Coronavirus latest: PM to announce on Monday if lockdown can lift on July 5 as Matt Hancock says data ‘looking encouraging’ for July 19 reopening

Angela Merkel has received a dose of Moderna as her second shot of coronavirus vaccine having had Oxford-AstraZeneca as her first, a government spokesman said.

The 66-year-old leader was vaccinated a few days ago after getting a dose of AstraZeneca in April.

Experts believe mixed dosing of Covid vaccines could be a good idea but it too early to say for sure.

The Government is said to be “working on” plans for quarantine-free travel from amber list countries for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have been allowed to attend pilot events if they have a negative coronavirus test result or can show they are double-jabbed.

But how can someone provide such proof?

AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine is effective against Delta and Kappa variants, which were first identified in India, the company said on Tuesday, citing a study.

The study by the Oxford University investigated the ability of monoclonal antibodies in blood from recovered people and from those vaccinated to neutralize the Delta and Kappa variants, the statement said.

Last week, an analysis by the Public Health England (PHE) showed that vaccines made by Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca offer high protection of more than 90% against hospitalization from the Delta variant.

The latest Oxford study results are built on the recent analysis by PHE, the company said.

A second man has been charged after a BBC journalist was chased and shouted at by protesters near Downing Street.

Christopher Aitken, 62, from Brixton, was arrested on Monday and charged on Tuesday with an offence contrary to Section 4A of the Public Order Act.

He was bailed and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 22.

Footage of the incident was shared widely on social media and showed demonstrators confronting the Newsnight political editor Nicholas Watt near Richmond Terrace and Whitehall.

Mr Watt was forced to run from the mob, seeking safety behind police officers stationed near Number 10 as people shouted “traitor” and other slurs at him on Monday last week.

A protest against the Government’s extension of coronavirus restrictions in England by four weeks was taking place in Westminster at the time.

The number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK has risen to its highest level for nearly two months.

A total of 1,378 patients were in hospital on June 20, according to the latest Government figures.

This is up 21% from the previous week, and is the highest since April 29.

It is also up 58% from the 870 patients recorded on May 27, which was the lowest number since the second wave of the virus.

Scotland’s potential moves to Level 0 on July 19 and away from coronavirus restrictions altogether by August 9 have been described as “a light at the end of a very long tunnel”.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out a series of vaccination milestones on Tuesday and told the Scottish Parliament if these criteria are met, the majority of restrictions could be lifted by the latter date.

Marc Crothall, Scottish Tourism Alliance chief executive, called the news a “very big step in the right direction… and a light at the end of a very long tunnel”.

He said: “The First Minister’s announcement that the easing of restrictions will be delayed for the next three weeks will be disappointing for tourism businesses across Scotland, despite this being what we had all anticipated, particularly with schools breaking up this week and people planning days out and holidays.

“This is particularly impactful on larger self-catering properties where the restrictions on the number of people who can stay in one property remain in place; July 19 is almost three weeks into our summer season and I know that many within the self-catering sector will be extremely anxious about business losses during this period and will be hoping there will be some more support to compensate.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said he will hold talks with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday to discuss the ban on all non-essential travel from Scotland to Manchester and Salford.

At a press conference on Tuesday Mr Burnham told reporters he was seeking a “political route” out of the dispute, saying: “I anticipate having the opportunity to discuss it with the First Minister tomorrow and obviously we will want clarity on elements of the policy that are currently unclear to us in terms of the criteria that are being used here, the exit strategy, the process for lifting the restrictions on the boroughs affected.

“We just want to seek resolution and a better way of doing things going forward. The political route is the route to pursue. That’s obviously what we would seek to do. To put in place better dialogue, better lines of communication which clearly aren’t there at the moment.”

The UK has recorded 27 deaths with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours and a total of 11,625 new cases of the virus.

Over the past 7 days, there have been 91 deaths, a week on week increase of 44.4 per cent.

England pair Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are likely to be isolating because of a judgement call over what constitutes close contact, a coronavirus test specialist has said.

Mount and Chilwell will miss England’s final Euro 2020 group match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday and quarantine until next Monday after being identified as close contacts of Scotland’s Billy Gilmour.

Scotland midfielder Gilmour, it emerged on Monday, has tested positive for Covid-19.

The three players are all team-mates at Chelsea and were seen talking together after the goalless draw between the two countries at Wembley last Friday.

It is believed their conversation continued after the players left the field and headed down the tunnel, and it is there that problems are understood to have arisen.

The legal requirement to keep a two-metre distance from others could be scrapped in Scotland from August 9, but the first minister says there may still be some scenarios where “it would make sense” for people to distance.

For example, this could be if people are particularly vulnerable or unvaccinated, or if there is not enough ventilation in the venue.