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The first cases of the new B.1.1.529 Covid variant have been identified in the UK. Two people found to be infected with the Omicron variant are self-isolating, according to the health secretary, Sajid JavidTwo cases of Omicron Covid variant identified in UK Continue reading...

Analysis: From the red list to winter plan B, scientists consider what tools are best to counter B.1.1.529Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDespite the UK’s much-vaunted vaccination programme, and scientists’ ever-growing understanding of Covid-19, Britain and the rest of the world face the challenge of a new, potentially more transmissible variant just a month before Christmas.While Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced...

Analysis: scientists say high transmission rates mean caution is critical if people are to stay safeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs Christmas approached in 2020, it was not a Dickensian spirit but the spectre of Covid that haunted households up and down the UK.With cases soaring, government-approved plans to allow three households to mix for five days in England were scrapped within...

Analysis: likes of Slovakia and Austria have worse figures but UK’s have topped EU average for monthsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs Covid infection rates surged again across Europe, Boris Johnson spoke this week of “storm clouds gathering” over parts of the continent and said it was unclear when or how badly the latest wave would “wash up on our shores”.The situation...

Researchers said results highlight the need to continue with face coverings, social distancing and handwashing alongside vaccine programmesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, reducing incidence by 53%, the first global study of its kind shows.Vaccines are safe and effective and saving lives around the world. But most do not confer 100%...

UK-wide campaign will ask people to open their windows for 10 minutes every hour when they are socialisingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePeople are being urged to open their windows for 10 minutes every hour when they are socialising at home in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19 as winter approaches.Doctors and scientists are backing a government-funded campaign across all...

Senior scientists say problems at Immensa site show private firms should not be carrying out PCR testsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealth officials should have known about major failings at a private Covid testing lab within days of the problem arising, rather than taking weeks to shut down operations at the site, senior scientists say.About 43,000 people, mostly in south-west England, are...

Denial from Edward Argar comes as virologist warns UK daily case rate is already likely to be close to 100,000Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCurrent pressure on the NHS is “sustainable”, according to a health minister, who denied the government had a “plan C” that would ban the mixing of households at Christmas in England if cases continued to rise.Edward Argar told...

Early handling and belief in ‘herd immunity’ led to more deaths, Commons inquiry findsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic was one of the worst public health failures in UK history, with ministers and scientists taking a “fatalistic” approach that exacerbated the death toll, a landmark inquiry has found.“Groupthink”, evidence of British exceptionalism and a deliberately “slow...

Lingering quarantine rules anger would-be travellers from seven targeted countriesEngland’s decision to maintain strict Covid travel rules for seven South American and Caribbean countries has prompted further fury and confusion in the nations which remain on the “red list”.Ministers announced on Thursday that restrictions would be lifted for 47 countries – including Brazil, South Africa and Thailand – allowing travellers to enter England without...

Exclusive: Report from planning exercise in 2016 alerted government of need to stockpile PPE and set up contact tracing systemCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSenior health officials who war-gamed the impact of a coronavirus hitting the UK, warned four years before the onset of Covid-19 of the need for stockpiles of PPE, a computerised contact tracing system and screening for foreign travellers,...

Joe Biden has introduced a vaccine mandate affecting millions, but some countries have gone furtherCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFollowing the decision by the US president, Joe Biden, to introduce a vaccine mandate for millions of workers, and the UK government’s decision to row back on its push to require vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded events, where does the issue...

Outlining the government's winter Covid-19 plan, Boris Johnson said the government will 'will keep further measures in reserve. A plan B.' These measures include face masks, advice to work from home and vaccine passports, the prime minister said.Speaking at a No 10 press conference, Johnson added that 'it might still make the difference between keeping businesses open at full capacity or not' Continue reading...

Health secretary updates parliament on pandemic winter plans, including proposals for booster jabs for over-50s and the option for 12- to 15-year-olds to get the jab Continue reading...

Certification process will be required for nightclubs, mass events and large venues in England by the end of September, the vaccines minister has confirmed, saying that would allow businesses to stay open during the winter months if Covid-19 surges. Zahawi said the government wanted to 'make sure the whole economy remains open' through the autumn amid fears that a return to school could set off a...

Lee Cain says pandemic exposed a communications system ill equipped for the 21st centuryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson’s former director of communications has blamed a lack of expertise in Whitehall for the government’s struggle to get its message across in the early days of the Covid crisis.Lee Cain was a key adviser to Johnson, who boasted about shaking hands on...

UK health officials say no decision has been made yet as new school year in England loomsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNHS England has been told to prepare to administer Covid vaccinations to all children aged 12 and above, as vaccine advisers continue to consider whether to extend the programme, according to reports.The planned extension to the vaccination programme would coincide with...

Study paper says England’s progress to final ‘generated a significant risk to public health across the UK’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 9,000 Covid infections were linked to Euro 2020 football games monitored for the government’s mass events test scheme, and scientists have said the tournament generated “a significant risk to public health”.An analysis of the third and final stage of...

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to decide on Thursday which groups should get third shotCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s vaccine watchdog is to decide on Thursday which vulnerable groups will be given booster shots against coronavirus, but it is expected to rule out a general rollout of third jabs.Prof Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination...

Analysis: the end of restrictions in the UK has not led to a surge in cases, but coronavirus remains unpredictableCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThey are questions lurking in many people’s minds: just how upbeat or pessimistic should we be about the pandemic now? How does the UK compare with other countries? And is the worst of the crisis really over?Two weeks...

Fully vaccinated Britons will not have to quarantine on return from France and Spain for the next three weeks, bringing much needed business to the struggling tourism sector, according to the transport secretary.But Britons will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 'for evermore' in order to travel between countries, Grant Shapps has predicted, suggesting that quarantine restrictions for some arrivals in England will remain in...

Party islands Mykonos and Ios could be shut down as Delta variant infection rates surge among young peopleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGreece has begun deploying police units to holiday island hotspots as the country’s tourism season moves into high gear amid a worrying spread of coronavirus variants.Authorities moved to beef up police presence on party isles such as Mykonos and Ios...

Foreign secretary says government will not ‘hold country back’ because some are not getting vaccinatedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government is using the threat of domestic vaccine passports to coax and cajole people into getting double-jabbed, the foreign secretary has admitted.Dominic Raab said ministers did not want to “hold the country back” just because some individuals were not coming forward to...

Ministers to discuss plans, with talks also to determine if they will apply to England only or all UK nationsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePlans to significantly open up international travel are expected to be announced on Wednesday, with UK ministers poised to let people who have been fully vaccinated in the US and EU avoid quarantine if arriving from amber list...