Here are the key coronavirus updates from the last 24-hours

  • There have been no further deaths from coronavirus in the North-East and North Yorkshire. Latest figures published on Friday afternoon confirmed there had not been any deaths recorded at any of the eleven NHS trusts for the region.
  • The Government reported 41,358 people have died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus. This is an increase of 11 from the day before.
  • A further eight people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,452, NHS England announced. The patients were aged between 75 and 90 and all patients had known underlying health conditions. One other death was reported with no positive Covid-19 test result
  • A further 1,441 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK, taking the total to 316,367. Rates of people testing positive for Covid-19 in England still appear to be levelling off, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest. A spokesperson said: “There is some evidence of a increase in the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 in July, following a low point in June, this apears to have levelled off."
  • The Government has reached agreements it says will give British citizens early access to 90 million doses of two more potential Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccines are being developed by US biotech company Novavax and pharmaceutical business Janssen, which is headquartered in Belgium and owned by Johnson & Johnson. Under the in-principle agreements, the UK has secured 60 million doses of the Novavax vaccine, with it supporting a Phase 3 clinical trial with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
    Some 30 million doses have been secured from Janssen and ministers have agreed in principle to co-fund a global clinical study of its vaccine. The new agreements, on top of earlier deals, mean the UK now has access to six different Covid-19 vaccine candidates in development, across four different types, representing some 340 million doses.
     
  • Fresh coronavirus laws have been published which allow casinos, indoor skating rinks, indoor play areas, bowling alleys, conference centres and exhibition halls to open in England from Saturday

 

  • An estimated 28,300 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between August 3 and 9, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This was the equivalent of about 0.05% of the population, or one in 1,900 individuals. The estimate is unchanged from the previous week of July 27 to August 2. The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.