could use modern maps.

I'm still on holiday - and didn't have much chance to find WiFi signal over the past couple of days, so if I've missed anything important - please feel free to add it into the comments. Sometimes the things you guys tell us are far more interesting than any of the big news stories - you are, after all, all experts at your own COVID situation.

Use Sunscreen, Play Outdoors, Save The NHS....

 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th August 2021.

The UK added 37,314 cases today (Up from 32,700  a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 6,429,147 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 822,777 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,516,505 people (87.4% of UK population over age 16) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 41,332,128 people (76%) had received 2 doses.

6,441 people were in hospital yesterday 19th August (Up from 5,875 a week earlier), with 928 using a ventilator (Up from 882 a week earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 114 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 131,487 losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 6th August, 154,811 people had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Area: Deaths / Rate per 100,000 population
Wales: 7,928 / 250.1
Scotland: 10,405 / 190.4
Northern Ireland: 3,045 / 160.6
England: 132,369 / 234.1

Rep. Of Ireland 333,304 (+2,098) cases and 5,074 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 211,155,597 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,422,710. Already 189,046,199 people have recovered.

The latest Public Health England estimates suggest that the vaccination programme has "prevented over 82,100 hospitalisations in those aged 65 and over in England. Further data suggests that it has also prevented 95,200 deaths and 23,957,000 COVID-19 infections more widely."
Excellent stuff.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 18th / 19th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 18th / 19th August 2021

The UK added 36,572 cases today (UP from 33,074 a week earlier), and now has reported a total of 6,392,160 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 808,235 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,460,526 people had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 41,157,069 people had received 2 doses. As this now includes people aged 16-17, but the percentages they give are age 18+, their maths needs sorting out.

6,379 people were in hospital yesterday, Wednesday 18th August (UP from 5,909 a week earlier), with 909 using a ventilator (UP from 871 a week earlier). Those figures are creeping upwards, albeit thankfully slowly.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 113 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 131,373 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 331,206 (+1,818) cases and 5,074 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 210,485,717 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,411,859. Already 188,538,308 people have recovered.

"10 countries have administered 75%+ of COVID19 vaccines, while low-income countries have received just over 1%, nowhere near enough to fully vaccinate their healthworkers, older populations & others at highest risk. This is why a moratorium on boosters is needed."
Dr Tedros, WHO.

"Our latest data shows that 62,311 women, who reported they were pregnant or could be pregnant at the time of receiving the vaccine, have come forward and received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, up to 31 July.
This is an increase of 10,587 from 51,724 as of 18 July."
Public Health England.
If you catch COVID when you are pregnant, you have a bigger chance of being very poorly, especially in the 3rd trimester. I'm not going to tell anyone they have to get vaccinated, especially a pregnant person, but please consider it carefully with your medical professionals.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 14th to 17th August 2021.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 14th to 17th August 2021

The UK added 26,852 cases today and now has reported a total of 6,322,241 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 699,466 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,369,418 people (89.6% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 40,841,971 people (77.2%) had received 2 doses.

6,303 people were in hospital yesterday, Monday 16th August, with 918 using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 170 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 131,149 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 326,188 cases and 5,059 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 209,043,777 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,389,376. Already 187,396,717 people have recovered.

All young people aged 16 to 17 in England are to be offered a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by next Monday 23rd August "to give them protection before returning to school".
(Yeah... they're rushing now they've realised how quickly September comes around...  )

And as if by magic...
"Today we can confirm that we have authorised the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna in 12-17 year olds.
The vaccine is safe and effective in this age group."
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Excitingly the Moderna vaccination is also called Spikevax... 

#TBCSmiles August 2021 84 Months....

I am a day late with this month's TBC Smiles, but hopefully you'll forgive me. They aren't any less fabulous, and that's got to be the main thing. 

84 Months is 7 years, and I've been collecting my family's smiles for all of this time because they are the reason we do everything, and in the times when I feel like I'm failing, looking at the smiles reminds me that WE CAN DO THIS. 

By Lizzie Royle (my niece)

Anyone else is welcome to join in with TBCSmiles, share your smile, grins, giggles and chuckles over on Instagram with the hashtag #TBCSmiles (watch the spelling, I've just found lots of very old smiles with slightly mis-spelt hashtags).

2,557 Days...84 Months... 7 Years...

"Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends.
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends..."

Our 11 year old left Primary school last month, and Facebook showed me a memory to remind me of the day he left nursery, which was 18th July 2014. It's one of the most painful images I have. My innocent littlest baby, full of promise and joy at the world, and delighted with his "Goodbye" bag of goodies. It hurts so much because it's "before", and less than a month later, his sister was dead, and we were a family full of broken people. His life wouldn't ever be so innocent again.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 13th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 13th August 2021

The UK added 32,700 cases today and now has reported a total of 6,211,868 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 813,378 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,215,352 people (89.3% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 40,206,029 (76%) people had received 2 doses.

5,875 people were in hospital on Thursday 12th August, with 882 people using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 100 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,801 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 320,915 (+1,978) cases and 5,059 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 206,613,680 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,353,844. Already 185,388,795 people have been reported to have had COVID and recovered.

"The first doses of COVID19 vaccines donated to COVAX by the UK are set to land in Zambia and the DRC today! 3 million AstraZeneca doses will be delivered to 11 African countries in the coming days; the first of 80 million pledged to COVAX in total."
GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance
The UK have pledged 80 million doses by the end of June 2022. The countries due to receive vaccines this week are: Zambia - 119,200
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - 51,840
Malawi - 119,040
Senegal - 140,160
Egypt - 299,680
Uganda - 299,520
And in the next few days/weeks Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria will finalise arrangements for deliveries.

The UK Government have today sent an Emergency Medical Team to Tunisia to help tackle their Covid-19 crisis. Cases have surged there over July, and although it has eased over the past week or so, hospitals are full.
"The team includes nine doctors, nurses and logistics experts, from the UK, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Italy. The medical experts specialise in emergency medicine and infection, prevention and control, as well as humanitarian healthcare. They will provide clinical supervision and support to Tunisian healthcare services and are expected to deploy for up to twelve weeks."
Tunisia's population is under 12 million people, and they are reporting around 3,000 cases a day at the moment. 

Good as his word, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid did ask the Competitions & Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate the price and quality of private COVID tests.
"There are 3 areas that the CMA is currently exploring:
- Whether individual PCR providers may be breaching their obligations under consumer law and should be subject to enforcement action.
- Whether there are structural problems in the market for PCR tests, affecting price or reliability.
- Whether there are any immediate actions that the Government could take in the meantime."

Up until July 30th the USA has recorded a total of 4,404 cases of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in children who have COVID.
60% of cases were in boys, and 37 of the children have died.

This weekend the UK has the Edinburgh Fringe, cricket at Lords, and the return of football league matches. People will start travelling and gathering, and as a result it's inevitable we'll see more cases.
We are all a bit more relaxed. We're all mixing more. We're all quite rightly enjoying the Summer. But it will have a cost. What that cost will be is really anyone's guess.
At the moment we are far, far below the highest modelling scenarios. We are well below the mid-range modelling scenarios. It IS going really well, and a lot of people around the world are acting in response and removing restrictions on their vaccinated populations.
But it still has a vague hint of something not being quite right, and very few people are entirely confident that we won't see a marked increase once schools go back and that Summer sunshine disappears behind a cloud. Fingers, as ever, crossed. 

In the USA we are seeing a potential disaster emerge. Atlanta, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and even New York are struggling to curb cases.  Hospitals are really feeling the pressure, with many full, and temporary tents outside at least two hospitals in Texas.
The UK NHS started out with far less beds, but managed to stretch to accommodate tens of thousands of COVID patients. America's health system simply isn't so integrated. I honestly don't know how well their bed capacity can be adapted, how easily they can transfer patients, and how that works in a private healthcare system. I would hate to think anyone could end up dying for lack of a bed, because someone else paid for a private room, but realistically it must be happening. 

Why is the USA falling over because of Delta, but the UK doesn't seem to be? A few of you have asked. It really is likely to be a combination of things, and it's impossible to say which is having the biggest effect.
- Prior infection. Millions of people in both countries have already had COVID, and potentially at least 20%ish each, but it's impossible to have any exact figure. It could easily be around 30% or more in the UK, and that could make a big difference.
- Hospital 'surge' capacity may be smaller in the USA, or barely exist - see above. When your hospital is full, it's full.
- Vaccination rates in the USA are currently a little lower than they are in the UK.
Age 18+
USA = 1 dose 71.5% / 2 doses 61.3%
UK = 1 dose 89.3%/ 2 doses 75.7%
The USA vaccinate people aged 12+ though, so as a proportion of the entire population:
USA = 1 dose 59.2% /2 doses 50.4%
UK = 1 dose 70.4% / 2 doses 59.8%
- Some studies do suggest being fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine offers better protection against Delta Variant than the posh, expensive mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna). Often when given a choice, people take the expensive option, assuming it'll be better. The more traditional vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Janssen have received some bad press in the USA, so take up has been very, very low, whereas in the UK,  around half the vaccinated people have had AstraZeneca - including most of our workers, the people out there day after day mixing.
- The USA is really diverse. Their averages vary massively from state to state, whether it be cases, losses of life, vaccinations, population density, use of restrictions to curb cases etc. For example, Mississippi has administered just 76,000 doses per 100,000 people, compared to Vermont's 137,000 per 100,000. Some states had ditched restrictions months ago, some still have them. It will make a big difference. The whole UK on the other hand was in restrictions, or only just slowly relaxing restrictions, when Delta emerged.
- Political pressure. One main party is refusing to see COVID as a threat, the other is refusing not to. It just doesn't work like that. COVID honestly doesn't have political affiliation. If you have lots of cases and full hospitals, smiling and saying "vaccines will save us" isn't what a Governor should be doing. Likewise if you don't have many cases, restrictions are unpopular at best. 

Today's indieSAGE offered some hope to Northern Ireland, which is seeing a real rise in cases at the moment. Their positivity rate is going down, meaning they are catching more of the hidden cases that are there anyway, and the increase isn't actually so stark - and hopefully it's getting under some control.
The ONS Infection Survey results (where they randomly test thousands of people to see if they test positive) show that bouncing up and down that we've seen in case numbers, but overall on August 7th each UK nation was showing a true small decline in case numbers.
Sadly that has bounced a bit in the last week, and in England we can see cases rising - most markedly in people aged 20-59. The people who are out there mixing.
The volume of UK case numbers is having an effect, even though the vast majority of people are protected from serious illness by vaccination. Each day we are admitting around 200 more people aged 65 or older to hospital than we were this time last Summer. That's a little ominous, not as good a place to head into Autumn from.
indieSAGE continue to be concerned about the number of children who might potentially end up with Long COVID. They discussed the varying advice on school reopening this Autumn:
European CDC - be careful.
US CDC - Wear masks, be careful.
UK - it's okay, kids don't really catch COVID, and they probably don't really pass it on either, and they almost definitely won't die. It'll be fiiiiiiiine.
indieSAGE aren't entirely confident it's going to be easy sailing from here in:
"We are approaching autumn with cases 25x higher and hospitalisations 10x higher than last year and an NHS that is severely under strain. We are only one doubling away from July peak – not much room to manoeuvre."
There's our warning. 

India was absolutely ravaged by Delta Variant, and despite their relatively young population, they lost far more people than we'll probably ever know. Their '4th National Sero-Survey' last month found that 67.6% of the total population, and 62% of unvaccinated people, have developed antibodies against COVID.
The price of protection via disease is incredibly high. A report last month estimated that the true loss of life in India was around 10 times that which has been officially reported, somewhere between 3.4m and 4.7m people.

Iran looks bad. Their case rate is rising incredibly fast, despite so many prior infections. They cannot afford to lock down again, and are now reporting 40,000 cases a day - a number which is likely to be a massive under-estimate. 

Chile has started offering Booster Vaccinations to their older citizens, and they are using a different vaccination to the first 2 shots, in hopes it will give better protection against Delta Variant.
They intend to fully vaccinate 80% of their population - with the idea it will bring herd immunity. Everyone aged 14 or over has now been invited to be vaccinated (I believe that's still true!).
Currently they've vaccinated over 80% of people aged 14+, which means 67.44% of their whole population is fully vaccinated, and another 7% need their 2nd dose. Not bad at all! They just another 6% to get to their goal...

Some countries relax border entry rules for people who have natural immunity - England does NOT.
We are also strict about "fully vaccinated" meaning 2 doses of the same vaccine. There's quite a lot of evidence to suggest mix-and-match vaccines may give better protection across a range of variants, and some countries either by design, or lack of other options, offered citizens different vaccines for their 2 doses. Some combinations work better than others, and I think that's why England has decided on refusing as a blanket measure.
Under these rules, Angela Merkel, ex German Chancellor and professional scientist, wouldn't be counted as fully vaccinated. Germany gave people the option, and she chose AstraZeneca first, Moderna second. I personally think it was a wise choice facing Delta Variant.
It may become a bit of an issue in future,  and I can foresee the single dose Johnson&Johnson / Janssen vaccine suddenly becoming a very popular "booster", because 1 dose of that IS fully vaccinated. 

Turkey is still ablaze, as are parts of Italy, Greece, the Ukraine and a whole swathe of Southern Europe. My thoughts with everyone affected out there, and please let it end soon. 

It's Friday 13th!! *Insert scary ghost whooooohooo sound effect*. Thankfully we protected ourselves from bad luck today by taking it all yesterday (discovered a rat in the kitchen / the toilet leaks / my partner trod in poo). I hope your day has been a good one, and that you all have an excellent weekend. Do NOT forget your treat - for YOU. The situation in the UK may not be as bad as it has been, but you know you have still earnt it.

On Sunday it will be 7 years since we lost one of our teenage children, so I won't do a COVID report, my day will be better spent with my family. I shall be back on Tuesday (or Monday if Boris does a press conference, or earlier if anything incredible happens).

Do Something That Makes You Smile. Then Pass It On To Someone Else. And Save The NHS....

Some numbers. All of them were once just a thought, and a smile:

Countries / Cases / Losses of life (since midnight GMT. In larger countries some states /provinces have yet to report today):

USA 37,215,814 (+12,165) 636,369 (+71)

India 32,149,514 (+32,462) 430,631 (+346)

Brazil 20,285,067 not yet reported today 566,988

Russia 6,557,068 (+22,277) 168,864 (+815)

France 6,398,983 not yet reported today 112,487

UK 6,211,868 (+32,700) 130,801 (+100)

Turkey 6,039,857 (+21,372) 52,860 (+157)

Argentina 5,066,253 not yet reported today 108,569

Colombia 4,856,595 not yet reported today 123,097

Spain 4,693,540 (+15,657) 82,470 (+63)

Italy 4,427,827 (+7,409) 128,379 (+45)

Iran 4,359,385 (+39,119) 96,742 (+527)

Germany 3,817,059 (+2,743) 92,355 (+7)

Indonesia 3,804,943 (+30,788) 115,096 (+1,432)

Mexico 3,045,571 (+24,975) 246,811 (+608) 

.

.

Sources:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Daily hospital admissions 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#mis-national-surveillance

https://twitter.com/gavi/status/1426121730242842635?s=19

https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/uk-donated-covid-19-vaccine-doses-reach-african-countries

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consensus-statements-on-covid-19

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/40-cr-indians-don-t-have-covid-anti-bodies-vulnerable-reveals-4th-serosurvey-101626779228818.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/coronavirus-how-india-is-doing-now-after-delta-variant-spread.html

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210208/New-machine-learning-algorithm-estimates-number-of-COVID-19-cases-in-the-US.aspx

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#mis-national-surveillance

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-concerns-about-price-reliability-and-quality-of-pcr-testing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-57888460

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/07/20/1018438334/indias-pandemic-death-toll-estimated-at-about-4-million-10-times-the-official-co

https://twitter.com/i/events/1425889513449140236

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229444.shtml

https://www.thestatesman.com/world/chile-immunises-80-of-target-population-against-covid-1502988625.html

https://twitter.com/i/events/1425889513449140236

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-state-is-frightened-by-what-is-coming-next-with-the-covid-surge/ar-AANhjt3?ocid=msedgntp

https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WeeklySlides_13August2021.pdf

https://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/effis_current_situation/

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 11th / 12th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 11th / 12th August 2021

The UK added 33,074 cases today (UP from 30,215 cases a week earlier, and 31,117 two weeks ago) and now has reported a total of 6,179,506 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 842,591 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,170,968 people (89.2% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 40,013,470 people (75.7%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated 14 days after that 2nd dose.

5,909 people were in hospital yesterday, 11th August, with 871 using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 94 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,701 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 317,204 cases and 5,059 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 205,822,170 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,342,466. Already 184,790,391 people have recovered.

The UK GCSE results were released today. I have the same message for you as I did for A Level students. Anyone who passed a formal qualification has done an extraordinary thing in extraordinary times. Well done to all of you.

Academic grades are only a tiny part of all the things that make you, you. There is so much more to who you are, and there are hundreds of options available, whether you got the grades you hoped for or not.
Re-sits, whole new GCSEs, vocational courses, apprenticeships, A levels, work. Take a deep breath. It will be okay. Some of the most intelligent, witty, creative and successful people around did not pass their exams first time, or in some cases, ever. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 9th / 10th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 9th / 10th August 2021.

The UK added 23,510 cases today (UP from 21,691 a week earlier / identical to  23,511 two weeks earlier), and now has reported a total of 6,117,540 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 725,764 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,091,889 people (89% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 39,688,566 people (75%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated 2 weeks after that 2nd dose.

5,909 people were in hospital yesterday, Monday 9th August (DOWN from 6,099 a week earlier / 5,918 two weeks earlier), with 859 using a ventilator (DOWN from 895 a week earlier / UP from 820 two weeks earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 146 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,503 losses of life in all settings.
Up until Friday 30th July, 154,202 people had COVID listed as a cause on their death certificate.

Area: Deaths / Rate per 100,000 population
Wales: 7,906 / 249.4
Scotland: 10,354 / 189.4
Northern Ireland: 3,014 / 159
England: 131,867 / 233.2

Rep. Of Ireland 313,876 cases and 5,044 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 204,469,679 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,322,202. Already 183,645,612 people have recovered.

"30.2% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 15.6% is fully vaccinated.
4.48 billion doses have been administered globally, and 36.36 million are now administered each day.
Only 1.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose."
Our World In Data. 

The A Level results were out today, and a record percentage of students received A and A* results.
It's a pandemic. Anyone who has received an A Level pass (or any formal qualification) has done an extraordinary thing in extraordinary times. Well done to all of you.

If you didn't get the grades you wanted, you are part of a huge club of people who were forced to have a re-think. Focus on what you HAVE achieved, and where you CAN go now. For many people, this turns out to be the best thing that could have happened. It'll be okay.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 7th / 8th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 7th / 8th August 2021

The UK added 27,429 cases today and now has reported a total of 6,069,362 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 825,501 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,036,796 people (88.9% of UK adults 18+) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 39,429,468 people (74.5%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 39 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,320 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 312,465 (+1,837) cases and 5,044 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 203,256,063 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,304,987. Already 182,598,948 people have recovered.

ICNARC has restarted their weekly reports on ICU use in the UK.
THIS WAVE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS - and we have to assume this is almost entirely because of vaccination.
In this wave compared to waves pre-vaccinations:
- ICU patients have an average age of 49, this is 10 years younger than the previous wave. We have more younger people seriously ill in hospital as a percentage of all patients, but it's impossible to say if (because of Delta) we have 'more' younger people in hospital than previous waves.
- 1 in every 4 female patients aged 16-49 in ICU is pregnant or has has a baby within 6 weeks. Vaccination take-up rates are much lower in pregnant people, and COVID is very hard on pregnant bodies (it is a very hard decision to make when pregnant, I appreciate that, but give it some consideration. If you do defer, please think about getting vaccinated as soon as you can when baby is born.)

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 6th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 6th August 2021

The UK added 31,808 cases today and now has recorded a total of over 6 million officially reported cases - 6,014,023. We completed 825,501 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,961,830 people (88.8% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 39,047,529 people (73.8%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

5,631 people were in hospital yesterday 5th August (DOWN from 5,916 a week earlier, up from 5,001 two week earlier / 3,964 three weeks earlier), with 871 using a ventilator (very slightly UP on last week's 869, up from 699 two weeks earlier / 551 three weeks earlier - this will take longer to fall than hospitalisations - younger people especially often take several weeks to have an 'outcome'. Fingers crossed for positive outcomes).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 92 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,178 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 308,800 (+1,781) cases and 5,044 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 202,049,669 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,285,942. Already 181,725,241 people have recovered.

"Great news! All countries & areas in the WHO Western Pacific Region now have enough COVID19 vaccines to protect all of their healthcare workers.
Over 20M of the total doses received were delivered by COVAX, thanks to the support of donors & partners."
The World Health Organisation.

"Rolling out additional booster shots of covid19 vaccines widely is no different than going for a second helping while there’s still a long line of people waiting to get any food at all.
And we’re not even sure whether that feeling in our stomachs is hunger - or just anxiety."
Kai Kupferschmidt, German Science Journalist.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 4th / 5th August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 4th / 5th August 2021

The UK added 30,215 cases today (still slightly down from 31,117 a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 5,982,581 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 845,680 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,926,330 people (88.7% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 38,874,837 people (73.5%) had received 2 doses and are fully vaccinated.

5,686 people were in hospital yesterday, August 4th (down from 6,034 a week earlier, but up from 4,861 two weeks earlier), with 881 using a ventilator (up from 853 a week earlier / 647 two weeks earlier).

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 86 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,086 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 305,527 cases and 5,044 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 201,360,015 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,275,763. Already 181,272,358 people have recovered.

"I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world's most vulnerable people remain unprotected."
Dr Tedros, Head of the World Health Organisation.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 2nd / 3rd August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 2nd / 3rd August 2021

The UK added 21,691 cases today (down from 23,511 a week earlier) and now has reported a total of 5,923,820 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 724,299 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,898,525 people (88.7% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 38,590,332 people (73%) had received 2 doses.

6,099 people were in hospital yesterday, 2nd August (up from 5,918 a week earlier / 4,567 two weeks earlier) with 895 using a ventilator (up from 820 a week earlier / 611 two weeks earlier).
Significantly these are still increases, but they are visibly slowing - we might just be winning this... but I just can't bring myself to trust it just yet...

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 138 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 129,881 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 303,426 cases and 5,035 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.)

There have now been a total of 199,936,865 reported cases worldwide - which will be 200 million within the next few hours. A grim milestone indeed.
The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,254,571. Already 180,336,389 people have recovered.

"60% of all adults in the EU are now fully vaccinated.
Full vaccination protects us from COVID19 and its variants.
Let's stay vigilant. Let's get vaccinated! For our own health – and to protect others."
Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the EU Commission.

The UK (including Scotland) have relaxed quarantine this week. Double vaccinated travellers to the US or EU no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days when they return from Amber List countries, except for people who have been in France in the previous 10 days.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 31st July / 1st August 2021

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 31st July / 1st August 2021

The UK added 24,470 cases today and now has reported a total of 5,880667 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 863,554 tests yesterday.

The counter says 46,851,145 people (88.6% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 38,345,841 people (72.5%) had received 2 doses.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 65 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 128,719 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 302,074  (+1,098) cases and 5,035 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 198,845,081 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,238,127. Already 179,505,242 people have recovered.

"With the Delta Variant in terms of severity, we have seen a few countries demonstrate increased hospitalisation rates. In terms of people who are infected with this variant, it had not yet translated into increased mortality.
What we do know is that public health and social measures do work against the Delta Variant.
We know that our vaccines are safe and effective against severe disease and death.
And so those who have access to the vaccine - when it's your turn, please get vaccinated and make sure that it's with the full course of your dose, because it is definitely working against severe disease and death.
There is some data that suggests that people who are vaccinated can be infected and they can transmit, although the likelihood of that is much reduced if you are vaccinated.
But it's important that we look at "vaccines and" and not "vaccines only", and that we use a comprehensive approach to understanding, and to controlling transmission."
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Epidemiologist and COVID19 Technical Lead at the World Health Organisation. 

From August 7th, double-jabbed adults in Wales are exempt from isolation if they are identified as a contact of someone who test positive to COVID.
England will bring in the same policy on August 16th.
I have no idea why.