Coronavirus latest news: Working from home set to stay as Government has 'no intention' of forcing people back to offices
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Working from home is set to stay in the UK after a minister said the Government did not have any intention to make it compulsory to return to the office.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse said there will be a consultation on more flexible working going forward, adding: "This is a situation for employers and employees to discuss and negotiate themselves.
"I know there has been some media about this over the last two or three days, we don't have any intention to make it compulsory to return to the office.
"Our manifesto at the last election did contain a pledge to consult on more flexible working to allow people to work from home should they wish to, and we will be doing that later on this year."
Follow the latest updates below.
08:19 AM
Indian Delta variant only accounts for 6pc of cases in Germany
Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute in Germany said the Delta variant first identified in India makes up around 6 percent of the infection cases in the country.
In the UK, this figure is around 90 percent.
07:48 AM
Scotland fans defy pandemic warning
On Thursday, football fans who do not have tickets for Friday's England v Scotland game were urged to stay away amid the pandemic by Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor.
It appears that this advice has not been heeded.
07:32 AM
Wales will not follow suit on compulsory vaccines for care staff
The Welsh Government will not make it compulsory for care staff to have a Covid-19 vaccination, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
Mr Drakeford told Sky News: "We already have very high levels of take-up of the vaccination amongst care home staff and we've done that by persuasion and by conversation and voluntarily.
"Well over 90% of our care home staff have had a first dose and nearly 90% have had a second dose.
"So we're pressing ahead to try to make sure we have those remaining staff members offered the vaccine, taking up the vaccine, but if you can do it voluntarily then I think that is a much stronger basis from which to go on persuading people to do the right thing.
"I certainly think that they ought to, that's definitely our position here, but there is a very big step taken when you move into compulsion.
"Our belief is that actually it would undermine our programme in Wales, which has been the most successful in the United Kingdom, and has been done on the basis of people knowing that when they come forward for vaccination, they are helping themselves of course but they are helping everybody else as well.
"That sense of voluntary participation in the programme is very important to us and has been part of our success."
07:31 AM
All adults can book a vaccine from today
Here's an update from the Health Secretary:
07:20 AM
Drakeford stays on message - variant spread is 'concerning'
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has described the spread of the Delta variant, which accounts for more than four out of five new cases in Wales, as "concerning".
Mr Drakeford announced on Thursday evening that further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Wales would be delayed for four weeks due to the variant.
He told Sky News on Friday: "We now believe the new Delta variant is in every part of Wales and numbers are rising in the community, not just in specific settings.
"All of that means that we need to pause, to collect more data on the extent to which the new variant will lead to hospitalisations in Wales and to give us the opportunity to vaccinate over half a million more people in Wales, particularly with second doses, and that will rise the level of defence we have against this latest coronavirus threat."
07:16 AM
Drakeford refuses to commit to easing all restrictions in Wales on July 15
First Minister Mark Drakeford said the delay of the further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Wales would allow it to gather data on whether the spread of the Delta variant risked putting "unsustainable pressure" on the health service.
Asked why the decision had been made by BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Because the Delta variant is now in every part of Wales and because it is being transmitted at a community level, we need to pause the changes we had hoped to make in order for us to get better data on whether the number of people falling ill, and we know that number's going to go up in Wales, does that translate into additional and unsustainable pressure on the health service?"
He added: "Our scientists tell us another couple of weeks will give us that data and in the meantime we will be pressing ahead, vaccinating over half a million more people in these four weeks, building up our defences in that way."
Mr Drakeford was asked if he could commit to easing restrictions completely after July 15.
He replied: "I can't say that because I do not know and nobody else knows what the impact of the Delta variant will be by then."
Mr Drakeford said people in Wales are "absolutely not in lockdown" and "the vast bulk of freedoms are already restored".
07:03 AM
Almost 30,000 surgical patients caught Covid in hospital, with one in five dying
Nearly 30,000 surgical patients caught Covid in hospital, with one in five dying – a death rate 25 times higher than usual, new figures show.
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London and Swansea University found that among 2.6 million patients who underwent surgery last year, 28,777 were diagnosed with the virus during or immediately after their hospital stay, with 6,153 dying within 90 days.
The study found that 21.4 per cent of those who caught Covid died, compared to just 0.8 per cent of surgical patients who were not infected.
Patients undergoing elective surgery for conditions such as a knee replacement or a hernia who became infected were 25 times more likely to die.
06:57 AM
Working from home set to stay as government has 'no intention' of forcing return to offices
Policing minister Kit Malthouse said the Government did not have any intention to make it compulsory to return to the office, while there will be a consultation on more flexible working going forward.
"This is a situation for employers and employees to discuss and negotiate themselves," he told Sky News.
"I know there has been some media about this over the last two or three days, we don't have any intention to make it compulsory to return to the office.
"Our manifesto at the last election did contain a pledge to consult on more flexible working to allow people to work from home should they wish to, and we will be doing that later on this year."
06:51 AM
Academics call to end Covid testing in schools
Academics have called for the suspension of daily Covid-19 testing trials in schools amid a range of concerns including their effectiveness in picking up the virus.
In an open letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson they criticised the approach, branding it "deeply concerning" that daily testing trials are "being presented as a solution for educational disruption".
Currently around 200 schools and colleges across England are participating in a trial, with one group following the national guidance of quarantining contacts of positive cases, and the other allowing daily testing of contacts for a week instead of isolation.
As part of the trial rapid lateral flow tests are to be used each day, with participants also offered a PCR test - which involves sending results to a lab - on day two and seven.
But the letter, backed by 14 experts, lists ethical and scientific concerns, worries about the risks due to missed infections, and what they describe as a lack of robust mitigations in schools.
They voiced their concern that results from the trial in schools would be used as a basis for public health policy "given the assessment of risk of increased transmission arising from these trials is inadequate".
06:44 AM
Boris Johnson: 'Let's finish the job. Please get your jabs'
The Prime Minister has issued a plea to the nation on vaccines.
06:41 AM
Drakeford: 'We are once again facing a serious public health situation'
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "In the space of just a few short weeks, the Delta variant has entered Wales and quickly spread throughout the country. There is sustained and accelerating transmission, not just in north and south-east Wales but in all parts of Wales.
"It is now the most dominant variant in new cases in Wales. We are once again facing a serious public health situation.
"We have the lowest coronavirus rates in the UK and the highest vaccination rates for first doses. A four-week delay in relaxing restrictions could help to reduce the peak number of daily hospital admissions by up to half, at a time when the NHS is very busy supporting all our healthcare needs - not just treating coronavirus."
06:40 AM
Wales follows England by delaying easing lockdown restrictions
Wales is delaying further easing of coronavirus restrictions for four weeks after seeing a spike in cases of the Delta variant of the disease first identified in India.
First Minister for Wales Mark Drakeford will make the announcement on Friday and is expected to encourage people to go for their second doses of the vaccine.
The nation is aiming to roll out more than half a million doses over the next four weeks.
The change comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that the final stage of England's lockdown road map - which would have seen all restrictions lift and international travel resume on June 21 - would be delayed until July 19 due to a spike in cases.
Latest figures show there are nearly 490 cases of the Delta variant in Wales, while more than four out five new Covid-19 cases are the Delta variant, according to the Welsh Government.
Two-thirds of these are not linked to travel or contact with another case, it added.
06:27 AM
Fall in sales in May despite lockdown easing
Retailers saw a surprise fall in sales in May despite lockdowns easing, new data from the Office for National Statistics shows.
Retail sales dipped 0.8% by value, the data shows, driven by a 5.7% drop in food sales volumes.
It was a slowdown from the 9.2% jump between April and March which came as non-essential shops reopened in England and Wales on April 12 after months of closure. Scottish shops opened on April 28.
Analysts had expected a rise of 1.5%, according to a consensus compiled by Pantheon Macroeconomics.
06:21 AM
Today's front page
Here is your Daily Telegraph on Friday, Jun 18.
05:48 AM
Pandemic fails to halt march of desperate millions
Despite the pandemic, the number of people fleeing war and persecution continued to rise last year, with global displacement climbing to more than 82 million - double the figure a decade ago, the UN said Friday.
A fresh report from the UN refugee agency showed global displacement figures swelled by around three million in 2020 after an already record-breaking year in 2019, leaving a full one percent of humanity uprooted and displaced.
The report highlighted how drawn-out crises like those in Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen were continuing to force people to flee, while eruptions of violence in places like Ethiopia and Mozambique were causing surging displacement.
The fact that the numbers rose for the ninth straight year was all the more devastating because Covid-19 restrictions had been expected to limit displacement.
Read more: One in 95 people across the globe forced to flee their homes, say UN
05:27 AM
One in eight over-50s had operations cancelled last year
One in eight of all adults over 50 had an operation or hospital treatment cancelled last year, with cancer procedures among the most affected, a study has found.
For those suffering from two or more existing medical conditions, the rate rose to one in five.
Researchers at University College London (UCL) also found that diagnoses for arthritis, chronic lung disease, diabetes and hypertension increased in the second half of 2020. They said this could be a consequence of inactivity caused by lockdown.
Of the 623 adults in the survey who had had operations or treatments cancelled between March and December last year, nearly half were still waiting for their hospital appointment to be rescheduled in November and December.
04:51 AM
Corporate giants join vaccine drive ahead of Olympics
Japanese corporate giants are joining the nation's Covid-19 vaccination effort ahead of the Olympic Games as the government struggles to meet its inoculation targets amid fears of a resurgence of infections.
Thousands of corporations from Toyota Motor Corp to telecom and investing outfit SoftBank Group Corp are setting up clinics in a massive private-sector vaccination drive which will begin in earnest on Monday.
The campaign, launched with the government's backing, takes added urgency with the start of the Tokyo Olympics just over a month away and fears that the influx of visitors could cause a resurgence in infections.
So far, more than 2,300 companies have applied to open vaccination centres that will give shots to about 11 million people, mainly their employees, family members and nearby residents.
03:54 AM
US delivers million shots to Canada as part of global shipment
The White House will finish allocating 80 million American-made Covid-19 shots that it has pledged to ship abroad in the coming days, with shipments going out as soon as the countries are ready to receive them, a top US official said on Thursday.
The United States has already begun shipping doses, said White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later confirming that the US had delivered a million doses of Moderna to Canada.
The Biden administration earlier this month announced plans for how it will allocate 25 million shots and said it would allocate the remaining 55 million shots by the end of June.
The US has been increasing shipments abroad as it progresses quickly in its vaccination campaign for its own residents.
03:11 AM
Sydney told to mask up again in bid to contain cluster
Australia's New South Wales has made the wearing of masks mandatory on public transport in Sydney, as a cluster of the highly-infectious Delta variant expanded to a fourth person.
Authorities said all planned outdoor events with good Covid-19 safety plans can proceed in the country's largest city.
The latest cluster, the first in the state in more than a month, was traced back to a driver who occasionally used to transport overseas airline crew.
Health officials said the latest case likely picked up the virus through minimal contact with an infected person in a Sydney shopping centre.
02:47 AM
Taiwan billionaire to negotiate with China for vaccines
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Taiwan's Foxconn, asked for government permission on Friday to negotiate with a Chinese company for the purchase of BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccines to help address the island's shortage of shots.
The Taiwanese government's own deal with BioNTech fell through earlier this year, a problem Taiwan has blamed on pressure from Beijing.
China has denied the accusation, saying Taiwan is free to obtain the vaccines via Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd, which has a contract with BioNTech to sell the vaccines in Greater China, including Taiwan.
Taiwan's government says it has and will only deal with BioNTech in Germany and that it does not trust vaccines from China, but that it is also happy to facilitate Mr Gou's proposed purchase provided he can prove BioNTech has vaccines it is willing to sell to Taiwan.
01:53 AM
Boxing legends come together to promote 'best jab'
Some of the biggest names in boxing have come together to urge fans to get the Covid-19 vaccine, backing the biggest vaccination programme in our history.
In a new short film, Eddie Hearn, Ricky Hatton, Conor Benn, Terri Harper and Campbell Hatton reveal which current and former boxers have the best jab.
As everyone aged over 18 is invited for vaccines in England, stars encourage all eligible people to book their jab as soon as they can
Boxing legends Eddie Hearn, Ricky Hatton, Conor Benn, Terri Harper and Campbell Hatton have weighed in to encourage their fans to get Covid-19 vaccines, hailing them "the best jab" of 2021.
01:20 AM
World death toll tops four million amid vaccine shortage
Coronavirus-related deaths worldwide passed a grim milestone of four million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, as many countries struggle to procure enough vaccines to inoculate their populations.
While the number of new cases and deaths have abated in countries like the United States and Britain, several nations have vaccine shortages as the Delta variant becomes the dominant strain around the world.
It took over a year for the Covid-19 death toll to hit two million, while the next two million were recorded in just 166 days, according to a Reuters analysis.
The top five countries by total number of deaths – the United States, Brazil, India, Russia and Mexico – represent about 50 percent of all deaths in the world, while Peru, Hungary, Bosnia, the Czech Republic and Gibraltar have the highest death rates when adjusted for population.
12:50 AM
US invests billions to accelerate antiviral pill program
The United States is devoting $3.2 billion to speed development of antiviral pills to treat Covid-19 and other dangerous viruses that could turn into pandemics.
The new program will invest in "accelerating things that are already in progress" for Covid-19 but also would work to come up with treatments for other viruses, said Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. He announced the investment on Thursday at a White House briefing.
"There are few treatments that exist for many of the viruses that have pandemic potential," he said, including Ebola, dengue, West Nile and Middle East respiratory syndrome.
But he added, "vaccines clearly remain the centrepiece of our arsenal".
12:12 AM
Wales delays easing of restrictions for four weeks
Wales is delaying further easing of coronavirus restrictions for four weeks after seeing a spike in cases of the Delta variant of the disease first identified in India.
First Minister for Wales Mark Drakeford will make the announcement on Friday and is expected to encourage people to go for their second doses of the vaccine.
The nation is aiming to roll out more than half a million doses over the next four weeks.
The change comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that the final stage of England's lockdown road map - which would have seen all restrictions lift and international travel resume on June 21 - would be delayed until July 19 due to a spike in cases.
11:14 PM
Today's top stories
Covid testing in schools is hugely disruptive and should be suspended, experts have said, as it emerged that up to 60 per cent of "positive" tests a week are coming back negative when checked.
Boris Johnson is opposed to the scale of working from home seen during the pandemic becoming permanent, according to government sources.
The NHS is facing the "biggest pressure in its history" from a backlog potentially twice as big as previously feared, Matt Hancock has warned.
The recent Covid spike is already beginning to flatten, latest data show, as experts said Britain was experiencing a “mini wave” which was likely to peak within two weeks.
Everyone aged over 18 in the UK can now book in to get a Covid-19 vaccine, the NHS has announced as it races to boost uptake during the lockdown extension.
Covid-19 has reinfected nearly 16,000 people, Public Health England figures have shown for the first time.
