Coronavirus live news: UK public to be offered antibody tests for first time

The Greek government has reiterated its pledge to avoid shuttering the economy again this autumn, saying it will instead seek to curb cases through the use of Covid passes for hospitality venues.

Unvaccinated people will be unable to sit indoors in venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, theatres and cinemas, while those who have been inoculated will be required to show proof of vaccination.

Appearing Skai TV on Saturday, government spokesman Yiannis Oikonomou said: “We are not done with the pandemic, it is persistent and is not backing down, contrary to the stubbornness of those who interpret things in their own way.”

“Either these people will be vaccinated, or they will get sick, endangering society in its entirety, including those who are already vaccinated, and that is unfair,” he said.

An announcement detailing further measures is expected on Tuesday.

Japan’s top coronavirus adviser has asked the government to call on doctors who have not been treating Covid patients to help tackle the wave of rapidly rising infections.

“We hope they will be involved as much as possible. We want the state and local governments to make strong requests,” Shigeru Omi said in televised comments, the Japan Times reports.

Meanwhile, economic revitalisation minister Yasutoshi Nishimura hinted that the government may introduce stricter coronavirus measures in a bid to stem the spread of infections.

“We took strong measures in spring last year and April and May this year. We need to consider (such steps) as an option,” Nishimura said.

It comes amid a proposal by the National Governors’ Association has to expand the coronavirus state of emergency, which covers 13 prefectures, and pre-emergency measures nationwide.

The emergency measures cover nearly 60% of Japan’s population and will run until 12 September.

Along with many other industries, ice-cream sellers made huge losses in 2020. From social media to eating competitions, Ellie Violet Bramley takes a look at some of the creative ideas UK ice-cream parlours and vans have been coming up with to helping to raise their fortunes:

Russia reported 20,564 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the national tally to 6,747,087.

Of this total, 1,661 were recorded in Moscow and 1,481 in St. Petersburg, according to Reuters.

A further 762 deaths of coronavirus patients had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, the Russian coronavirus task force said, taking the official death toll to 176,044.

A separate count by Rosstat, the government statistics agency, has tallied about 315,000 deaths related to Covid-19 between last April and June this year.

Calculations by Reuters based on the latest Rosstat data show that there have been around 463,000 excess deaths between April 2020 and June 2021. Some epidemiologists say excess deaths are the most accurate way to measure the pandemic’s real death toll.

Following two months of rising coronavirus cases, Thailand’s daily infections have begun to fall as the country registered a a 19-day low of 19,014 cases.

A further 233 deaths were also reported on Sunday, the Public Health Ministry said.

According to the Bangkok Post, the capital registered 71 deaths, while a further 83 were in its adjacent provinces.

It comes as the Department of Health recommended that 12 to 18-year-olds with underlying illnesses get vaccinated amid concern over rising infections in young people.

Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19, according to a statement Saturday.

Jackson, 79, has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and received his initial dose in January. He and his wife, 77, are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

“Doctors are currently monitoring the condition of both,” according to the statement from Jackson’s nonprofit, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. “There are no further updates at this time,” the statement said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”

Jackson was key in guiding the modern civil rights movement on numerous issues, including voting rights.

Hello and welcome to today’s global coronavirus coverage.

People in the UK will be able to receive Covid-19 antibody tests for the first time next week as part of a new government programme.

From Tuesday, anyone aged 18 or over in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, will be able to enrol to the programme when receiving a PCR test, Sky News reports. Up to 8,000 people will be able to take part in the scheme.

The results will be used to monitor antibody levels in coronavirus cases, with those who test positive sent two finger-prick antibody tests which measure their body’s response to different virus variants. The first should be taken immediately following a positive result, while the second should be 28 days later.

It will be the first time antibody tests have been offered to the general public, and comes amid discussions over the rollout of vaccine third doses in the UK. Some experts have said more time is needed to decided whether they are required.

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