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Contact-tracing app to be piloted on Isle of Wight this week, Matt Hancock says ‘Huge enthusiasm’ on the island for scheme to help beat coronavirus, claims health secretaryA new contact tracing app for managing the coronavirus outbreak will be piloted on the Isle of Wight this week, Matt Hancock has confirmed.Having stopped trying to track every case back in March, when the virus began spreading freely in the population, the government is now recruiting what the health secretary called an “army” of human contact-tracers. Continue reading... Go to Source

‘The biggest shock was fresh air’: Italy begins cautious exit from virus lockdown As restrictions gradually ease and 4m people return to work, fear of coronavirus lingersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere were feelings of relief and trepidation as people in Italy returned to the streets after almost two months indoors under a strict lockdown. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus US live: Trump administration reportedly expects daily death toll to double in June Trump administration privately predicts major increaseSupreme court livestreams arguments for first time in historyUS cases at 1,157,875 according to Johns Hopkins dataMcConnell could yet pay price for ‘tone deaf’ responseLive global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGet a fresh perspective on America – sign up to our First Thing newsletter 6.37pm BSTThe Guardian’s Sam Levine reports:Texas attorney general Ken Paxton said Friday that fear of contracting Covid-19 was an “emotional condition,” and was an insufficient reason to request a mail-in ballot in his state. Related: Vote safely by mail in November? Not so fast, say Republicans 6.24pm BSTThe Whit...

Coronavirus live news: world leaders pledge $8bn to fight pandemic; Italy death toll 'far higher than reported' French hospital discovers Covid-19 case from December; cases in Germany likely to be 10 times higher than official count, say researchers; Japan extends state of emergency as global cases top 3.5mFull story: German cases ‘may be 10 times higher than official figures’Italy begins cautious exit from lockdownTrump predicts up to 100,000 US deathsUK coronavirus updates - liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 6.43pm BSTThe World Health Organization has stressed that contact-tracing apps and other technology cannot replace old-fashioned “boots-on-the-ground” surveillance measures as many countries begin easing lockdowns imposed to curb the coronavirus. “...

The inside story of the UK's NHS coronavirus ventilator challenge It all began with a woeful shortage of machines – and a desperate search to find firms to make themCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs realisation dawned that a full-blown coronavirus outbreak was inevitable, the government set British industry a seemingly impossible task.The NHS had about 8,000 ventilators available but the latest modelling, based on evidence from China, suggested that up to 30,000 would be needed, within a matter of weeks. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus plan for returning to work puts employees at risk, says TUC Exclusive: draft guidelines ‘vague, non-binding and can’t be supported in current form’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s trade union body has warned the government’s draft guidelines for getting employees back to work during the coronavirus crisis will put people’s health at risk and cannot be supported in their current form.Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), criticised the non-binding guidelines for letting employers decide what is safe when it comes to distance between workers, cleaning practices and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: cases in Germany likely to be 10 times higher than official count, say researchers Japan extends state of emergency as global cases top 3.5m; Trump claims vaccine will be found by end of year; Brazil passes 100,000 cases; New Zealand records no new cases for first timeTrump predicts up to 100,000 US deathsJapan extends state of emergencyUK coronavirus updates - liveCoronavirus latest: at a glanceSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.53pm BSTTwo US biotech companies have identified a drug candidate for treating Covid-19 and plan to begin human testing by the end of the year, the companies said on Monday. Vir Biotechnology Inc and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc said the therapy candidate makes use of RNA interference (RNAi) technology that targets and “silences&rdq...

Coronavirus US live: Trump says 'we may have to put out a fire' if second wave hits as deaths reach 67,000 US cases at 1,157,875 according to Johns Hopkins dataMitch McConnell could yet pay price for ‘tone deaf’ coronavirus responseGovernor slams ‘racism’ of Michigan lockdown protestLive global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGet a fresh perspective on America – sign up to our First Thing newsletter 12.51pm BSTIn the words of that meme with the dog with the coffee in the burning room, “this is fine”:“Concast” should open up a long overdue Florida Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough. I know him and Crazy Mika well, used them beautifully in the last Election, dumped them nicely, and will state on the record that he is &ldqu...

Male experts dominate UK news shows during coronavirus crisis Study shows imbalance of 2.7 men for every woman on radio and TV programmes in March Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAlmost three times as many male as female experts featured on the UK’s flagship TV and radio news programmes in March as the media focused on the political handling of the coronavirus outbreak across Britain.Research focused on the makeup of experts appearing on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, BBC News At Ten, ITV News at Ten, Kay Burley’s breakfast show on Sky News, Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News found an imbalance of 2.7 men for every female expert. Continue reading... Go to Source

Amlo’s coronavirus briefings rival Trump’s: ‘a spectacle without any value’ Like Trump, Mexican president’s press briefings focus as much on personal promotion as on offering information In the course of a two-and-a-half-hour press briefing, the president claimed the country had “flattened” its coronavirus curve (despite official figures showing a relentless rise in cases), he spent several minutes assailing a national newspaper for what he said was unfair coverage, and he defended his attempt to seize control of the budget.But the leader extemporizing in front of the cameras was not Donald Trump. It was Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose relish for encounters with the press rivals that of his US counterpart. Continue reading... ...

Coronavirus health passports for UK 'possible in months' Tech firm Onfido in talks with government about system to help Britons return to workCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTech firms are in talks with ministers about creating health passports to help Britons return safely to work using coronavirus testing and facial recognition.Facial biometrics could be used to help provide a digital certificate – sometimes known as an immunity passport – proving which workers have had Covid-19, as a possible way of easing the impact on the economy and businesses from ongoing physical distancing even after current lockdown measures are eased. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Happy hypoxia': unusual coronavirus effect baffles doctors Some patients who appear not in distress are found to have dangerously low oxygen levelsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt is a mystery that has left doctors questioning the basic tenets of biology: Covid-19 patients who are talking and apparently not in distress, but who have oxygen levels low enough to typically cause unconsciousness or even death.The phenomenon, known by some as “happy hypoxia” (some prefer the term “silent”) is raising questions about exactly how the virus attacks the lungs and whether there could be more effective ways of treating such patients. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live news: Mike Pompeo pushes virus lab theory as Brazil passes 100,000 cases Bolsonaro continues to stoke protests; Italy reports lowest deaths since lockdown began; France and UK trial tracing apps. Follow the latest updatesMike Pompeo: ‘enormous evidence’ coronavirus came from Chinese labBoris Johnson: it was 50-50 whether to put me on ventilatorAustralia coronavirus – live updatesCoronavirus latest: at a glanceSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.52am BSTThis is the setting for Tump’s Fox News town hall, by the way: I’m sorry, what? pic.twitter.com/dKvjfG8SMq 12.50am BSTPresident Trump is giving a sit-down interview with Fox news, and taking calls from viewers about the coronavirus.Asked about a Covid-19 vaccine, he says: “We are very c...

Covid-19 tracking app must satisfy human rights and data laws Legal report states that interference with users’ privacy will require ‘greater justification’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s plan to exit lockdown through a tracking app will need detailed justification to satisfy human rights and data protection laws, a report has warned.A centralised system for contact tracing, which it is thought the government may well choose, would result in “significantly greater interference with users’ privacy and require greater justification”, the report – given as a legal opinion – concludes. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sensor taps and no door handles: Covid-19 shows it's time to rethink public toilets Better building codes and some design innovation could greatly improve hygiene, experts saySign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsPublic health experts, designers and architects say the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed fundamental flaws in the design of public toilets that risk spreading a second wave of coronavirus, and possibly even new pandemics.The pandemic has sparked calls for the introduction of building codes and design innovation for all future structures to comply with infection control measures, with greater input from disease specialists in construction projects that often see the design stage as a ...