Coronavirus latest news: New ‘triple mutant’ variant under investigation in Yorkshire

• Analysis: UK scientists uncertain if Indian variant is more transmissible

• Boris is fighting a lonely battle with his scientists over lockdown

• Wedding plans face more upheaval as limits on guests stay

• Half of clinically vulnerable still shielding amid ‘harmful fear-mongering’

• Doctors hit back at NHS bosses over face-to-face appointments

Health officials are investigating a so-called “triple mutant” coronavirus variant in Yorkshire, but have told the public “please don’t be alarmed”.

So far just 49 cases of the strain, named VUI-21MAY-01 or AV.1, have been recorded mostly in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Public Health England has said there is no evidence to suggest it is any more transmissible than other variants, nor that it causes more severe disease or makes vaccines less effective.

The new variant has a “strange combination of mutations” and has been classified as a variant under investigation with extra testing and tracing being carried out.

Downing Street said this lunchtime that the variant is being monitored and stressed “we won’t hesitate to put in measures that we think are necessary to try and tackle the transmission of any variants”.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted he “can’t see anything” to suggest the country would have to deviate from the June 21 lifting of all restrictions in England. He also ruled out introducing vaccine passports for pubs, despite a Government adviser suggesting the Indian variant is a “major issue” and “may well delay” the roadmap.

​​Follow the latest updates below.

05:49 PM

Coronavirus around the world, in pictures

05:32 PM

Dispatch: Climbers party on Everest despite ‘daily evacuations’ as Covid cases surge

Generous measures of alcohol were poured out as the largely Western revellers excitedly swapped stories, some breaking into dance as music blared from a set of portable speakers, write Joe Wallen and Ramu Sapkota.

Few would deny that Everest Base Camp is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the world to party. Yet this year’s climbing season, like last year’s, threatens to be overshadowed by controversy.

Just metres away from Sunday evening’s merrymakers were tens of Nepali Sherpas, usually employed as guides, porters, cooks, and cleaners, isolating alone in their tents after developing Covid-19 symptoms.

The devastating second wave of coronavirus that first engulfed neighbouring India has now spread to Nepal, where the health system is crumbling under surging infections and deaths.

The spread of the virus has now reached the remote Everest Base Camp as mountaineers, mainly from the West, are accused of bypassing quarantine and testing rules on arrival.

• Read the full dispatch from Nepal here

05:13 PM

PM: World needs a military-style collective defence against health threats

Boris Johnson has said the world needs to establish a “collective defence against future health threats, much as we have against military threats”, Sarah Newey reports from our Global Health Security team.

At Friday’s EU Global Health Summit, the Prime Minister urged nations to come together to “summon the spirit that forged cooperation in the aftermath of the Second World War” to establish a global treaty on pandemic preparedness and strengthen the World Health Organization.

Mr Johnson also outlined the UK’s plan to establish global zoonotic research hubs, “so we can identify dangerous pathogens likely to jump from animal to human, from dogs to mules to human beings, to go back to the Iliad, or from bats to pangolins and so on”.

He added: “And harnessing the power of genomics surveillance, in which the UK has been leading the way, we need an early warning system for new Covid variants and new emerging diseases.”

05:01 PM

After queues chaos, Heathrow to open terminal for ‘red list’ arrivals only

Heathrow Airport will open a separate hall for arrivals from red-listed countries from June 1.

Terminal 3, which has been closed since last year, will host only travellers landing directly from these ‘high-risk’ nations; all of whom will be required to enter hotel quarantine for 10 days.

The Home Office has been urging airports to prevent red list arrivals from mixing with passengers from other lower risk destinations for more than a month, as they face queues of up to six hours in arrival halls.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Friday that “it is a matter for the airports to ensure provisions are in place.”

It comes as summer holiday destinations including Spain, France, Italy and Greece are reportedly unlikely to make the UK’s green list at next month’s ‘traffic lights’ review.

Spain, meanwhile, has announced that it will welcome British holidaymakers from Monday, with no negative PCR test or vaccination certificate required (see video below and 9.43am).

04:45 PM

Analysis: UK scientists uncertain if Indian variant is more transmissible

The Indian variant may not be more transmissible, scientists have told the Government, but warned it was better to “over-react” than risk a third wave, Sarah Knapton writes.

In documents published by the Scientific Advisory Group for the Emergencies (Sage) on Friday, experts from a consortium of seven universities said the mutated virus appeared to be spreading 40 per cent more quickly than the Kent variant.

However, they said that they could not “conclude with any certainty” that it was because the variant was biologically more transmissible, rather than being caused by mixing patterns in certain areas, or superspreader events.

That said, the Joint Universities Pandemic and Epidemiological Research Group said: “The risk of over-reacting is small compared to the potential benefit of delaying the third wave.”

• Our science editor looks at the latest data on the Indian variant

04:37 PM

Pullovers and pints: get ready for the great British recovery

The mini-boom since shops re-opened in Britain provides some genuine hope that there may be some life left in the high street yet, writes our chief city commentator Ben Marlow.

• The prospect of a big economic rebound must now be nailed on

04:22 PM

Now Dr Anthony Fauci knows what it’s like getting the giggles on Zoom

It’s an all too familiar situation: stuck on a work Zoom call (or similar) in lockdown, trying to stay professional but unable to shake the giggles.

The White House’s top infection disease adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, is the latest to face the laughter dilemma.

While on a video call discussing US government officials teaming up with dating apps to incentivise lovers to get vaccinated, the topic of conversation amused Dr Fauci, and now Twitter is laughing too. Give it a watch:

• Read more: Downing Street’s plan to make Covid vaccinations seem sexy

04:10 PM

What are UK’s coronavirus case rates looking like?

Coronavirus case rates continue to decline – and the impact of vaccines is shown in the very low levels of hospitalisations and deaths.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 97 (31 per cent) have seen a rise in rates, 202 (64 per cent) have seen a fall and 16 are unchanged.

Bolton in Greater Manchester is highest, followed by Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire and Bedford – all hotspots for the Indian variant. At the other end of the scale, England’s lowest rates are in Eastbourne, Tewkesbury and Hastings.

However, the Office for National Statistics has warned there are “early signs” of a potential rise in the proportion of people testing positive in England,

“Although we have seen an early indication of a potential increase in England, rates remain low and it is too soon to say if this is the start of a trend,” Sarah Crofts, of the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey, said.

Public Health England on Thursday said the latest weekly data showed 3,424 cases of the B1617.2 mutation – an increase of 161 per cent from the 1,313 the previous week – with “clusters of cases” across the country.

04:01 PM

Boris Johnson: Global Covid response as disunited as Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad

Rather bucking the norm in speeches at the European Commission’s Global Health Summit today, Boris Johnson kicked off with a comparison between the coronavirus crisis and a plague almost 3000 years ago. It’s quite the comparison, so we’ll include the full extract here:

03:40 PM

Sweat-sniffer dogs make Thai debut as Covid detectors

Thailand on Friday deployed dogs trained to detect coronavirus infections by sniffing samples of human sweat, as the country deals with a spike in infections, including many without symptoms of the virus.

Three of six trained Labradors made their debut at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University after trials that the project leader said had shown a success rate of about 95 per cent, with about 2,000 samples sniffed this month.

“The canines are very fast at screening,” said co-researcher Thitiwat Sirprasart. “At this pace, we are able to isolate those whom we suspect are infected from those who are virus-free.”

The dogs are not required to smell the humans directly. Sweat samples are collected from humans and stored in small metal containers for the dogs to inspect one-by-one.

When a suspected infection is found, the dog halts and directs its nose at the sample. “The distinctive scent is what would appear after there is an infection.

Different kinds of viruses will produce different kinds of scent,” said co-researcher Pattama Torvorapanit. The project’s directors hope the dogs will be used at airports or boat piers and say they are more effective than temperature checks.

03:23 PM

Here’s what we know about the new so-called ‘Yorkshire variant’ – and why not to worry

People have been advised “please don’t be alarmed” after a new coronavirus variant was identified in the Yorkshire region.

Dr Kevin Smith, of Public Health England, said that people should not panic, but that people should continue to follow social distancing, handwashing and mask-wearing guidance.

“We have identified a cluster of cases, mostly in Yorkshire, that have a series of mutations which is unusual and we are keeping an eye on that,” he said.

Greg Fell, director of public health in Sheffield, said his team had been monitoring the new strain – referred to as VUI-21MAY-01 or AV.1 – after Public Health England (PHE) announced 49 cases were identified, mostly in Yorkshire and the Humber region.

Mr Fell said in his statement: “We have been monitoring VUI-21MAY-01 and we’re managing this carefully as we do with all outbreaks across the city.

“There is no evidence to suggest this strain is any more transmissible than other strains identified in the UK and across the world, or to suggest the vaccine doesn’t work against this strain.

“Please don’t be alarmed, we want you to continue doing what you have been for the past year. Follow the guidance, continue to wash your hands regularly and wear a mask indoors.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There have been a number of variants throughout the pandemic and there will continue to be so.”

03:12 PM

Latest UK Covid figures are in

A further nine people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Friday, bringing the UK total to 127,710.

Government also show that, as of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 2,829 lab-confirmed cases in the UK, bringing the total to 4,457,923.

Up to May 20, of the 59,178,397 coronavirus vaccines given in the UK so far, 37,518,614 were first doses – a rise of 268,251 on the previous day.

Some 21,659,783 were second doses, an increase of 420,312.

02:42 PM

Britain’s recovery from Covid-19 is an opportunity to tackle another epidemic – smoking

As the country travels along its roadmap out of lockdown, the Government is making plans to tackle another epidemic – smoking.

This summer, the Government is due to update its Tobacco Control Plan, setting out how England will level up health outcomes and be smoke free by 2030 (‘smoke free’ meaning less than 1 in 20 adults smoke). But will the plan go far enough?

A truly game-changing agenda would include laws to reduce nicotine in cigarettes, impose much tighter restrictions on where tobacco can be sold, and introduce proposals for the first smoke-free generation by progressively raising the legal age for buying tobacco products.

The links between smoking and poor health were first identified in the 1950s, yet tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of deaths and disease in England. It’s responsible for over half a million hospital admissions and 70,000 deaths from conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease every year.

As with Covid-19, there are stark differences in ill-health caused by tobacco in different population groups. The latest data from 2019 show that while on average one in seven adults in England smoke, big differences exist: this figure is nearly one in four among routine and manual workers, and for adults with a severe mental illness it’s closer to one in two.

Adam Briggs and Louise Marshal have more detail on this.

02:35 PM

WHO: 99 people die from Covid every minute

Every minute 99 people are losing their life to Covid-19, according to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, as he urged wealthy countries to share vaccines to help end the pandemic.

“The future is measured by our actions today,” he told the Global Health Summit. “Yesterday alone, more than 17,000 people around the world lost their lives to Covid – 99 every single minute… people will continue to die as long as the global disparity in vaccines persists.”

He urged G20 countries to act around three areas:

1. End this pandemic through a combination of public health measures, the equitable distribution of vaccines and a fully funded Act Accelerator

2. Strengthen global health infrastructure, particularly through a new pandemic treaty

3. Improve access to health care more broadly by pursing a policy of universal health coverage

02:14 PM

Dispatch: Italy’s ski resorts emerge from lockdown hibernation

It may seem a little late in the day but after a season from hell in which they lost billions of euros in revenue, some Italian ski resorts will reopen on Saturday as the country further eases its coronavirus restrictions, writes The Telegraph’s Nick Squires in Rome.

Ski resorts have been closed since late last year and for most it will be too late – at such a late date, when most Italians are turning their thoughts to the beach, they will not have enough snow to attract skiers and snowboarders.

But a few resorts at higher levels are preparing to squeeze the last few weeks out of a season. Skiing on glaciers means that it is expected to continue into early June.

Italy has scrapped the five-day quarantine requirement for British visitors, as long as they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have a negative test. The downside is that Italy is still classified as amber by the UK so Britons have to quarantine when they return home.

Among the ski resorts that will reopen this weekend are Breuil-Cervinia and Passo dello Stelvio, both on the border with Switzerland.

For lower resorts, the government’s decision to allow ski lifts and cabins to open will at least encourage hikers, who use them to access high-level walking trails.

02:02 PM

Indian variant is a ‘major issue’, says government adviser

The Indian variant is a “major issue” and “may well delay” the June 21 grand reopening, a scientific adviser for the Government has warned.

Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits as a member on the Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said that while he “desperately” hopes the final unlocking of society can happen, the new variant is a concern.

“I think all of us are so anxious to get back to some sort of normal life, but I would say at the moment that we absolutely have to redouble the efforts to get everyone who is eligible for a vaccine vaccinated,” he told BBC’s Radio 4 Today.

“I think just looking at the rate of rise of the Indian variant, I personally would feel very concerned that this is going to become quite a major issue over the next few weeks and that may well delay the further opening up.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier he sees no reason to delay England’s roadmap out of lockdown so far, with the data looking positive.

So what do you think?

01:46 PM

Europe to invest 1bn in boosting Africa’s vaccine production

‘Team Europe’ is developing a partnership with African partners to boost vaccine production across the continent, Ursula von der Leyen has announced.

Speaking at a Global Health Summit, the European Commission president said Africa is too reliant on vaccine exports, suggesting that preventing further health crises means building capacity worldwide.

“Today Africa imports 99 per cent of its vaccines, and this has to change,” she said. “Therefore team Europe is launching an initiative with African partners to develop vaccine production in Africa.

“The initiative will develop a number of regional hubs, distributed across the continent, and it will draw on the full toolbox of Team Europe including 1 billion of investment.”

01:19 PM

England’s R number slightly increases

The R number – the number of people a Covid-positive person infects – has risen slightly in England, Government figures show.

It is now between 0.9 to 1.1, but last week was between 0.8 and 1.1. When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow and when below 1, the epidemic is shrinking.

An R number between between 0.9 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 11 other people.

Separate figures from Sage show the growth rate is between minus 2 per cent and plus 1 per cent for England. It means that the number of new infections could be broadly flat, shrinking by up to 2 per cent every day, or growing by up to 1 per cent every day.

Meanwhile, Covid infections have risen by more than 25 per cent in Scotland during the past week and the R number “now might be slightly above 1 again”, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

She said although cases and hospitalisations remain low and the vaccination programme is going “extremely well”, less than half of the adult population has had both doses.

01:01 PM

IMF seeks to end pandemic with 40 per cent of all countries jabbed this year

The International Monetary Fund has unveiled a $50 billion (£35.2bn) proposal to end the coronavirus pandemic by vaccinating at least 40 per cent of the population in all countries by the end of this year and at least 60 per cent by the first half of 2022.

Doing so, IMF officials say, would inject the equivalent of $9 trillion into the global economy by 2025 due to a faster resumption of economic activity, with rich countries potentially benefiting the most.

The crisis has killed more than 3.5 million people across the world, and projections point to highly unequal health prospects well into 2022, which poses “severe risks for the world,” the IMF said.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told a health summit hosted by the European Commission and G20 major economies that it made sense for rich economies to boost donations to ensure a faster end to the pandemic.

“Advanced economies – asked to contribute most to this effort – would likely see the highest return on public investment in modern history, capturing 40 per cent of the GDP gains and roughly $1 trillion in additional tax revenues,” she said in her prepared remarks.

12:46 PM

The Indian variant is now the ‘April variant’, says Nicola Sturgeon

Most people know it by now as the “Indian variant”, the scientists know it as B.1.617.2, but for Nicola Sturgeon it is henceforth neither.

The Scottish First Minister told a coronavirus briefing this lunchtime, “from now on, I will refer to that variant as the April-02 variant”, despite then calling it the Indian variant in the same briefing.

According to the Sun’s Chris Musson, SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said there is “a reason why we are calling it the April 02” variant, adding: “I think it’s … important for us not to allow this virus to divide us as communities and people”.

12:33 PM

Boris is fighting a lonely battle against his own officials to reopen Britain

This time the PM’s instinct to be optimistic may win out, but he lacks the tools to overrule the scientists, writes our columnist Fraser Nelson.

• The big question: How many restrictions for variant threats that may never materialise?

12:18 PM

No plans for vaccine passports for pubs nor deviation from June 21 freedoms

Boris Johnson says no signs are forcing him to “deviate” from plans to scrap all coronavirus restrictions in England next month, and there is no need for so-called vaccine passports to be used to gain entry to pubs.

Speaking to broadcasters in Portsmouth this lunchtime, the Prime Minister said: “We will be letting everybody know exactly what sort of arrangements to expect for June 21.

“But what I can tell you, and just to stress that I am still seeing nothing in the data that leads me to think that we’re going to have to deviate from the road map – obviously we must remain cautious but I’m seeing nothing that makes me think we have to deviate.

“But on June 21 and vaccine certification – or Covid status certification I should say – people should bear in mind that I don’t see any prospect of certificates to go into pubs or anything else.”

Pressed on whether the public will continue to be asked to wear masks, Mr Johnson replied: “We will let people know as much as we possibly can by the end of the month about weddings, for instance.”

12:05 PM

Sturgeon: Glasgow hasn’t yet turned the corner and remains in tougher controls

Up to Scotland now, where Nicola Sturgeon has been delivering a briefing on the coronavirus situation just now.

Glasgow will remain at Level 3 of tougher lockdown restrictions for a further week before review, the First Minister has announced, making it the last area of Scotland to face tougher controls.

She told reporters there had been “extensive public health measures” deployed over the past 10 days to tackle a hotspot of the Indian variant in the city, including surge testing and vaccination.

But she warned, “despite all the efforts that have been made in the past 10 days, cases are still rising in Glasgow”, and authorities are “fairly certain” this increase is being driven by the Indian variant of the virus.

The number of cases per 100,000 population in the Glasgow City Council area had gone from 71 last week, to 112 cases now. “We don’t think we have turned the corner in Glasgow yet,” Ms Sturgeon said.

She announced that from midnight Moray will drop to Level 2, similar to England’s May 17 easing.

Ms Sturgeon ended her briefing with a “call to action”, urging Scots to be “very careful, whatever level your area is in”.

11:57 AM

No 10 ‘won’t hesitate to put in measures’ to control variant if needed

Downing Street said the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus in Yorkshire will continue to be monitored.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters this lunchtime: “There have been a number of variants throughout the pandemic and there will continue to be so.

“There are three mutations of the B1617 strain, as I think has been discussed previously, but as we do with all variants where we spot and identify them through our genomic sequencing programme, we will continue to monitor them and we will designate them as variants under investigation, and then variants of concern if we deem them to be of greater risk.

“But again, as you’ve seen throughout the pandemic, that’s what we’ve done and we won’t hesitate to put in measures that we think are necessary to try and tackle the transmission of any variants.”

Asked whether the discovery of the new variant would have an impact on the next stage of restrictions lifting on June 21, the spokesman said the five-week gap between measures relaxing would allow the variant to be monitored.

11:51 AM

No 10: Airports need to sort out ‘red list next to green list’ queues

Downing Street said it was up to airports to ensure those returning from “red-list” countries were separated from other travellers.

It follows reports from passengers of returning to Britain from “green-list” countries only to be stuck in an airport terminal queue alongside those from red nations, where the Covid situation is more risky.

Asked about whether No 10 thought airports were doing enough to keep travellers from red list destinations away from others in UK border queues, a the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We’ve asked airports to make sure there are mitigations in place to make sure people can socially distance and, where possible, to allow people from red list countries not to have to intermingle with those who have returned from amber or green-list countries.

“But it is a matter for the airports to ensure provisions are in place.”

11:44 AM

Bolton ‘could have been better protected’ from Covid surge, local leaders claim

Local leaders in Bolton say the area “could have been better protected” from the Indian variant if their concerns over vaccination coverage had been heeded sooner.

Councillors in the Greater Manchester town said they raised concerns over a lack of vaccine provision for some of the worst affected wards as early as February. Labour councillor Shamin Abdullan, who represents Rumworth – one of the particularly badly hit areas – told The Telegraph residents had been let down and “could have been better protected”.

“Bolton has been hammered for vaccine hesitancy. But the frontline staff have been working day and night to vaccinate as many people as possible,” she said.

“We knew there were issues with vaccine coverage in our ward from day one. We just weren’t heard.”

• Jordan Kelly-Linden has more on Bolton’s hopes and fears

11:30 AM

Vaccine pharma firms pledge billions of jabs amid shortages in global south

Covid vaccine makers Pfizer and BionTech have pledged to deliver 1 billion doses of their Covid-19 vaccine to poorer nations this year and another 1 billion next year.

“Pfizer and BioNTech are pledging to provide 2 billion doses of our Covid-19 vaccines to middle- and low-income countries over the next 18 months,” Albert Bourla told a global health summit.

He added that middle income countries will pay roughly half the price of wealthy nations, while low income countries will be offered the jab at cost.

Meanwhile Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said the company had two priorities: to vaccinate the planet and adapt vaccines to tackle variants. The firm is pledging 100 million doses for less developed nations.

“We will not all be safe until everybody is protected across the world, so the virus has less opportunity to mutate,” he added.

And Johnson & Johnson has committed to providing a further 200 million doses for the Covax global vaccine sharing scheme.

11:16 AM

UK’s global pandemic partnership plan ‘ambitious but possible’, says Sir Patrick Vallance

The UK’s plan to develop an internationally Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (see 8.14am) is “ambitious but possible”, according to the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser.

Speaking at the Global Health Summit on Friday Sir Patrick Vallance said Britain is developing the initiative, in consultation with industry, academics and global health leaders, to present to the G7 in Cornwall next month.

“It requires certain things to happen: it requires an arsenal to be prepared during normal times, it requires rules of the road to be in place so we’re not inventing them during a pandemic, and it requires many of the things that are exceptional during a pandemic, to become routine in between times,” he told the summit.

He added that the regulatory system needs to be more “straightforward” around testing, while clinical trials need to be conducted with “simplified rules” in palace to avoid a fragmented response with thousands of inconclusive small studies.

• Sarah Newey has a full write-up on plans to prevent the next pandemic

11:05 AM

What’s the latest on the Indian variant in the UK?

The UK has recorded more than 3,400 cases of the Indian variant, according to the latest Public Health England figures, but vaccines appear to be working and hospitalisations and deaths remain very low.

That is why Downing Street is upbeat about England’s roadmap out of lockdown remaining on track.

However, surge vaccines and surge testing have been rolled out in several hotspots, including Bolton in Greater Manchester, where they appear to be working:

Here are the other areas that have seen a concentration of fast-growing B.1.617.2 infections:

10:45 AM

Both doses of vaccine prevent up to 90pc of Covid infections

Having both doses of vaccines prevents 90 per cent of symptomatic infections, the first real-world data from Public Health England shows.

A fortnight after the first dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, the chance of getting symptomatic Covid fell by nearly 60 per cent, with a second dose bringing this up to 90 per cent.

Ministers said the findings showed the “incredible impact” of Britain’s vaccine rollout, as the programme accelerated.

Those aged 30 and over look set to be offered jabs next week, with hopes that those in their early 20s could be reached in the first weeks of June.

• Our health editor Laura Donnelly has more on this optimistic news

10:30 AM

‘Quite a few’ countries on cusp of green list, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson has privately told MPs “quite a few” countries are on the cusp of joining the green list for quarantine-free holidays at the beginning of next month.

The Prime Minister and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, gave the upbeat assessment at a meeting of the 1922 Conservative backbench committee in advance of the review of which amber countries will join the green list in the first week of June.

The frontrunners are likely to be destinations that The Telegraph understands were “near misses” in the current green list, which is limited to just 12 countries and territories including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel.

The borderline countries were Malta, Grenada, Cayman Islands, Fiji, British Virgin Islands, Finland and Caribbean islands thought to include Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla.

• Charles Hymas has more on this story

10:16 AM

EU to donate at least 100 million vaccines to poorer nations this year

The European Union intends to donate at least 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to poorer nations by the end of this year, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

10:03 AM

Pictured: Coronavirus around the world

09:46 AM

Norway to further ease Covid-19 restrictions from May 27, PM says

Norway will take the next major step in unwinding coronavirus restrictions on May 27, allowing larger groups of people to meet and the public serving of alcohol until midnight, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Friday.

“This means that we can advance the work of getting Norway back up to speed,” Solberg told a news conference.

The government last month said the second phase of a four-step plan to unwind the lockdown would likely begin in late May.

Local restrictions will however in some places remain tougher than the national rules to prevent regional flare-ups of the virus.

The country has had some of Europe’s lowest rates of infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic, but tightened measures after a rapid increase in hospitalisations in March triggered by more contagious variants of the coronavirus.

Since then, rates of new infections have declined steadily, raising hopes that the third wave of infections has been brought under control.

09:37 AM

US state offers $400,000 lottery prize for getting vaccine

Any resident in the USA state of Maryland who gets vaccinated against Covid-19 is eligible to receive a lottery prize of up to $400,000 (£281,000), the governor announced Thursday.

The Maryland Lottery $2 Million VaxCash Promotion is part of a major push to get Marylanders vaccinated against the virus.

Every day for 40 days starting Tuesday, May 25, the Maryland Lottery will give away a $40,000 prize to someone who was vaccinated.

There will be a final drawing for a $400,000 winner on July 4. A total of $2 million will be given away, with funds coming from the lottery’s marketing budget, Gov. Larry Hogan said.

09:27 AM

Spain working with EU to extend Covid passport outside the bloc

Spain is working with the European Commission to extend the European Union Covid-19 travel card outside the bloc, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Friday.

A pilot project trialling the pass will soon be widened to test with airport operator AENA and other partners, she added.

09:17 AM

Fatal black fungus stalks India’s Covid-19 wards

Coronavirus patient Parvesh Dubey died within just one week of contracting black fungus – the latest victim of a horrifying Covid-19 complication sweeping India.

Thousands have developed the fungus in recent weeks in a wave of infections blamed on excessive use of steroids to treat the country’s millions of Covid patients, experts say.

Mucormycosis, as it is scientifically known, is highly aggressive and surgeons sometimes have to remove patients’ eyes, nose and jaw to stop it reaching the brain.

The death rate is over 50 percent.

India normally deals with fewer than 20 black fungus cases a year but now there are several thousand across the country including more than 2,000 in Maharashtra state, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai.

At least nine Indian states have declared the problem an epidemic. The cities of New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bangalore have opened special wards.

09:08 AM

Canine coronavirus strain found among pneumonia patients in 2017

A new type of coronavirus believed to have originated in dogs was detected among patients hospitalised with pneumonia in 2017-2018, a study has found.

It may be the eighth unique coronavirus known to cause disease in humans if it is confirmed as a pathogen, the report said.

Publishing their findings in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal on Thursday, researchers said their findings underscored the public health threat of animal coronaviruses.

Researchers said they had tested nasal swab samples taken from 301 pneumonia patients at a hospital in the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Eight of the samples, mostly from children under five years old, came back positive for a canine coronavirus.

Further genomic sequencing found that the new strain, named CCoV-HuPn-2018, shared characteristics of other coronaviruses known to have infected cats and pigs but was mostly similar to one that is known to have infected dogs.

09:03 AM

Covid-19 death tolls are likely a ‘significantly undercount’, WHO says

At least two or three times as many people as reported have probably died due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO has registered 3.4 million Covid deaths, but the true figure could actually be more than 10 million, the organisation said.

Based on excess mortality figures from 2020 alone, the WHO estimates that 3 million people died just last year, 1.8 million more than the 1.2 million reported.

The WHO estimated the figures as part of its World Health Statistics Report 2021, which also highlights the “major threats” to population health and wellbeing posed by the pandemic in both the short and long term.

08:59 AM

Half of clinically vulnerable are still shielding

Half of the clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) population in England said they were continuing to shield despite Government advice that they no longer needed to, new figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that 50 per cent of people in the CEV group reported continuing to shield when asked between April 26 and May 1.

But the ONS also found that 84 per cent of CEV people said they were aware that Government advice to shield had paused, the ONS added.

The ONS also found that two-thirds (67 per cent) of CEV people had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.

08:56 AM

EU to take no decision on lifting travel restrictions for UK tourists for 10 days

The EU won’t take a decision on whether to lift coronavirus travel restrictions on UK tourists for up to 10 days, a senior EU diplomat said, James Crisp reports.

It was expected that Brussels would put the UK on its travel “white list” today but, amid fears of a spread in the Indian variant, the decision was not taken.

Sources said the reason for delaying the decision was that new criteria for the list had to be approved and implemented by authorities in EU countries.

A senior EU diplomat said: “So it’s not a delay, we have to work through these decisions, implement them at the national, regional level, and then we can take the formal decision to change this and apply this.

“This is not a delay but this is normal, I think we need 10 days to work this through.”

08:48 AM

Thailand reports first cases of Indian variant

Thailand has detected its first 15 domestically transmitted cases of the highly infectious Covid-19 variant first found in India, the country’s coronavirus taskforce said on Friday.

The 15 cases were discovered among construction workers in Bangkok.

Those were among 3,481 new cases and 32 new deaths announced on Friday, bringing the total to 123,066 cases and 735 fatalities overall.

08:46 AM

‘Goodbye masks’ – Hungary to lift most coronavirus restrictions, says PM

Hungary will lift most of the nation’s remaining coronavirus restrictions including a night-time curfew, as soon as the number of those vaccinated reaches five million this weekend, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Orban told state radio that masks would no longer need to be worn in public, and gatherings of up to 500 people could be held in the open air, with events in closed spaces open to though to people with vaccination cards.

“This means we have defeated the third wave of the pandemic,” Orban said, adding that the time has come to say “goodbye to masks” in public places.

Hungary is the only EU country to have approved and used Russian and Chinese vaccines in large quantities before the European Medicines Agency has examined or approved them.

08:43 AM

Spain to admit travellers from UK and Japan without a PCR test from May 24

Spain will allow travellers from Britain and Japan into the country without a negative PCR test for Covid-19 from May 24, according to an order published in the state gazette on Friday.

UK restrictions still require travellers returning to Britain from Spain to isolate upon arrival.

08:42 AM

Public can be trusted to self-isolate after visiting amber country, says minister

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said he thought “a lot of” the public could be trusted to self-isolate after visiting a country on the Government’s “amber list”.

But he stressed that “amber is a no” in terms of going on holiday.

Asked whether the Government had the resources to check up on those returning from amber-listed destinations, Mr Buckland told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “The police are working hard on it, we’ve got extra people employed to literally knock doors as well to make sure that self-isolation is being adhered to.

“I absolutely accept this is a big job. I think a lot of people can be relied upon to do the right thing when they come back and self-isolate.

“I think we’ve got to keep on repeating those messages: green is go, enjoy yourself. Amber is a no.”

08:31 AM

Scotland imposes local lockdown in East Renfrewshire

Moving East Renfrewshire back up to Level 3 of coronavirus restrictions could help get the surge in cases under control quicker despite being “painful” for the community, a public health expert has said.

The area has now overtaken Glasgow as Scotland’s Covid hotspot as case rates rocket, though it remains in Level 2 while the city is in Level 3.

The Scottish Government is expected to announce later on Friday whether there will be any changes to the current restrictions and what it will mean for East Renfrewshire and Glasgow, and also Moray which is the only other area currently in Level 3.

Professor Devi Sridhar, of the University of Edinburgh, said while it is a tough trade-off, bringing in restrictions sooner rather than later could mean they do not have to drag on into the summer.

She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “East Renfrewshire, I’m not sure what will be decided, I think we should remember that it’s data that should be driving this, not dates.

“While it is painful to move backwards we’ve seen for example in Moray that actually that early action in holding it brought the numbers down so it can be released earlier.

07:47 AM

Very sick Covid patients in Africa more likely to die, report shows, amid fears of new surge

Stretched resources have had a dire impact on Africa’s coronavirus death toll, with the mortality rate among hospitalised patients roughly 20 percentage points higher than any other region of the world.

According to research published in The Lancet, almost half of critically ill patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 died within 30 days – compared to a global average of around 32 per cent.

The study, which included data from 64 hospitals in 10 countries, is the first to offer a detailed picture of the death toll inside Africa’s critical care units.

It comes amid growing fears that a shortage of vaccines has left the continent vulnerable to a surge of Covid-19, particularly from the B.1.617.2 variant first identified in India.

Professor Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, warned on Thursday that new waves of Covid-19 pose a threat for places still unprotected by vaccines.

“We could see Africa, some of the African cities, hit with a resurgence,” she told an Imperial College London virtual event. “There’s a lot of traffic back and forth between India and Africa.”

Sarah Newey and Jennifer Rigby have more details here.

07:39 AM

Minister would be ‘minded’ to keep wearing face mask if he had a cold

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said he would be minded to keep wearing a face covering in public if he was suffering with a cold, even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

He told Sky News: “I think that whatever the regulations might be, and clearly as we come out of this Covid period all of us want to see an end to the use of regulations so we can live our lives as we would want to live, there will be a certain sense I think for a lot of us to carry on wearing masks.

“I for one, if I’ve got a cold or a minor ailment, I think wearing a mask is going to be the right thing to do because I don’t want to spread my cold to somebody else.

“If I’ve got a runny nose and I’m still able to get out there and work, I think wearing a mask is not a bad idea if we can reduce the spread of even the common cold.”

He said “caution has been the watchword” when it comes to lifting restrictions, and that June 21 remained the “at the earliest” date for scrapping all measures.

07:14 AM

PM backs plan for global pandemic ‘radar’ to track new infections

Boris Johnson has pledged Britain’s support for a new global surveillance network to spot emerging diseases before they can cause fresh pandemics.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is leading work to develop the “global pandemic radar” to monitor and track new infections and variants.

The UK and the British-based Wellcome Trust are among the nations and other organisations supporting the initiative.

Speaking ahead of a global health summit hosted by Italy and the EU on Friday, Mr Johnson said ensuring the world was better prepared for future health threats was an “absolute priority” for the UK’s G7 presidency.

“The world must never be caught unawares again by a virus spreading among us unchecked,” he said.

“We need to build a system of disease surveillance fit for the 21st century, with real-time data-sharing and rapid genomic sequencing and response.

“A global pandemic radar will ensure that we are vigilant to new variants and emerging pathogens, and can rapidly develop the vaccines and treatments needed to stop them in their tracks.”

06:38 AM

Online-only retailers biggest winners from pandemic

The retail data showed online-only retailers have been the biggest winners from the pandemic, according to the ONS, with sales up 56% when compared with April 2019.

But continued working from home and hybrid working, alongside reduced travel, saw petrol stations suffer, with sales down 13.3% compared with two years ago.

06:26 AM

Spending soars in British shops in April

The amount of money spent by shoppers in stores across Great Britain soared 9.2% in April compared with March as lockdown restrictions eased and non-essential retailers welcomed back customers, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Compared with April last year – during the first national lockdown – sales were up 43% and up 9.9% compared with the last month of trading before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country.

06:00 AM

Today’s front page

Here is your Daily Telegraph on Friday, May 21.

05:54 AM

Hungary to lift most remaining curbs, PM Orban says

Hungary will lift most remaining Covid-19 curbs, including a night-time curfew, as soon as the number of those vaccinated reaches a milestone of 5 million this weekend, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told radio on Friday.

Mr Orban said masks would no longer be needed in public places, and gatherings of up to 500 people can be held in the open air. Also allowed will be weddings with up to 200 people in attendance.

05:19 AM

Japan approves more vaccines as state of emergency set to widen

Japan is set to expand a state of emergency to cover the southern island of Okinawa on Friday, just as it approved two more novel coronavirus vaccines to speed up its lagging inoculation campaign.

After health regulators’ green light a day earlier, the government said it approved vaccines developed by Moderna and AstraZeneca, which will join that developed by Pfizer in a vaccination drive that began in mid-February.

Local media reported that the government was unlikely to use the AstraZeneca shots for the time being due to concerns over blood clots. Japan has arranged to buy 120 million doses of the British-Swedish drugmaker’s vaccine.

Japan has so far vaccinated just 4.1 million of its population, according to Reuters’ global tracker, the slowest rate among the world’s larger, rich countries.

04:50 AM

Just 15 positive tests among thousands who flocked to events

Just 15 people among the 58,000 who took part in government-run trials for reopening large events tested positive for Covid, The Telegraph can reveal.

The trials included the FA Cup final and a semi-final at Wembley, the Brit Awards at the O2 arena in London and DJ sets at the Circus nightclub in Liverpool.

The low rate of infection seen during the Events Research Programme has delighted officials and raised hopes that mass events can safely reopen this summer. The final touches are being made to a report making recommendations, expected to be handed to Boris Johnson within days.

Read the full story

04:33 AM

South Korea approves Moderna vaccine

South Korea on Friday approved Moderna’s vaccine, as the country attempts to speed up its inoculation efforts, drug safety minister Kim Gang-lip told a news conference.

The green light comes after two of three expert panels recommended approval be granted for the two-dose vaccine based on safety and efficacy in late-stage trials in the United States.

Moderna is the fourth vaccine to be approved in South Korea, following doses developed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, said Kim.

Moderna has a deal with South Korea to supply 40 million doses of its vaccine, although the shipment timeline is yet to be announced.

04:02 AM

Very sick Covid patients in Africa more likely to die, report shows

Stretched resources have had a dire impact on Africa’s coronavirus death toll, with the mortality rate among hospitalised patients roughly 20 percentage points higher than any other region of the world.

According to research published in The Lancet, almost half of critically ill patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 died within 30 days – compared to a global average of around 32 per cent.

The study, which included data from 64 hospitals in 10 countries, is the first to offer a detailed picture of the death toll inside Africa’s critical care units. It comes amid growing fears that a shortage of vaccines has left the continent vulnerable to a surge of Covid-19, particularly from the B.1.617.2 variant first identified in India.

Read the full story

02:29 AM

IOC veteran Pound says Tokyo Games ‘a go’

The International Olympic Committee’s longest serving member assured on Thursday that the Tokyo Games are “a go”, as IOC officials huddled with local organisers for online talks.

Japanese public sentiment is against the mega event, with polls showing a majority in the country want the Olympics delayed further or altogether cancelled.

Organisers have outlined extensive virus countermeasures to keep the Olympics safe, including barring overseas fans for the first time ever.

12:49 AM

Argentina to tighten lockdown as pandemic rages, sources say

Argentina will tighten pandemic lockdown measures to combat a severe second wave in the country, government sources said on Thursday, underscoring concern as daily cases and deaths have broken records over the last week.

The national government has decided that it is necessary to strengthen controls, one government source said, to prevent infections and stop the circulation of the virus. Intensive care units are filling up in regions around the country.

Argentina posted 35,884 new cases on Thursday after hitting a record high 39,652 on Wednesday. Total infections number some 3.45 million, which puts the country ahead of hard-hit Brazil on a per capita basis. There have been 72,699 confirmed deaths.

12:08 AM

Today’s top stories

• Doctors have mounted a backlash against orders to see patients face-to-face, with their union passing a vote of no confidence in NHS leaders.

• Wedding plans are set to be thrown into more uncertainty on Monday, with Boris Johnson expected not to announce an easing of restrictions as originally planned.

• Boris Johnson has privately told MPs “quite a few” countries are on the cusp of joining the green list for quarantine-free holidays at the beginning of next month.

• Just 15 people among the 58,000 who took part in government-run trials for reopening large events tested positive for Covid, The Telegraph can reveal.

• Having both doses of vaccines prevents 90 per cent of symptomatic infections, the first real-world data from Public Health England (PHE) shows.

• Bolton has seen a spike in Covid vaccine uptake among the under-50s, enabling the local authority to catch up with the rest of England amid concerns over the Indian variant.

• The number of offenders escaping prosecutions increased by 18 per cent during the pandemic as police sought to ease the pressure on courts, official figures have revealed.