UK travel latest – Spain holidays may be CANCELLED if moved to amber list but Croatia & Czech Republic could go green

THE UK'S daily Covid cases have increased for the first time in a week with 27,734 reported in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile Covid deaths have fallen slightly with a further 91 losing their lives to the killer bug.

It brings the total number of UK Covid deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test result to 129,430.

In comparison to today's figures yesterday saw the UK hit with 23,511 new cases and 131 deaths.

Hopes had been raised after seven days of falling case numbers, but experts have warned caution at this stage – and today's figures saw them rise by 4,000.

Read our coronavirus live blog for the very latest updates..

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    ASTRAZENECA SEES SURGE IN COVID VACCINE SALES AS JABS ARE ROLLED OUT GLOBALLY

    Drugs giant AstraZeneca has revealed sales of its Covid-19 vaccine soared to 1.2 billion US dollars (£860 million) in the first half as the global jab programme rolled out at pace.

    The group, which developed the jab with Oxford University, said vaccine sales more than tripled between the first and second quarters, rocketing from 275 million US dollars (£197 million) to 894 million US dollars (£640 million) in the three months to June 30.

    It delivered about 319 million doses worldwide in the first half as the fight against Covid-19 picked up pace, but Astra pledged not to make a profit from the jab during the pandemic.

    AstraZeneca supplied more than 80 million doses of the vaccination in the six months to more than 125 countries through the Covax global access initiative, making up more than 90% of Covax supply.

    It also said that it had delayed application for approval of the jab in the US until the final six months of 2021, having originally hoped to put this through in the first half.

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    CLOSE RUN PING

    Self-isolation rules could stay in place beyond August 16 if Covid cases start to rise again, a minister suggested today.

    Policing minister Kit Malthouse said No 10 will have to remain “agile” even after new infections dropped for the sixth day in a row.

    He said a final decision on whether to end quarantine for the double-jabbed will be taken on the advice of scientists.

    No 10 has repeatedly insisted that the restrictions will be scrapped on August 16 come what may.

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    RAIL TRAVEL IS HIT BY ‘PINGEDEMIC’ AS REDUCED TIMETABLES COME IN TO SERVICE

    Workers in the sector are among the vast number of people being pinged by the NHS coronavirus app.

    Reduced timetables have been introduced on railways across England in an attempt to improve reliability after a recent spate of last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages.

    Passengers are being advised to check their train is running before they leave home.

    Thameslink and Southern has cut its weekday timetables on five routes “until further notice”, and warned that further changes could be required.

    Avanti West Coast has reduced the frequency of its services between London Euston and Manchester, Birmingham and North Wales to “manage staff shortages and ensure a reliable service”. A revised timetable with fewer services was also launched by London Northwestern Railway on Saturday.

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    SAJID JAVID SAYS COVID VACCINES ‘ARE THE REASON I’M HERE TODAY’

    Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who contracted Covid-19 despite being vaccinated, said the jabs were “the reason that I’m here today” just 10 days after a positive test.

    He told the PA news agency: “My own experience, I think, is a good example, a reminder really, that by getting vaccinated you do absolutely reduce your own chances of getting a positive test result, of course, but you can still get the virus.

    “I was one of many people who have been in that situation.

    “But there’s no doubt that the reason that I’m here today, some 10 days after I had that positive test result, feeling absolutely fine, is because of the vaccines.

    “My symptoms have been very mild and the latest information we have is that the vaccines in the UK, they’ve stopped 11 million infections, they’ve stopped 57,000 people from going to hospital and 37,000 people from dying.

    “The vaccines are working.”

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    WATCH: THE SUN'S LISA MINOT SAYS CHANGE IN TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS IS ‘HUGE’ FOR UK TRAVEL INDUSTRY

    Lisa Minot says change in travel restrictions is ‘huge’ for UK travel industry

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    SAJID JAVID URGES BRITS NOT TO BE ‘TOO OPTIMISTIC’ AS UK CASES CONTINUE TO FALL

    Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has previously warned that there could be 100,000 daily cases over the summer, said he hoped recent falls in the numbers would be sustained but it was important not to be “too optimistic”.

    Speaking at a vaccination centre in London’s Little Venice, he told the PA news agency: “The truth is, when it comes to case numbers no-one really knows where they are going to go next.

    “I hope that the falls that we’re seeing now are sustained. That’s of course what I want to see.

    “But we’ve already seen with the Delta variant, a new variant that emerged over the last year, that’s more infectious than the previous one, that things can change.

    “And so, I think it’s important to remain cautious, not get too optimistic.”

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    EYE HELL

    Covid causes eye problems by attacking the retina, researchers say.

    The virus can lead to hazy vision and black spots, known as floaters.

    Researchers in Brazil found traces of Covid in the retinas of those who died.

    It was previously believed that Covid could impair vision, but experts have now found traces of the virus in the retinas of patients who died.

    Read more here

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    HOLI-YAY!

    More countries will go onto the green list next week as Britain is set to open up to other "high trust" foreigners, according to the Foreign Secretary.

    Dominic Raab said he was "increasingly positive" that more countries would go green at the travel review next week.

    Passengers coming from green countries do not have to isolate, and the fully vaccinated an also avoid quarantine if they're returning from an amber list nation.

    Double-jabbed travellers from the EU and USA will be allowed to skip isolation when they arrive in Britain next week, and the Foreign Secretary hinted more "high trust" countries could benefit from similar deals soon.

    It won't apply to France which remains on the hated 'amber plus' list.

     

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    EMERGENCY STEPS NEEDED TO ADDRESS SURGE IN MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, REPORT WARNS

    Emergency measures must address the pressures on mental health services in Ireland caused by the pandemic, an Oireachtas report has warned.

    A 24-hours-a-day suicide prevention team is among the supports needed to cope with the situation, the sub-committee on mental health said.

    TDs and senators on the sub-committee have published an interim report on Covid-19’s effect on mental health services in the community.

    Among the issues examined were the mental health consequences of the disruption to the normal grieving process, such as coronavirus restrictions on funerals and accessing palliative care facilities.

    The sub-committee made a total of ten recommendations to the Government. Among them is a call for universal free access to counselling.

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    WATCH: DOMINIC RAAB SAYS GOVERNMENT IS 'INCREASINGLY CONFIDENT' MORE COUNTRIES WILL BE SAFE TO TRAVEL TO

    Dominic Raab says the government is ‘increasingly confident’ more countries will go on either the amber or the green travel lists

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    US BLOW

    American athlete Sam Kendricks is out of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19 – one of the biggest name casualties of these troubled Games.

    The two-time reigning world pole vault champion will not represent the United States in Japan after he provided a positive sample.

    The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist’s father and co-coach Scott Kendricks revealed the situation in a post on Instagram.

    The message – which was later deleted – said: “Today in Tokyo, officials informed Sam that his daily test for Covid 19 was positive.

    “So he is out of the competition. He feels fine and has no symptoms. Love you son. See you soon.”

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    SCHOOLS CLOSING ‘COULD BE BEHIND DROP IN COVID-19 CASES ACROSS UK’

    Schools closing for the summer break is likely to be one of the reasons why coronavirus cases are falling across the UK, a leading expert has said.

    Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling group (Spi-M) advising ministers, said he is “cautiously optimistic” about dropping cases but only time will tell if the third Covid wave is “turning round”.

    The expert in infectious diseases, from the University of Warwick, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “any situation where cases are falling clearly is good news”.

    But he added: “I think what we need to think about, though, is that there has been a change recently and I think the big one is that, in a lot of parts of the country, schools have now closed for the summer.

    “Now, of course, because of that, what that means is… secondary school children have been doing lateral flow tests twice a week for quite a long period of time and we know at the moment cases are slightly higher in younger people, (and) because schools have now broken up, it may be that part of the reason cases have dropped somewhat is that we’re not detecting as many cases in younger people now.

    “The other thing we do need to look at before we really draw confidence in whether we are seeing everything turning round is what’s happening with hospital admissions and, of course, what’s happening with deaths.”

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    WHAT ARE THE CDC GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS IN K-12 SCHOOLS

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is back-peddling on their masking recommendations for vaccinated Americans.

    The changes come as states across the nation continue to see a surge in Covid cases due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

    The public health agency recommended schools embrace universal masks, departing from guidance released earlier this month that suggested vaccinated students and staff were safe to go without.

    “CDC recommends localities encourage universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status,” the CDC wrote in a summary of the new guidance.

    “Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with proper prevention strategies are in place.”

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    RAIL TRAVEL IS HIT BY ‘PINGEDEMIC’ AS REDUCED TIMETABLES COME IN TO SERVICE

    Workers in the sector are among the vast number of people being pinged by the NHS coronavirus app.

    Reduced timetables have been introduced on railways across England in an attempt to improve reliability after a recent spate of last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages.

    Passengers are being advised to check their train is running before they leave home.

    Thameslink and Southern has cut its weekday timetables on five routes “until further notice”, and warned that further changes could be required.

    Avanti West Coast has reduced the frequency of its services between London Euston and Manchester, Birmingham and North Wales to “manage staff shortages and ensure a reliable service”. A revised timetable with fewer services was also launched by London Northwestern Railway on Saturday.

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    GP ADMINISTERED COVID-19 VACCINES AWAY FROM OFFICIAL VACCINATION CENTRE

    A GP is being investigated for taking 300 Covid-19 vaccines to be administered outside of an official vaccination centre.

    Patients in Portsmouth, Hampshire, who received one of the doses are being offered an additional jab as a precaution.

    The Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group has warned that the 300 vaccinations given by the GP, who has not been named, might not be as effective if they had not been stored at the correct temperature.

    A spokeswoman said: “These vaccinations were given by a GP outside of an NHS-approved vaccination site.

    “While there is no reason to suggest that people vaccinated at this site are at any increased risk, we are acting on advice from Public Health England and contacting them to offer an additional vaccination as a precaution.”

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    WAITING GAME (CONTINUED)

    The source said: “The situation in Spain is beginning to feel a lot like the build-up to the decision on France.

    “The Department of Health are getting very jumpy about the number of Beta cases in parts of the country.

    “We’re not talking about the main tourist hotspots, but that might not make any difference – it didn’t with France.”

    Other officials have downplayed the threat in Spain, saying the country won’t be added in the travel review, expected on August 5.

    A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The travel list allocations have not changed for Spain or Greece.”

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    WAITING GAME

    Spain could be replacing France on the amber plus list next week, meaning Brits will not be able to skip the 10-day quarantine even if fully vaxxed.

    Government sources are confident that France will be removed next week after it was added at short notice earlier this month.

    The country was added due to the fears of the Beta variant, meaning France was not included in the easing of the amber list rules which lets Brits with both jabs skip the quarantine back in the UK.

    However, a Whitehall source told the Mail Online that the Department of Health is ‘jumpy’ about the variant being detected in some parts of Spain.

     

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    DRIVE ON

    Tesco is offering a £1,000 bonus to lorry drivers who join the company before the end of September.

    The bonus is to incentivize new starters amid supermarket staffing pressures caused by the “pingdemic”.

    The “pingdemic” has meant large parts of the economy have come to a grinding halt, including within the food sector.

    In response, Tesco has advertised the joining bonus on its website and it will be offered to anyone who takes up one of the HGV driver roles from July 14 until September 30.

    Candidates are told “you’ll play a vital role for our customers and communities, representing Tesco on the highways and byways of the UK”.

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    RECORD 1.13m PUPILS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL DUE TO COVID-RELATED REASONS

    A record 1.13 million children in England were out of school for Covid-19 related reasons on Friday, Government figures show.

    Around 1,126,000 pupils missed class on July 16, compared with 859,000 on Friday July 9, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics.

    The figures include 994,000 children self-isolating due to a possible contact with a Covid-19 case, 48,000 pupils with a confirmed case of coronavirus, and 33,300 with a suspected case.

    A further 50,700 pupils were off as a result of school closures due to Covid-related reasons.

    The DfE survey, which has been recording daily attendance in schools over the past year, closed on July 16 – when the number of children absent from class due to Covid-19 reached a record high since all students returned in March.

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    PINGS TO DO

    Only 200 coronavirus testing sites to stop essential workers from self-isolation have been opened.

    Amid growing alarm at the sheer scale of the pingdemic crisis, there has been a scramble to free more essential workers from the draconian rules.

    The NHS Covid-19 App, which “pings” anyone who has been within 2 metres of an infectious person for more than 15 minutes, has caused severe disruption to Brits despite lockdown rules ending last week.

    And business leaders and trade bodies have been calling on the government to take action and change the sensitivity of the app.

    Critical services risked being crippled by staffing crises as record numbers of workers were forced to isolate.

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    DRIVE ON

    Tesco is offering a £1,000 bonus to lorry drivers who join the company before the end of September.

    The bonus is to incentivize new starters amid supermarket staffing pressures caused by the “pingdemic”.

    The “pingdemic” has meant large parts of the economy have come to a grinding halt, including within the food sector.

    In response, Tesco has advertised the joining bonus on its website and it will be offered to anyone who takes up one of the HGV driver roles from July 14 until September 30.

    Candidates are told “you’ll play a vital role for our customers and communities, representing Tesco on the highways and byways of the UK”.

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    TRUE FREEDOM

    Brits who come into contact with a positive Covid cases WON’T have to take a test after August 16.

    People will be urged to get a PCR test if they have close contact with someone with the virus, but that won’t be legally required.

    The rules around isolation are set to be relaxed in just a few weeks, meaning people who come into contact with a positive case won’t have to isolate anymore.

    That means people who get pinged by the app won’t need to stay inside, too.

    People will still be contacted by Test and Trace, but they will be urged to get a test, not legally obliged to.

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    WHAT HELP CAN I GET WHEN MY PAYMENT BREAK ENDS?

    Your lender is still obliged to help you and before the end of the payment break they should have explained the options available after.

    This could include he following if you took a break from paying your mortgage:

    • Extending the length of your mortgage
    • Changing the type of mortgage you have, for example, paying only the interest
    • Deferring interest payments
    • Adding the interest owed onto the mortgage balance

    OFFICIAL: DOUBLE-JABBED US AND EU TRAVELLERS TO BE ALLOWED INTO ENGLAND WITHOUT QUARANTINE FROM 2 AUGUST

    England is to allow US and EU travellers who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter without the need to quarantine.

    Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that the new rules will be in place from 4am on Monday August 2.

    The Cabinet minister said: “We’re helping reunite people living in the US and European countries with their family and friends in the UK.”

    It has not been announced whether the change will apply to people arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

    Currently, only travellers who have received two doses of a vaccine in the UK are permitted to enter from an amber country – such as the US and most of the EU – without self-isolating for 10 days, except those returning from France.

    CLOSE RUN PING

    Self-isolation rules could stay in place beyond August 16 if Covid cases start to rise again, a minister suggested today.

    Policing minister Kit Malthouse said No 10 will have to remain “agile” even after new infections dropped for the sixth day in a row.

    He said a final decision on whether to end quarantine for the double-jabbed will be taken on the advice of scientists.

    No 10 has repeatedly insisted that the restrictions will be scrapped on August 16 come what may.

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