Coronavirus latest news: Don't undo good work on 'last lap' of lockdown, urges Dominic Raab

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Mason Boycott-Owen
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Dominic Raab has urged caution in the "last lap" of the fight against coronavirus, arguing there is only "a little bit more time" until all legal restrictions on social interaction are removed.

The Foreign Secretary said today that "steady steps" out of lockdown are "the smart way to go" so that the many sacrifices are not squandered as people plead for hugs between family members to be permitted again sooner.

He told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I know that people are hankering to go a bit faster but actually we feel vindicated at taking steady steps out of the lockdown is the smart way to go.

"We're very close now to really turning the corner and I think we still need to be careful to go as I said we don't want to see the gains lost and the sacrifices that have been made undone.

"By the time we get to June 21 almost all social restrictions will be lifted so there's only a little bit more time to go, but it's right to make sure we do that in a careful way.

"We're at the end of really the process if you like, we've got two more steps to take, but I do think given the rollout of the vaccine, that's exciting. It's got people thinking about not just social interaction but of course things like hugging your loved ones that you haven't been able to do for a while.

"I do think we just need to make sure that in the last lap, if you like, that we are careful and we don't lose the gains we've made."

​​Follow the latest updates below.

12:24 PM

School sports favourite gets the sack over coronavirus fears

Sack races ruled out in favour of Covid-compliant egg and spoon contests, and parents barred from sidelines under official recommendations. Sam Hall has more:

School sports days may look a little different this year with sack races set to be substituted for Covid-compliant egg and spoon contests and parents unlikely to be able to attend events held before June 21.

Egg and spoon races are set to get the nod due to the relative ease of washing a spoon compared to a hessian sack.

The Department for Education has recommended that schools hold activities "that don’t share equipment" and use items "that can be easily cleaned".

Some schools holding their sports days in early May, such as St Mary's Primary School in Paisley, Renfrewshire, have already announced that they will not be allowing parents to attend.

You can read the full story here.

School Sports day - Getty Images
School Sports day - Getty Images

11:54 AM

Boris sent "very personal" letter to Kate Garraway

Kate Garraway has said she received a "very personal" note from Prime Minister Boris Johnson after her husband Derek Draper fell ill with coronavirus.

Former political adviser Draper, 53, was in hospital for a year after being admitted with coronavirus symptoms and being placed in a coma.

Good Morning Britain presenter Garraway told Times Radio it was "lovely" to receive the message from the Prime Minister.

She said: "Boris Johnson actually wrote a really, really very personal note reflecting on things that he and Derek had been involved in together and his impression of him as a person, and also thinking of me and the children.

11:36 AM

Nigeria bans travellers from India, Brazil, Turkey

Nigeria will ban travellers coming from India, Brazil and Turkey because of concerns about the rampant spread of coronavirus in those countries, a presidential committee said on Sunday.

"Non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, India or Turkey within 14 days preceding travel to Nigeria, shall be denied entry into Nigeria," Boss Mustapha, chairman of the presidential steering committee on Covid-19, said in a statement.

The ban will take effect from May 4, the statement said.

11:19 AM

More must be done to help India, urges Labour

Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary said the UK "can and should do more" to help India.

She told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "The UK has sent two small shipments of assistance to India.

"But don't forget it was India that stepped up for us when almost almost a year ago today we were in real dire straights, struggling to contain the impact of the pandemic, the Prime Minister had just left hospital, we were woefully unprepared and we had to appeal to the rest of the world for help, and India stepped forward.

"There are long and deep ties between us and India, which mean that we should step up and provide more equipment, more support.

"We are world leaders in genomic sequencing, we can track and map how this virus is mutating and developing. Only a few months ago Matt Hancock said we should make that capacity available to the world - we should be offering that support to India at the moment."

10:53 AM

'Reasonable' to say we shouldn't be taking vaccines produced in India, says expert

Professor Peter Openshaw said it was "very reasonable" to suggest not taking vaccines produced in India away from the country when it needs them to tackle its own coronavirus crisis.

Prof Openshaw told the Andrew Marr Show: "That would seem a very reasonable arrangement to come to but it has to be managed properly with people keeping an eye on vaccine supplies."

When asked if the UK should be vaccinating children, he said: "I think with some of the more transmissible variants it does seem that children may be playing a bit more of a role in spreading the virus and they may do so quite innocently without knowing they are infectious.

"There's an argument for spreading vaccines into younger age groups."

10:24 AM

Covid modellers ‘optimistic’ third wave may not happen at all

New modelling to be presented to ministers ahead of stage three of reopening on May 17 will show the risk of a "third wave" of Covid cases in the UK has diminished dramatically and may not happen at all, according to experts.

The last set of projections, published by Sage on March 31, presented ministers with a difficult dilemma because they suggested a third wave of infections could be expected to kill another 15,000 to 20,000 people in the late summer if steps three and four of the exit roadmap were implemented as planned.

Ministers are now expected to proceed with step three of the roadmap, with the return of indoor household mixing and hospitality on May 17, with confidence as the modelling teams which provide projections via the SPI-M subgroup of Sage are said to be more optimistic.

Professor Adam Kucharski of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who works on modelling provided to Sage, pointed to the new real world data on vaccine effectiveness.

"There was considerable uncertainty about the impact of vaccines on infection and transmission earlier this year, but recent studies are landing at the more optimistic end of the scale - at least for the dominant B.1.1.7 variant," he told the Telegraph.

You can read the full story here from Paul Nuki, our Global Health Security Editor.

10:12 AM

Vaccinations aren't the only way out of the pandemic

Professor Peter Openshaw said it was vital people do not think that vaccines are the only thing that is going to halt the pandemic.

He the Andrew Marr Show: "Vaccines are one of the tools in our toolbox against this pandemic and it is absolutely vital that we don't think there's just one thing that's going to save us all.

"We really do know that lockdown works and that public events, mass events, will feed the spread of the virus, and that we mustn't take our concentration off that and think that just by vaccinating we are going to be out of the situation."

Professor Openshaw said the UK could be donating about 120 million doses of vaccine to struggling countries such as India.

Prof Openshaw said that it was best to work through the World Health Organisation (WHO) rather than giving it directly to specific countries.

He added: "We in this country ordered at least twice as much vaccine as we could possibly use.

"That doesn't mean we have actually got it in store houses ready to go out, but certainly we could be donating something over 120 million doses, but probably best through the WHO Covax system, which ensures equitable distribution.

"There are well-established ways of doing this and rather than doing a sort of public demonstration of generosity to a particular country it really should be through the WHO."

09:50 AM

People can go on holiday 'within limits'

Prof Openshaw, when asked if people will be able to start going on holiday, said: "Yes, within limits.

"It's so important that we do not drop our guard completely.

"We know it's perfectly likely there will be further outbreaks unless we use this time to be very cautious and prepare sensibly."

When asked on the Andrew Marr Show about replacing self-isolation periods with daily testing, Prof Openshaw, said: "This is a very contentious point.

"There are people who think that the lateral flow tests are going to be extremely useful and there are those who think that the accuracy, the sensitivity and specificity of these tests are so low that there is going to be an awful lot of false positives.

"I'm sure lateral flow tests do have a place and, if we test repeatedly, I think you will find people who are going to be most prone to spreading disease.

"These are important studies to do, important experiments to do in order to work out exactly what the role of lateral flow tests is."

09:42 AM

Too early to declare victory, expert says

Prof Openshaw, who is a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nertag), told the Andrew Marr Show: "I would absolutely say it is too early to declare victory and to drop our guard.

"We do know that this infection has a tendency to come back again and we need to use this time to be absolutely sure we have got every precaution in place to stop further outbreaks."

Professor Peter Openshaw said the country was on track to open up again in June but warned that new variants will still emerge.

He added: "I think we are on course at the moment but we have to just keep an eye on what is going on in terms of case numbers and in terms of new variants that will be arising internally but also coming into the country.

"It's inevitable that those variants will be on our shores or expanding to some areas.

"We just need to be very cautious and we need to use this time to prepare particularly for what may happen in the autumn when we go back to school.

"This is a time to prepare."

09:12 AM

Revealed: the secret vaccines deal that gave Britain access to doses made in India

Ministers let AstraZeneca export UK-made Covid jabs to Australia in exchange for access to up to 10m doses produced in India, reports Harry Yorke, our Whitehall Editor:

In a move that is likely to intensify the vaccine row with the EU, multiple sources have said that the Anglo-Swedish firm was given dispensation to use its domestic manufacturing capacity to produce at least 717,000 jabs for one of Britain’s closest allies.

At least two deliveries were made to Australia in February and March - a period when Brussels had begun imposing vaccine export controls and demanding that the UK divert some of its supply to the bloc to make up for a shortall from AstraZeneca.

The Government has repeatedly rejected the requests, while the company’s British contract is said to contain clauses preventing it from shipping UK-manufactured doses to the EU.

However, despite the UK’s arrangements being steeped in secrecy, the Telegraph has been told that earlier this year AstraZeneca was granted permission to export to Australia.

In exchange, Britain gained access to up to 10 million doses produced by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and a producer of the AstraZeneca jab.

You can read the full story here.

Employees pack boxes containing vials of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine at the Serum Institute of India - Rafiq Maqbool /AP
Employees pack boxes containing vials of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine at the Serum Institute of India - Rafiq Maqbool /AP

08:54 AM

Russia reports 8,697 new Covid cases

Russia has reported 8,697 new Covid-19 cases, including 2,699 in Moscow, taking the official national tally since the pandemic began to 4,823,255.

The government coronavirus task force said 342 people had died of coronavirus-linked causes in the past 24 hours, pushing Russia's death toll to 110,862.

The federal statistics agency has kept a separate count and reported a toll of more than 225,000 from April 2020 to February.

According to Reuters calculations based on data from the state statistics agency published on Friday, Russia recorded more than 400,000 excess deaths from April 2020 to March 2021.

08:25 AM

Prince Charles personally intervened to start India oxygen fundraiser

Prince Charles personally intervened to set up a fund to supply oxygen to Covid patients in India as the British Indian diaspora called for international support to address the deepening crisis.

The Prince of Wales, founder of the British Asian Trust, encouraged the foundation to set up the ‘Oxygen for India’ appeal which has raised more than £1.5 million since its launch on Monday, The Telegraph can reveal.

"He was on the phone over the weekend inspiring us and encouraging us to launch an appeal to see how we can help. I think he was one of our first donors," said Manoj Badale, chairman of the British Asian Trust.

You can read the full story here from Maighna Nanu.

The Prince of Wales, founder of the British Asian Trust, encouraged the appeal  - Chris Jackson /Getty Images
The Prince of Wales, founder of the British Asian Trust, encouraged the appeal - Chris Jackson /Getty Images

08:09 AM

We will not unlock faster, says Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab has warned a "careful" approach to easing restrictions is still required during the "last lap" against coronavirus.

The Foreign Secretary told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I know that people are hankering to go a bit faster but actually we feel vindicated at taking steady steps out of the lockdown is the smart way to go.

"We're very close now to really turning the corner and I think we still need to be careful to go as I said we don't want to see the gains lost and the sacrifices that have been made undone.

"By the time we get to June 21 almost all social restrictions will be lifted, so there's only a little bit more time to go but it's right we do that in a careful way.

"I do think we just need to make sure that in the last lap, if you like, that we are careful and we don't lose the gains we've made."

07:59 AM

India's Covid disaster is harrowing proof that none of us is safe until we all are

The emergence of India's own variant poses an exponential threat to our global response, writes Dolar Popat:

India's giant second wave is a disaster, not just for the country but the whole world. It is a reminder to us all that this pandemic is relentless and knows no bounds.

It has been deeply distressing to see the world's largest vaccine producer struggle so severely.

With daily rates exceeding 350,000, the deadly second wave caught India off guard, particularly for such a vast country with deep embedded complexities.

The harrowing scenes of hospitals full to the brim, people struggling to secure oxygen and the pressures on crematoriums were very hard to acknowledge. But the recent outbreak is not just India's problem.

An immediate consequence has been a sharp disruption to the global supply of vaccines - even for us.

You can read his full piece here.

A worker takes a break at a mass cremation site in Delhi  - Getty Images
A worker takes a break at a mass cremation site in Delhi - Getty Images

07:44 AM

Vaccinations for secondary school pupils 'up in the air'

It is "very much an open question" whether secondary school pupils will need to be vaccinated from September, an expert has said.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, was asked by Times Radio if there was a "need" for the plans reportedly being drawn up by the NHS.

"We don't know the answer to that yet, so this is very much still up in the air," Professor Finn said.

"I think it's very much an open question at this point," he added.

The paediatrician said there were "no definite plans" to begin vaccinating children aged 12 and up from the start of the next school year.

However, he said the first children to be vaccinated if the plans did proceed would be those "at risk" due to health problems.

07:33 AM

Home testing could soon replace the 10-day Covid self-isolation rule

The 10-day "stay at home" rule for people contacted by NHS Test and Trace could soon be lifted if a major new government trial proves daily coronavirus tests are a suitable alternative.

Under current rules, contacts of people who test positive for Covid-19 have to self-isolate for 10 days, but people will instead be given a week's worth of tests to carry on with their lives as normal.

The major new study involving 40,000 people will see adults offered the chance to avoid quarantine every day if they produce a negative morning test.

The move marks the first steps to see if Britain's testing capacity can ease strict quarantine rules, and would remove the threat of fines starting at £1,000 for leaving the home.

You can read the full story here from Steve Bird

06:56 AM

Another state imposes lockdown as India's cases continue to rise

India's new coronavirus cases dipped marginally on Sunday but deaths due to the infection jumped by a record 3,689, with one more state going into lockdown as the nation's creaky healthcare system is unable to cope with a massive caseload.

Authorities reported 392,488 new cases in the previous 24 hours to push total cases to 19.56 million. So far, the virus has killed 215,542 people.

The eastern state of Odisha became the latest to announce a two-week lockdown, joining Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telengana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, have either imposed night curfews or weekend lockdowns.

Burning pyres of the victims who died of Covid-19 coronavirus are pictured at an open air crematorium at a defunct granite quarry on the outskirts of Bangalore  - AFP
Burning pyres of the victims who died of Covid-19 coronavirus are pictured at an open air crematorium at a defunct granite quarry on the outskirts of Bangalore - AFP

05:55 AM

Cambodia reports daily record of 730 new cases

Cambodia reported a daily record of 730 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, as the country struggles to contain a wave of infections that emerged about two months ago.

The Southeast Asian nation has recorded one of the world's smallest caseloads, but the recent outbreak that was first detected in late February has caused infections to climb to 14,520, with 103 deaths.

The capital Phnom Penh, which has the most cases in the country, is under lockdown until May 5 and has declared some districts "red zones", banning people from leaving their homes except for medical reasons.

People wait to get tested inside a red zone in Phnom Penh - Reuters
People wait to get tested inside a red zone in Phnom Penh - Reuters

04:59 AM

Vaccine campaign begins amid virus surge in Syria

A Covid-19 vaccine campaign kicked off in Syria's last rebel-held enclave on Saturday, with a 45-year-old frontline nurse becoming the first to receive a UN-secured jab.

Nizar Fattouh, a nurse in Ibn Sina Hospital in Idlib city, received one of 53,800 AstraZeneca vaccines delivered to northwest Syria through Turkey on April 21.

The vaccines come amid a new surge of infections in the war-torn country. Syria's supplies of oxygen are depleted and its hospitals were already overwhelmed from 10 years of conflict and deteriorating health care services.

Idlib health official Yasser Najib said the jabs were provided through the UN-led COVAX programme for the world's poor and developing nations.

04:12 AM

Thailand reports second day of record-high virus deaths

Thailand's Health Ministry on Sunday reported 1,940 new coronavirus cases, while deaths hit 21 for a second day, the highest daily number of fatalities since the pandemic began.

Thailand largely controlled the virus early in the pandemic through shutdowns and strict border controls. But a deadly third wave that begin in early April includes the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant and has accounted for about half of its total cases and deaths.

Sunday's numbers brought the country's total confirmed infections since the pandemic began last year to 68,984. Total deaths are now at 245.

Thailand has vaccinated nearly 1.5 million people so far, mostly medical workers and vulnerable people, using imported doses of China's Sinovac and the AstraZeneca vaccines. A mass vaccination programme is to kick off in June with locally manufactured AstraZeneca doses.

A cleaner wearing personal protective equipment disinfects Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok - AFP
A cleaner wearing personal protective equipment disinfects Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok - AFP

02:08 AM

Secondary school pupils 'to be offered vaccinations from September'

Secondary school pupils will reportedly be offered Covid-19 vaccinations from September under plans being developed by the NHS.

Health service officials are compiling planning documents which include a measure to offer a single dose of the Pfizer jab to children aged 12 and older when the new school year starts, according to The Sunday Times.

Pfizer has said trials of its vaccine in children aged 12 to 15 showed 100 per cent efficacy and a strong immune response.

The plans, which the Times said it had confirmed with Government and NHS sources, are contingent on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation due this summer.

01:32 AM

Taiwan's first batch of aid leaves for India

Taiwan's first batch of aid to India to help it fight a surging increase in infections left for New Delhi on Sunday, consisting of 150 oxygen concentrators and 500 oxygen cylinders, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said.

Countries around the world have been rushing to help India alleviate the crisis. India recorded more than 400,000 new cases for the first time on Saturday as it battles a devastating second wave.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the aid consignment left on a China Airlines freighter on Sunday morning and would be received by India's Red Cross.

Taiwan will continue to provide aid as needed, it added.

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01:10 AM

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  • ‘Children of the Enemy’ Review: Fighting for the Children of ISIS Fighters

    Whenever we see them, the seven contested children at the heart of Gorki Glaser-Müller’s taut, highly emotive “Children of the Enemy” have their eyes blurred over, to help protect their identities. It’s a strangely reassuring element in a film that at certain moments may be watched through nail-bitten fingers: If the seven grandkids of Patricio […]

  • UN calls for return to democracy in Myanmar, end to violence

    The U.N. Security Council on Friday again demanded the restoration of democracy in Myanmar and the release of all detainees including Aung San Suu Kyi and strongly backed calls by Southeast Asian nations for an immediate cessation of violence and talks as a first step toward a solution following the Feb. 1 military coup. The council’s press statement followed a briefing by the top U.N. envoy that the strong, united demand for democracy by the people of Myanmar who have been protesting since the coup has created “unexpected difficulties” for military leaders in consolidating power and risks bringing the administration of the nation to a standstill. Christine Schraner Burgener said in remarks to the closed council meeting obtained by The Associated Press that her discussions in the region “compounded” her concern that the situation in Myanmar is deteriorating in all areas.

  • More than two dozen candidates vie for House seat in Texas special election

    It's the first hotly contested special election of President Joe Biden's term, with polls set to close in North Texas at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET.

  • Jaycee Horn traded football in the suburbs for inner-city Atlanta. He’s tough by choice

    As the son of an NFL player, Jaycee Horn grew up in a nice suburb north of Atlanta. But that wasn’t the football experience Joe Horn wanted for his young son.