COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 17th June 2020.

The UK added 1,115 cases today and now has reported a total of 299,251 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 140,359 tests yesterday. 5,308 people are in hospital, down from 6,123 this time last week. 379 people are using a mechanical ventilator, down from 494 on 9th June. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 184 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 42,153 official losses of life in all settings.

England 157,797 / 37,692

Northern Ireland 4,862 / 542

Scotland 15,712 / 2,453

Wales 14,922 / 1,466

Rep. Of Ireland 25,341 cases and 1,710 losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 8,323,028 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 447,960. Already 4,355,359 people have recovered.

"The world has now recorded more than 8 million cases of #COVID19.

In the first two months, 85,000 cases were reported. 

In the past two months 6 million cases have been reported."

Dr Tedros, Head of the WHO. 

Today's England briefing was with Tintin, or Oliver Dowden as he prefers to be called. He's the minister for digital, culture, media and sport, so that was today's focus. 

Premier League football is back today after 100 days pause, and negotiations mean 1/3 of matches will be on free-to-view TV.

Artists, performers and scientists are meeting over the next week to discuss ways we can bring back performing arts - theatres, live music, choirs etc. 

He is hoping that community sport will be able to resume in July. 

The English government will set up a COVID Summer School Food Fund to pay for lunch provision over the Summer holidays. Welsh and Scottish children's eligible parents will also receive vouchers, meals or bank transfers until children return to school. Northern Ireland haven't yet made a firm announcement.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 16th June 2020.

The UK added 1,279 cases today and now has reported a total of 298,136 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 113,107 tests yesterday. 5,254 people are in hospital, down from 6,282 this time last week. 385 people are being treated with a mechanical ventilator. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 233 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,969 losses of life in all settings.

England 157,545 / 37,524

Northern Ireland 4,854 / 541

Scotland 15,697 / 2,448

Wales 14,869 / 1,456

Rep. Of Ireland 25,334 (+13) cases and 1,709 (+3) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 8,183,815 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 441,180. Already 4,268,049 people have recovered.

"If we treat 8 patients in intensive care with this drug, we'll save 1 life, and the total cost of treating all 8 patients is only about £40. This is really remarkable." 

Professor Peter W Horby, University of Oxford. UK RECOVERY Trial leader.

Boris has announced that school meal vouchers/free lunches in England will continue for all eligible children throughout the Summer. This is in direct response to a campaign by 22 year old Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford. Nice one Marcus. 

European countries are beginning to open borders, and have removed quarantine requirements for some countries. The UK have been excluded from this pretty much universally. I wouldn't want to go to any country which just let people from the UK step off a plane right now. Being brutal. 

How are you getting on? How is your mental health doing? The UK has been on lockdown now since 23rd March, it's been 12 weeks, and we don't yet have a clear end in sight, so it's certainly not the most comfortable position to be in. 

This week is Loneliness Awareness Week. You don't have to be by yourself to be lonely. Right now we all miss those people who fill our lives. We all miss our mates and our family. We miss the school run and seeing other adults in the playground. We even miss going out to work. We miss a stroll to the corner shop, waving hiya to everyone we meet, or hanging out at the park. We miss people. 

Shielded people may feel you have lost 3 months, and if you live alone or have spent a lot of that time alone, especially if you usually go out most days for work or any other reason, that will have felt an especially long time, unable to escape from your own home. 

One of my younger boys has struggled the past few days - that's why this post is a day late. He needed me yesterday. He was due to go back to school for 2 days this week, but the number of cases in our area is too high, and it's been put back until next week. He is feeling it. He misses his friends. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 15th June 2020.

The UK added 1,056 cases today and now has reported a total of 296,857 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 93,163 tests yesterday. 395 people are in critical care, down from 556 on 5th June. We have 5,507 people in hospital, down from 6,826 last week. (Today's numbers will be affected by weekend reporting, so are artificially low, but still show important progress week on week.)

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 38 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,736 losses of life in all settings.

England 157,293 / 37,299

Northern Ireland 4,852 / 541

Scotland 15,687 / 2,448

Wales 14,804 / 1,448

Rep. Of Ireland 25,321 (+18) cases and 1,706 losses of life. (No deaths in the whole of Ireland were reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 8,058,676 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 436,996. Already 4,164,472 people have recovered.

Shops reopened in England today (it was Northern Ireland's turn on Friday), and they must have been giving away gold bars with every purchase, judging by the photos of scrums and queues outside Nike, Primani, Bicester Village etc etc. We are not alone. There were also massive queues of people when they reopened in Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and pretty much any country you care to mention. It seems the world revolves on shopping. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 13th /14th June 2020.

The UK added 1,514 cases today and now has reported a total of 295,889 positive cases of COVID-19. It's only around 100 cases less than last week, which isn't as quick of a fall as you'd hope really - however it is still a drop. 

We completed 144,865 tests yesterday and in total we've reported completing 6,772,602 tests. The only countries that have tested more are the USA, Russia and China. Not testing enough at the start inevitably leads to more cases overall, and far more testing overall. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 36 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,698 losses of life in all settings, with a positive test result before the person succumbs. .

England 157,074 / 37,266

Northern Ireland 4,848 / 541

Scotland 15,755 / 2,447

Wales 14,742 / 1,444

Rep. Of Ireland 25,303 (+8) cases and 1,706 (+1) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 7,929,659 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 433,602. Already 4,076,120 people have recovered.

There has been a lot of speculation about the possibility of different strains of Covid-19 with slightly different features. A not yet peer reviewed study has found that in lab experiments, a specific coronavirus mutation allows it to infect more cells. If this variant causes greater infectivity in people, it could explain differences in severity of outbreaks.

The patient who has spent the longest time recovering in a US hospital, 70 year old Michael Flor, has had his bill. He spent 62 days in hospital, and the fee is a whopping $1,122,501.04. He is insured, but crikey it makes you appreciate the NHS, and just how expensive private healthcare is. 

A team from University of Manchester are investigating the effects of COVID-19 on hearing. Many diseases can cause hearing loss, and the team have identified 5 patients so far who have reported hearing problems, as well as having anecdotal evidence from COVID-19 doctors. It's unknown as to whether this is something we just haven't spotted yet (as it's not 'urgent' care) and more people will come forward over time, or if it's just random and coincidental. 

We've worked with Learning Resources a few times now, and a couple of weeks ago they sent us the GeoSafari Vega 360 Telescope to review. This is a very portable refractor telescope with a tripod stand, and magnifications of up to 20x 40x and 80x. Ideal for stargazing, bird-watching and just looking at the distant horizon... 

Inside the box everything is really neatly packaged, with minimal plastic. It's a really sturdy set of boxes and great for storage or transportation. 

There is some simple assembly required, which my 10 and 11 year old boys managed between them (after putting the telescope on backwards at first). 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 12th June 2020.

The UK added 1,541 cases today and now has reported a total of 292,950 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 193,253 tests yesterday.

The number of people in hospital is down to 5,607 (from 7,036 this time last week). The number of people on a ventilator is down to 392 (from 571 this time last week). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 202 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,481 losses of life in all settings.

England 156,410 / 37,069

Northern Ireland 4,838 / 538

Scotland 15,709 / 2,439

Wales 14,658 / 1,435

Rep. Of Ireland 25,250 (+13) cases and 1,705 (+3) losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 7,668,683 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 425,803. Already 3,884,232 people have recovered.

Figures today released by the official SAGE indicate the R value is likely to be 1 or over in the South West of England. Over the whole UK, the figure remains somewhere between 0.7-0.9, but in England alone it's between 0.8-1.0. 

When the reproductive rate is 1, it means 1 case passes to 1 more person, passes to 1 more person etc and COVID-19 would continue forever with the same number of cases at any time.

Over 1 and it means some people are managing to infect more than 1 other person, so numbers are going up. The higher the number, the more quickly this is happening, and the more cause for alarm.

Under 1 and cases will be going down - the further below 1, the more quickly this is happening. 

Regional coronavirus R numbers are:

SW 0.8 - 1.1

London 0.8 - 1.0

Midlands 0.8 - 1.0

NW 0.8 - 1.0

SE 0.8 - 1.0

NE & Yorks 0.7 - 1.0

EofE 0.7 - 0.9

The number of cases of COVID is still the most important factor to look at, and remember, the less cases you have, the less reliable the R number is as a guide. If Northern Ireland had 50 new cases one week and only 25 the next, their R would be 0.5, but that's not an entirely realistic picture, because there's too much random chance involved. If England had 10,000 cases one week and 5,000 the next, it's still an R of 0.5, but a much clearer improvement. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 11th June 2020.

The UK added 1,266 cases today and now has reported a total of 291,409 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 197,007 tests yesterday. 440 people are in hospital on a ventilator, down from 604 at the same time last week. (That's a more reassuring set of figures than yesterday's!). 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 151 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,279 losses of life in all settings.

England 156,018 / 36,883

Northern Ireland 4,822 / 537

Scotland 15,682 / 2,434

Wales 14,581 / 1,425

Rep. Of Ireland 25,238 (+7) cases and 1,703 (+8) losses of life. Those are harsh figures today. 

There have now been a total of 7,536,419 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 421,244. Already 3,819,891 people have recovered.

Today's UK briefing was with Matt Hancock, who reminded us not to hold protests with more than 5 other people, and maintain social distancing. 

He also told us about Test and Trace:

"Participation with the NHS Test and Trace is your civic duty." 

....along with Baroness Dido Harding - who is in charge of the whole Test and Trace shebang, and not a singer who once worked with Eminem.

From 28th May to 3rd June:

8,117 people who tested positive were referred to Test and Trace. (People in care homes, who work in hospital, or are relatives who catch it together etc. obviously don't always need to be referred). 

5,407 (67%) were able to be contacted and asked to provide contacts. 

31,794 recent contacts were identified. 

26,985 of those contacts were able to be contacted and agreed to self-isolate. 85%. Nice one. 

The only way this works is if we all work together. 4,807 didn't confirm they'd self-isolate. Some were not able to be contacted, some just didn't make it clear, but a minority don't want to self-isolate. We need to address the reasons why, and how we can make it possible for people. If they keep going out, we'll never get rid of this thing. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 10th June 2020.

The UK added 1,003 cases today and now has reported a total of 290,143 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 170,379 tests yesterday.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 245 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 41,128 losses of life in all settings.

England 155,714 / 36,750

Northern Ireland 4,818 / 537

Scotland 15,665 / 2,422

Wales 14,518 / 1,419

Rep. Of Ireland 25,231 cases and 1,696 losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 7,389,282 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 415,819. Already 3,643,469 people have recovered.

"The idea that there is some option that's completely safe and it's all fine is clearly not true, and I don't believe that anyone listening to (reading) this thinks that's an option..." 

"...There are no risk free options available to us."

Chris Whitty. 

Today scientists worldwide take a break for #blacklivesmatter and #shutdownSTEM, to reflect and take action on systemic inequalities in science. In support I've not included any scientific studies in today's report. (Unless you count economics as a social science.)

When Balmonds got in touch about their Intensive Hand Cream, I recognised them immediately. They used to be called Skin Salvation and have rebranded with the name of founder Natalie Balmond, who created the product for her daughter. 

My partner has had eczema on his leg since he was a child, and one of the few things he's ever found that helps is Balmonds' Skin Salvation ointment. Luckily it hasn't changed with the re-brand - even better, they've expanded their 100% natural, no sting range - and they've sent me 3 products to test - Skin Salvation Intensive Ointment, Rosehip Scar Oil and Intensive Hand Cream.

The Skin Salvation Intensive Ointment is in a 30ml tub and admittedly it isn't the prettiest colour (because of those natural ingredients - olive oil, beeswax, hemp, olive & safflower oils; plus herbal tinctures of chamomile, calendula, nettle and chickweed), but it's brilliant stuff. It moisturises really very well - and you only need a smear, so it lasts for ages. 

The ointment is suitable for sensitive skin and eczema, and any of those dry patches of skin which need a gentle touch. It's a tiny jar, ideal for a pocket or the bottom of your handbag - or in my partner's case, your bedside drawer.