Coronavirus latest: NHS Covid app ‘to be made less sensitive’ as Pfizer seeks go-ahead for booster shot

Face coverings will not be routinely recommended in classrooms across Wales from September, the Welsh Government has announced.

Currently, guidelines state that face coverings should be worn anywhere on the school estate – including in the classroom – by secondary school pupils if social distancing cannot be maintained.

Education minister Jeremy Miles announced the change in a letter to headteachers in Wales on Friday.

Mr Miles said he had written to “provide more clarity” on how schools and colleges could continue to operate safely when they return in September.

As of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 35,707 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK, the Government said, the highest daily increase since January 22.

A further 29 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 128,365.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The rate of new cases of coronavirus in most areas of England is now back at levels last seen during the winter.

A total of 154,262 new confirmed cases were recorded in England in the seven days to July 4, according to Public Health England – the equivalent of 274.1 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up from 172.9 per 100,000 one week earlier, and is the highest rate of new cases since January 28.

It is still some way below the second-wave peak of 680.6 per 100,000, however.

Case rates in all regions of England are now at their highest level since at least February.

Covid-19 vaccines offer high levels of protection for most people with underlying health conditions or who are immunosuppressed, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

New data from more than one million people in at-risk groups found that overall vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease was around 60% after one dose of either the AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech jabs, and did not fall substantially with age.

After two doses for those aged 16 to 64, Pfizer/BioNTech offered 93% protection, while AstraZeneca offered 78%.

For those aged 65 and over, two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech offered 87% protection while AstraZeneca offered 76%.

For people who are immunosuppressed, vaccine effectiveness after a second dose was 74%, with similar protection to those who are not in an at-risk group.

This rises from 4% after a first dose, showing the importance of a second dose.

Families set on travelling to a European holiday destination this summer could face Covid-19 test bills of up to £530 even if the adults have been fully vaccinated, according to new research.

The news has triggered fears that some people will be priced out of travelling abroad.

New research suggests that holidaymakers with both vaccine doses will be required to pay about £133 a person for tests to visit countries on the UK’s amber list.

But the bill could add up to more than £530 to the cost of a holiday for a family of four because of the requirement for most children to be tested, the Times reported.

The bill would cover tests to leave the UK, the return flight and a further one at home but the study found that costs are far higher for adults, who have yet to completed a full vaccine course, the paper added.

Virginia Messina, the senior vice-president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, told The Times: “There is still a long way to go before holidays become truly affordable — and accessible.

“The requirement for PCR tests to return from amber list countries will remain, pricing out many hard-working families from being able to take holidays abroad.”

The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England has increased slightly and is between 1.2 to 1.5, according to the latest Government figures.

Last week, it was between 1.1 and 1.3.

R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.

When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.

An R number between 1.2 and 1.5 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 15 other people.

The growth rate is between 3% and 7%, which means the number of new infections is growing by between 3% and 7% every day.

People have been urged not to ignore the NHS Covid app if they are advised to self-isolate, with coronavirus infections in three of the four UK nations at the highest levels since winter.

Downing Street has asked that people keep using the app, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying Boris Johnson is doing so.

The No 10 spokesman said the app had been an “important tool” in breaking the chain of transmission of coronavirus.

“The Prime Minister has been clear that he continues to use it,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman added: “We continue to ask people to isolate if they are asked to through the app.”

The plea was echoed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps who stressed the app’s importance, against a backdrop of concerns about the increasing numbers being “pinged” as restrictions are rolled back.

Rules governing travel for people in England are due to be eased on July 19, but measures on self-isolation for the fully vaccinated will remain in place until August 16, raising fears that people will delete the app rather than risk having to cancel a holiday.

The percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 is estimated to have increased in all regions of England, the ONS said.

North-east England and north-west England had the highest proportion of people of any region likely to test positive for coronavirus in the week to July 3: around one in 80.

Eastern England had the lowest estimate: around one in 350.

An additional 100 staff have been brought in to help Scotland’s Test and Protect system as it deals with the recent spike in Covid cases, the Health Secretary has said.

The contact tracing system’s performance fell below World Health Organisation (WHO) standards in late June and early July.

It only managed to reach 65.1% of infected people’s close contacts within 72 hours in the week ending June 27 and 73.1% the following week – both below the WHO target of 80%.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has acknowledged contact times “fell below” the desired level but said changes are being made to speed up the process.

These have included greater use of text message notifications and digital self-tracing forms.

Spectators will be barred from public events in Tokyo as a consequence of the Japanese government’s decision to impose a city-wide State of Emergency for the duration of the Olympic Games.

The Tokyo Organising Committee has announced that fans will be asked to refrain from spectating on roadsides during the cycling and triathlon events in the city.

In addition, no spectators will be admitted into Musashinonomori Park, where the road cycling events are scheduled to start.

The move follows an earlier decision to order fans to refrain from spectating during the marathon and race walk events in Sapporo, which is also under State of Emergency regulations.

That move had been initially been criticised by World Athletics, which described the decision to restrict outdoor access as “a great shame”.