Coronavirus latest news: People pinged by app are four times more likely to have Covid, study reveals
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WHO inquiry chief points finger at bat infection in Wuhan lab
Up to 11,800 people caught Covid in hospital during first wave
Scrap costly travel tests ‘or UK will fall further behind Europe’
People "pinged" by the NHS app in England and Wales are up to four times more likely to have Covid-19 than someone who is not, research suggests.
A survey of more than 750,000 Zoe Covid Symptom Study contributors found only 2.4pc of fully vaccinated participants who were pinged, but felt physically normal, went on to test positive.
However, those in the same group who had one or more coronavirus symptoms were 11.7 times more likely to test positive.
Overall, those who had been alerted to self-isolate by the app had between a 3.7 to 4.0 relative risk of having the virus.
People who reported being "pinged" by the Protect Scotland app were 10 times more likely to have Covid than someone who was not.
The research suggests a "large number" of people who are not infected are being asked to self-isolate in the UK after being alerted by tracing apps.
Additional symptom tracking and contact tracing apps could improve accuracy and avoid the need for low-risk individuals to self-isolate with Covid, the study suggests.
Follow the latest updates below.
06:21 AM
One in 10 patients 'had hospital-acquired Covid-19 infections in first wave'
More than one in 10 patients in the UK were infected with Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic while being treated in hospital in for another reason, research suggests.
Residential community care hospitals and mental health hospitals were found to have higher levels of hospital-acquired infections - at 61.9pc and 67.5pc respectively - compared with hospitals providing acute and general care (9.7pc) between March and August 2020.
The researchers said the reasons for variations between settings need to be urgently looked at so measures can be put in place to implement best practices to reduce infection.
Calum Semple, professor in child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and one of the authors of the research published in the Lancet, said: "The reasons for the variation between settings that provide the same type of care requires urgent investigation to identify and promote best infection control practice.
"Research has now been commissioned to find out what was done well and what lessons need to be learned to improve patient safety."
06:06 AM
Today's front page
Here is your Daily Telegraph for Friday, August 13.
05:58 AM
US approves third jab as delta takes hold
The United States has authorised an extra dose of Covid vaccine for people with weakened immune systems, as the country struggles to thwart the delta variant.
Emergency use authorisation for a third injection of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines was granted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulator.
The FDA said the additional dose was for solid organ transplant recipients or those with equivalent weakened immune systems.
05:45 AM
British Columbia mandates vaccines for care workers
British Columbia is mandating Covid vaccines for all staff working in long-term care homes and assisted living facilities, officials announced on Thursday, becoming one of the first Canadian provinces to do so to fight a rapid rise in cases.
Canadian provinces have resisted mandating vaccines for any population, but a burgeoning fourth wave is causing many business groups and professional associations to push for mandatory vaccinations as a way to avoid further lockdowns.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that the Government was considering mandating vaccines for federal employees.
Staff must be fully vaccinated by October 12 as a condition of employment, British Columbia health minister Adrian Dix said at a briefing on Thursday, pointing to an increase in the number of outbreaks in the long-term care system in recent weeks.
05:28 AM
Japan losing control of infections, warn experts
The Telegraph's Asia correspondent, Nicola Smith, says senior experts have warned the government that Japan is losing control of its Covid-19 crisis and surging infections are jeopardising the healthcare system:
"Infections are rampant to the point of being uncontrollable," said Dr Norio Ohmagari, director of the Disease Control and Prevention Centre and adviser to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. "The public health system is in a serious state of dysfunction."
Dr Shigeru Omi, a key medical adviser to Japan’s prime minister, described the current crisis as one of “natural disaster proportions” and cautioned that “if the infections continue to surge at the current pace, we won’t be able to save the lives that can be saved”, reported Japan Today.
He said daily activities must be reduced and the flow of people in the capital, Tokyo, cut in half to curb Japan’s biggest surge since the start of the pandemic. Nationwide new infections hit a high of 18,822 on Thursday.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been criticised for going ahead with the Olympic Games despite the growing emergency, but has denied the event lies behind the rapid spread of the virus.
05:13 AM
British Columbia mandates vaccines for care workers
British Columbia is mandating Covid vaccines for all staff working in long-term care homes and assisted living facilities, officials announced on Thursday, becoming one of the first Canadian provinces to do so to fight a rapid rise in cases.
Canadian provinces have resisted mandating vaccines for any population, but a burgeoning fourth wave is causing many business groups and professional associations to push for mandatory vaccinations as a way to avoid further lockdowns.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that the Government was considering mandating vaccines for federal employees.
Staff must be fully vaccinated by October 12 as a condition of employment, British Columbia health minister Adrian Dix said at a briefing on Thursday, pointing to an increase in the number of outbreaks in the long-term care system in recent weeks.
04:35 AM
Brazil reaches nearly 40,000 infections in a day
Brazil has recorded 39,982 new confirmed coronavirus cases in 24 hours, along with 1,148 deaths.
The country has registered more than 20 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 566,896, according to Health Ministry data.
04:13 AM
US cities mandate vaccine proof for indoors
At least three major American cities will require proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, gyms and other indoor venues, aiming to curb a new wave of Covid infections that has prompted public health mandates across the country.
San Francisco and New Orleans on Thursday joined New York in mandating proof of vaccination in indoor public spaces.
The vaccine mandates in the three liberal cities have come as schools in some conservative states are fighting to require masks - going against their Republican governors' orders.
03:20 AM
Record infection numbers for Mexico
Mexico has posted a record 24,975 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total number of cases to 3,045,571, according to health ministry data.
The figure is the highest daily total since the pandemic began, excluding statistical blips that health authorities said were caused by one-off adjustments to back data.
Mexico also reported 608 new fatalities on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll to 246,811.
02:05 AM
US shipping half a million vaccines to Caribbean
The United States has started shipping nearly 569,000 Pfizer Covid vaccine doses to member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the US State Department said on Thursday.
The shipments, part of a planned donation of 5.5 million doses to the 15-member group, would arrive at Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, and at Barbados on Friday.
The US government said it would buy 500 million Pfizer vaccines to distribute to 92 low and lower middle-income countries and the African Union.
01:07 AM
Israel looks to expand booster jab program
Israeli Health Ministry experts have recommended dropping from 60 to 50 the minimum age of eligibility for a Covid vaccine booster, hoping to curb a rise in delta variant infections.
The advisory panel's move, which followed a call by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to expand Israel's booster campaign, still has to be approved by the Health Ministry's director.
But at least two major health providers have already said they would begin on Friday to schedule appointments for people in the 50-59 age group to get a third dose of the Pfizer /BioNTech vaccine.
New infections have jumped in Israel - reaching 5,946 on Monday - and serious illnesses have been increasing.
Israelis aged 60 and up began receiving the booster two weeks ago, effectively turning Israel into a testing ground.
More than 700,000 seniors in Israel have received their third shot.
12:03 AM
Today's top stories
A Chinese scientist may have started the pandemic after being infected with coronavirus while collecting bat samples, the head of the World Health Organisation’s investigation has said
Up to 11,800 people caught Covid in British hospitals in the first virus wave last year, a major study has shown
Costly travel tests for holidaymakers need to be scrapped immediately or Britain risks falling further behind Europe, the country’s largest airport group has said
The number of people using the NHS Covid app is in rapid decline as people shun it following the "pingdemic" chaos earlier in the summer, according to official NHS figures
Rishi Sunak said on Thursday that there would be "absolutely no return to austerity" as he dismissed claims of tensions with Boris Johnson over future spending plans
Ambulance services have faced their busiest month on record, with more than one million 999 calls. Health chiefs said services were dealing with “pent-up demand” after the Covid lockdowns, with growing numbers reaching crisis point after waiting too long to get help
