Coronavirus - 21st September 2021

Summary for Tuesday, 21st September

• US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci says the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should be accepted under new travel rules
  
• White House says a ban on UK and EU travellers will lift in early November
  
• Fully-jabbed passengers can enter the US if they take a Covid test before travelling
  
• But precise details are yet to be ironed out - including eligible vaccines
  
• Children struggling with mental health problems in the pandemic are facing "agonisingly long" waits for help
  
• One in five youngsters seen by services in England waited longer than 12 weeks, BBC finds
  
• Government borrowing falls as Covid curbs continue to ease in UK
  
• UK records 36,100 new Covid cases and 49 deaths within 28 days of a positive test on Monday
  
• The Dutch government said a vaccine ‘pass’ will be needed to use restaurant toilets.
  
• The leader of the Scottish Conservative party, Douglas Ross, called on the Scottish government to follow the rest of the UK and relax Covid travel restrictions.
  
• UK transport secretary Grant Shapps told MPs in parliament that the UK’s successful vaccination programme can be used to “restore lost freedoms”.
  
• US vet shops reported a shortage of ivermectin despite warnings against using it to treat Covid.
  
• Construction sites across the Australian state of Victoria are to close for at least two weeks following violence at anti-vaccine protests.
  
• Pfizer and BioNTech said trial results showed their Covid vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly.
  
• US President Joe Biden’s decision to lift travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers from the UK and most of the EU has been welcomed by the UK and airlines.
  The news comes, however, as America’s Covid death toll passes that of the devastating 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.
  

Good morning and welcome

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some of the headlines from the UK and around the world this Tuesday morning:

• Airlines say they have seen a surge in bookings for flights to the US following the announcement that a travel ban will end in early November
  
• The US is reopening to fully-vaccinated passengers from the UK, EU and other nations
  
• The move answers a major demand from European allies and will bring to an end a travel ban which has been in place since March 2020
  
• Children struggling with mental health problems during the pandemic are facing "agonisingly" long waits for treatment, a BBC investigation finds
  
• Government borrowing fell in August compared with last year as Covid restrictions continued to ease
  
• India will resume Covid vaccine exports from October, its health minister says
  
• The world's largest vaccine producer had halted exports in April to cater to domestic demand as infections shot up
  

US to ease travel ban on foreign passengers

More on our top story. The US is to ease its coronavirus travel restrictions, reopening to passengers from the UK, EU and other nations.
From November, foreign travellers will be allowed to fly into the US if they are fully vaccinated, and undergo testing and contact tracing.
The US has had tough restrictions on travel in place since they were brought in by President Donald Trump in March 2020.
The move answers a major demand from European allies, and means that families and friends separated by the restrictions can be reunited.
Under the new rules foreign travellers will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before flying, obtain a negative Covid-19 test result within three days of travelling, and provide their contact information.
But they will not be required to quarantine.
Officials say there will be some exceptions to the new policy, including for children who are not eligible to be vaccinated.

Explained: Can I go to the US now?

The White House announcement that it is ending the US travel ban on foreign visitors follows the UK’s own announcement that its international travel rules would change.
At present, only US citizens, residents and foreigners with special visas can enter the US from most European countries.
But from November, passengers can travel to the US from the UK and EU if they are fully vaccinated.
They will also need to take part in testing and contact tracing.
Meanwhile, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are scrapping a traffic light system, merging the green and amber lists while keeping the red list of countries on which strict travel restrictions will remain in place.
Here is a reminder of the latest travel rules.

Fauci: AstraZeneca jab should not be 'problem' for US travel

Dr Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, says it is his belief the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine should be accepted by the US under its new travel rules.
The American regulator does not currently recommend the vaccine for use in the US, but Dr Fauci says he knows there is a lot of data available on the jab.
Dr Fauci tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that without being definitive about it "I would predict that there will not be a problem there", although he says the final decision rests with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
He says given the fact the situation in the US is comparable with so many other countries, including the UK, the government wants to have a uniform policy of requiring vaccinations and testing.
"I think that makes things much less complicated and I believe it really is the kind of thing which would be acceptable to most countries," he says.
Dr Fauci also says that the sooner we get the world vaccinated the "greater the chance we will get of not allowing variants to emerge". He says it is less to do with travel and more to do with getting everyone vaccinated.

Children face 'agonising' waits for mental health care

Children struggling with mental health problems during the pandemic are facing "agonisingly" long waits for treatment, a BBC investigation finds.
Data from half of England's specialist child mental health services found one in five youngsters seen since Covid hit waited longer than 12 weeks for care.
The numbers still waiting also appear to be rising sharply.
Doctors said services were so stretched that under-18s were turning up at A&E because they could not get help.
Dr Catherine Hayhurst, from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, says in many cases hospitals have been left with no option but to admit youngsters on to general wards, even though they cannot be provided with specialist mental health support there.
"Children are distressed and agitated. It's difficult to manage on the wards," she says.
NHS England acknowledges the pandemic has been very difficult for children and young people, but it says it is in the process of significantly expanding access to services to ensure they receive quick access to care.

'Unrelenting pressure' on Scotland's emergency departments

A thousand extra acute beds are needed to help relieve the "unrelenting pressure" facing Scotland's emergency departments, doctors claim.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine says many A&E units are struggling because there are too few beds available elsewhere in hospitals.
Scottish ministers are due to update Holyrood later on plans to bolster the NHS.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf says £12m of extra funds has already been announced for non-Covid emergency care.
John Thomson, vice-president for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, and a consultant in emergency medicine, says there is currently an "unrelenting pressure on our emergency departments" but Covid is only one part of the problem.
He says there are patients waiting in emergency departments who should be receiving the next stage of care elsewhere in the system, while the college estimates "we're approximately 1,000 beds short nationally".

Frustration for New Zealand returnees as Covid quarantine waiting list hits 30,000
Tess McClure - The Guardian
Overseas New Zealanders trying to return home are facing a queue tens of thousands of people long, as the country reopens bookings to cross the border.
The country’s borders have been strictly controlled since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic – only citizens, permanent residents and a handful of essential workers can enter, and all of them must make a booking to spend two weeks in government-controlled quarantine (MIQ).
Demand for those spaces has vastly outpaced demand, with some hopeful returnees spending weeks refreshing the site, employing “MIQ assistants” or using bots to assist them secure a space.
Read more here.

Brazilian president turns down Boris Johnson's call to get AstraZeneca vaccines
The Brazilian president turned down Boris Johnson’s call to “get AstraZeneca vaccines” during a meeting in New York on Monday. The UK prime minister praised the vaccine, saying he had had it twice. In response, Jair Bolsonaro pointed at himself, laughing, and wagged his finger.
“Not yet,” he said via an interpreter. Bolsonaro boasted that he had developed “excellent” immunity to Covid after contracting it:

Police arrest 44 people and fire rubber pellets during Melbourne construction protests
Caitlin Cassidy - The Guardian
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Melbourne for a second day, again clashing with police, after authorities announced the forced closure of the construction industry for a fortnight due to ongoing concerns with “poor compliance” with health orders.
The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley, said there were 403 direct cases linked to construction across 186 sites with “multiple cases” having seeded to the regions.
Read more.

World leaders are to meet at the United Nations today for the first time in two years to discuss issues including the still raging coronavirus pandemic
More than 100 leaders are due to attend the summit in New York, with other issues on the agenda are expected to include global heating, US-China tensions and the future of Afghanistan.
Leaders did not attend the summit in person last year due to the pandemic.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the UN secretary general António Guterres “will pull no punches in expressing his concern about the state of the world, and he will lay out a vision to bridge the numerous divides that stand in the way of progress.”

UK business secretary says next few days will be 'quite challenging' amid energy crisis
The UK business secretary has said the next few days will be “quite challenging” amid the energy crisis, but that he is “very confident” that the country can get through it
Kwasi Kwarteng told Sky News that it is not unusual for companies to fold at this time of year but that he does not think “we should be throwing tax payer money at companies which have been badly run”. He added that the price cap is “here to stay”.
Companies are struggling with a shortage of haulage and staff in connection with Brexit and Covid-19 and a global supply chain disruption linked to the pandemic.

Health experts in Singapore are calling for compulsory coronavirus vaccinations as infections surge and vaccination take-up flattens out at 82%
Reuters reports: The government paused the loosening of restrictions earlier this month in case severe infections overwhelmed the health system.
Dale Fisher, an infectious disease expert at the National University Hospital in Singapore, said:

 :Left Quotes:  I would love to see vaccine mandates in over-60s, they are the group most likely to die.

Fisher added:

  :Left Quotes:   It’s the same reason that age group was selected early for vaccines, the same reason that age group has been selected for booster jabs.

Although just 62 of its 5.7 million population have died from coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, amid the spread of the Delta variant, daily cases have risen to about 1,000.
The US, France and Italy have announced compulsory vaccine programmes.
Alex Cook, an infectious disease modelling expert at the National University of Singapore, said:
Adding:  

 :Left Quotes:  If we are not to enforce vaccination, it seems odd to enforce weaker and more costly measures.

857 coronavirus deaths registered in England and Wales in week ending September 10
A total of 857 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending September 10, reports the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It marked a 30% increase on the week before. But the ONS said the August 30 bank holiday had an impact on the death rate during that week when many register offices were probably closed.
Around one in 13 - 7.8% - of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to September 10 cited Covid-19 on the death certificate.
A total of 160,374 death certificates have mentioned Covid-19, the ONS said. The highest number on a single day was 1,484 on January 19.

Health service in Northern Ireland is about to 'topple over' without immediate action, says Stormont
The Stormont deputy first minister has warned that Northern Ireland’s health service is “about to topple over” amid the pandemic unless immediate action is taken.
After visiting the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Michelle O’Neill said staff were “begging” for help and that staff are “physically and mentally exhausted”.
She said:

  :Left Quotes:   It’s very clear that the health service is about to topple over if we do not take immediate action to support the health service staff, the service itself, but also to stop the spread of the virus.

She also said:

:Left Quotes: What we heard repeatedly today is that the staff here are exhausted, they are physically and mentally exhausted, they’re extremely anxious for the winter months ahead and what that will bring...
They’re burned out is the best way probably to put it, they’re seeing increased staff absences, for obvious reasons because they’ve had to make such difficult decisions.
They’re constantly facing not just the physical exhaustion but also dealing with families at very difficult times. They’ve had to go over and above and beyond, and we can’t take any of that for granted, they’re begging for our support in the time ahead because they know they’re facing into a very difficult winter.
With normal winter pressures, with the capacity in the health service being where it is at this point in time, I think they’re just so fearful for what’s ahead.
So, they are asking for the executive’s support and I’ve given assurance today that I will reflect all the views that were expressed here today to the executive meeting as we plan for the winter months ahead.

Here's a summary of the latest developments

• The Stormont deputy first minister, Michelle O’Neill, has warned that Northern Ireland’s health service is “about to topple over” amid the pandemic unless immediate action is taken.
  
• Coronavirus was the third leading cause of death in England in August, the Office for National Statistics has said. It marks a big jump from July, when it was the ninth leading cause of death, and is the highest ranking for Covid-19 since March, when it was also the third leading cause.
  
• A total of 857 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week ending September 10, reports the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It marked a 30% increase on the week before.
  
• Public sector net borrowing in the UK, excluding public sector banks, hit £20.5bn last month, reports the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It marked the second-highest August borrowing since monthly records began in 1993, but £5.5bn less than last August.
  
• America’s top infectious diseases expert has said it is still “needs to be worked out” whether the US will accept UK and EU travellers with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the final decision over AstraZeneca lies with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but that he doesn’t believe there is any “reason to believe that people who have received the AZ vaccine should feel that there’s going to be any problem with them”.
  
• World leaders are to meet at the United Nations today for the first time in two years to discuss issues including the still raging coronavirus pandemic. More than 100 leaders are due to attend the summit in New York, with other issues on the agenda are expected to include global heating, US-China tensions and the future of Afghanistan.
  

Senior GP defends remote appointments, warning ‘pandemic isn’t over’

The head of the Royal College of GPs has been talking to the Health and Social Care Committee about remote consultations – defending doctors against recent criticism.
Prof Martin Marshall said that some patients preferred appointments over the phone or via video, while others wanted to be seen face-to-face, but could not be due to Covid.
He said about 80% of general practice appointments were conducted face-to-face prior to the pandemic, dropping to 10% in the first wave and now sitting at about 56%.
“What we’ve learned from the pandemic is we can do more in general practice remotely than we thought we could, and that’s a positive bit of learning,” he said.
“There’s a lot of stuff that can be done without having to examine someone or be in the same room. Having said that, face-to face-contact is a really important part of dealing with, particularly, more complex problems.”
Asked if patients had a right to see a GP in person, Prof Marshall said: “People are saying that the patient should have a right. There’s no point in having a right if it’s undeliverable and it is essentially undeliverable at the moment, because of the workload pressures.”
He said GP workload had gone up over the pandemic “and indeed over the last decade”.
And he added: “The second thing is, really importantly, the pandemic isn’t over. We’d like to think it is – it isn’t over, it might be over for pubs and nightclubs, it’s not over for health services.
“It’s really important that if you run a health service, whether it be in general practice or in hospitals, that you protect vulnerable patients.
“The prevalence (is) around one in 70 and 80 patients in this country have got Covid, so the idea of having somebody who is fit and healthy but shedding the virus sitting next to someone who’s vulnerable in a waiting room is just not something that’s acceptable.”
GPs have come under fire in the media for not offering enough face-to-face appointments, with health secretary Sajid Javid saying the government would urge them to do so.
On Tuesday, Dr Richard Vautrey, from the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said the “anti-GP rhetoric in the media risks fuelling a climate of spiralling abuse”.

A year of working from home for millions in the UK led to a “sharp reduction” in personal travel that drove household greenhouse gas emissions down by 15m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent last year.
The drop is equal to about 3% of total UK emissions in 2019.
Even the increase in people turning the heating on at home – working at the kitchen table or furloughed – was more than offset by the drop in travel emissions the Office for National Statistics found.
CO₂ equivalent is a way of measuring the global warming potential of various greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide as well as carbon dioxide.
With reduced industrial emissions, households have been the single biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK since 2015. Both the energy and manufacturing sectors have reduced emissions significantly over the last decade, while household emissions have remained relatively high. This has increased interest in reducing household emissions to help cut overall emissions to “net zero” by 2050.
Net zero would mean that total UK emissions would be equal to or less than those removed from the environment, achieved by a combination of reduction and removal of emissions.

Re-cap: Latest Covid developments

If you are just joining us here is a reminder of some of the headlines from around the world:

• Travellers are looking forward to returning to the US after it was announced that a travel ban will end with fully vaccinated passengers able to fly there from early November
  
• White House chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci says that he expects there to be no problem for people who have had the AstraZeneca jab despite it not being approved for use in the US
  
• India, the world's largest vaccine producer, is to resume exporting Covid vaccines in October after halting exports due to a rise in cases domestically
  
• Covid was the third leading cause of death in England in August and the seventh leading cause in Wales, according to new data
  
• Business Secreatry Kwasi Kwarteng warns there could be a "very difficult winter" for some households as the £20-a-week-uplift in universal credit, brought in during the pandemic ends and fuel prices rise
  

What's in England's 'Winter Plan'?

Measures to deal with rising Covid cases in England over the winter have been announced - with a contingency "Plan B" if things get worse.
Single vaccines will be offered to children aged 12-15 and booster jabs to over-50s, health workers and the most vulnerable. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have confirmed they will offer the same.
Covid booster jabs will be offered to around 30 million people, including the over-50s, younger adults with health conditions and frontline health and social care workers.
But if Plan A is not sufficient to prevent "unsustainable pressure" on the NHS, the government says Plan B will be required "as a last resort".
Read more here.

Swift lockdown in Chinese city after one case identified

Kerry Allen - BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
A single case of Covid has thrown a city in north-eastern China into a swift lockdown.
In the past 24 hours, one resident in the city of Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, has tested positive for the virus.
Minutes after the case was confirmed “the Harbin city anti-epidemic group announced a slew of measures”, reported the Global Times newspaper.
Cinemas, massage parlours, dance halls and sports venues were ordered to close immediately. Religious venues were also told to suspend all activities.
Scenic spots were told to cap their visitors at 50% capacity, and people were told not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary.
Little has been reported on the infected person; however, state media are reporting that they have a history of travel in south-east Jiangxi province, where no cases have been reported.
The Global Times adds that the patient visited “numerous restaurants and some shopping malls” in Harbin over the last three days, so there is expectation cases could grow.
Harbin has a population of around 10 million people, and there are now fears that this case could prevent people from travelling next week for the annual week-long holiday, known as Golden Week.
Golden Week begins on 1 October, and is China’s second biggest travel period after the Lunar New Year. It is therefore a key time for tourism.
But the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has said that travel companies must “immediately suspend trans-provincial group tours, air tickets and hotel reservation services” at a provincial level if Covid cases throw communities into lockdown.

Covid delays add to failure to hit Cancer treatment targets
The NHS in England has missed its target to diagnose and treat 85% of cancer patients within two months of urgent referral for almost six years running, according to a new analysis.
Cancer Research UK used NHS data to calculate that almost 55,000 cancer patients should have been diagnosed more quickly or started their treatment sooner over that time frame.
The NHS target states that 85% of patients should start a first treatment for cancer within two months of an urgent GP referral.
Cancer Research UK said this target is being missed, and the figures are getting worse. Data shows the target has not been met since 2015.
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “While NHS staff have been doing their utmost, the impact of Covid-19 and years of workforce shortages and insufficient infrastructure have meant that cancer targets continue to be missed.
“Cancer won’t wait and the time for the Government to fix these chronic issues is now.
Professor Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said:
“For people with cancer, every day counts; that is why we have cancer targets.
“I’ve been working in the NHS for a long time and it’s hard to watch the continuous deterioration, and the anxiety and worsening outcomes this can cause patients.

NI health service about to topple over, says minister

Northern Ireland's health service is set to "topple over" without immediate intervention by Stormont, ministers have warned.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill visited Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital on Tuesday with First Minister Paul Givan.
"What we heard repeatedly today is that the staff here are exhausted... physically and mentally exhausted," said Ms O'Neill.
"They've had to go over and above and beyond, and we can't take any of that for granted - they're begging for our support in the time ahead because they know they're facing into a very difficult winter," she added.
Ms O'Neill noted the "increased staff abscences" caused by burnout, which, combined with "normal winter pressures", made healthcare staff "fearful for what's ahead".
She said she had promised to relay their views to the Executive.
"It's very clear that the health service is about to topple over if we do not take immediate action to support the health service staff, the service itself, but also to stop the spread of the virus," she said.
The first minister said ministers hoped to set a three-year spending plan to address the issues facing the health service in the months ahead.
"Health is a priority for me, I know it's a priority for the Executive and we need to be taking decisions, not just in the short term, but for the long term to provide the capacity and the resilience to meet the needs of our population," said Mr Givan.
Read more.

Two men caught smuggling KFC into lockdown-hit Auckland

A police photo shows the takeaway stash seized by officers

New Zealand police have made a bizarre arrest after a pair of alleged gang associates were caught trying to enter Auckland with a boot full of Kentucky Fried Chicken - and tens of thousands of dollars.
Under Auckland's strict Level 4 lockdown, all restaurants - including take-away services - remain closed.
Police said the men, aged 23 and 30, had travelled from Hamilton, about 75 miles south of Auckland.
A police spokesperson told the BBC that officers made the arrest after they noticed a suspicious-looking vehicle travelling on a gravel road on the outskirts of the city.
After a chase, the vehicle was stopped and searched.
Police located NZ$100,000 (US$70,000; £51,000) in cash, as well as at least three buckets of chicken, about 10 cups of coleslaw, a large pack of fries, and four large bags containing other KFC items.
The spokesperson said that the men would appear in court for breaching public health rules later in the year - but added that further charges are also likely. The investigation is ongoing.
Under New Zealand's tough anti-Covid laws, fines can reach up to NZ$4,000 and can even involve prison sentences of up to six months.
Auckland will move to a Level 3 lockdown from midnight on Tuesday, but residents will remain confined to their homes unless they are attending school, work or shopping.

Mask wearing on public transport in England 'drops to 20%'

Unions are warning that mask wearing on public transport has dropped significantly since it no longer became a legal requirement in England in July.
The proportion of people using face coverings at major railway stations is estimated to have slumped from around 80% to around 20%.
A government spokesperson said the lifting of restrictions relied on people taking "personal responsibility".
"The guidance is clear that people are expected and recommended to wear a mask when they come into contact with people they don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces.
“It is open to transport operators to decide if they want to implement their own policies, working within their particular environment.”
Transport for London (TfL), in keeping with many other operators, still require members of the public to wear a mask when travelling.
“Covid is still with us and we all have a role to play in doing the right thing and keeping each other safe," said Siwan Hayward, Director of Policing and Compliance for TfL
"Wearing a face covering on our services and in our stations is still required under TfL’s condition of carriage," she said.
She added that "more than 500 uniformed officers" were enforcing mask wearing on the network and "non-exempt customers who fail to comply may be refused travel".

Government may struggle to reimpose mask wearing if required - Unions

As mask wearing on public transport continues to decline, transport unions have expressed concern that it would be difficult to reintroduce the policy if the government decided to do so.
Mike Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union said his members had noticed a marked policy drift since the government changed the rules in July.
Even where mask wearing remains mandatory, many people were ignoring the rules, he said.
He added: "As more people see others failing to comply, the situation will escalate quickly over the autumn."
"With the government already making compulsory mask wearing on transport a contingency if cases escalate in the coming weeks, there is a real danger they won't be able to get the genie back into the bottle."
Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, agreed there had been "a decline, in recent days" even where mask-wearing is ostensibly required.
“We believe mask wearing should be mandatory on trains.To protect passengers and staff and to control the Covid-19 pandemic."
A spokesperson for Unite. which represents bus drivers, said mask wearing was "collapsing - and has got much worse in recent weeks".
“In some cases there are very few passengers wearing masks on a bus, with those who tend to still wear a mask being older."

What are the new rules for holidays in Europe and the US?

The US will let fully vaccinated travellers from the UK - and many other countries - visit from November.
The change in rules, follows a shake-up of England's travel regulations on Friday.
Put simply, going overseas is becoming a little bit easier, although, as before, different rules apply for the devolved nations.
So where and when can you go, what are the rules around vaccination - and what's happening with the so-called traffic light system which saw countries divided into red, amber and green categories?
We have all the answers here.

England: 100,000 children off school with Covid or suspected Covid in one day last week
Richard Adams - The Guardian
The reopening of schools in England has sparked a huge surge in Covid cases among students and pupils in England, with official figures showing that more than 100,000 children were absent with confirmed or suspected coronavirus infections last week.
The figures from the Department for Education revealed that fewer than 92% of pupils were present in classrooms on 16 September, with 59,000 absent with confirmed cases of Covid-19 and a further 45,000 off with suspected cases.
A further 2,000 children missed school “due to attendance restrictions being in place to manage an outbreak,” according to the DfE.
The total of 103,000 with confirmed or suspected cases is higher than the number seen at the end of the last school year. In mid-July, the DfE said just 82,000 children were absent with confirmed or suspected cases.
The statistics are the first official indications of the spread of the virus within schools and colleges since the start of the new school year at the start of September, when the use of preventive measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and the use of small group “bubbles” was abandoned by the DfE.
In July, more than a million children were absent overall, but that included more than 930,000 children self-isolating because of classroom contacts. This year the DfE has said that children who are close contacts of confirmed or suspected cases do not need to self-isolate unless they display symptoms.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is clear from the fact that over 100,000 pupils were absent from school last week with a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus that educational disruption remains significant. We are hearing of schools where significant numbers of pupils are absent.
“We are hopeful that the vaccination programme for 12- to 15-year-olds will help to reduce this level of disruption. However, the government must also take more action to support schools and colleges.
“It should launch a public information campaign to encourage twice-weekly home-testing among pupils in the appropriate age groups, provide funding for high-quality ventilation systems in schools and colleges, and commit to providing more support if on-site testing is directed under the contingency framework.”
Barton also urged the government to publish its plans for 2022’s A-level and GCSE exams, saying it was “extremely frustrating” that guidance has still not been issued.
Nadhim Zahawi, the new education secretary, said it was “fantastic” to see more than 91% of children back in the classroom, compare with 87% this time last year. “That’s down to the hard work of teachers, support staff as well as families whose efforts have been heroic in making sure children can get back to school safely.
“The rollout of the vaccine to those aged 12-15, which started this week, is another significant step in building the walls of protection from the virus across society,” Zahawi said.

The NHS in England has missed its target to diagnose and treat 85% of cancer patients within two months of urgent referral for almost six years running, according to analysis.
Cancer Research UK used NHS data to calculate that almost 55,000 cancer patients should have been diagnosed more quickly or started their treatment sooner over that time frame.
The NHS target states that 85% of patients should start a first treatment for cancer within two months of an urgent GP referral.
Cancer Research UK said this target is being missed, and the figures are getting worse. Data shows the target has not been met since 2015.
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “While NHS staff have been doing their utmost, the impact of Covid-19 and years of workforce shortages and insufficient infrastructure have meant that cancer targets continue to be missed.
“Cancer won’t wait and the time for the government to fix these chronic issues is now.
Prof Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: “For people with cancer, every day counts; that is why we have cancer targets.
“I’ve been working in the NHS for a long time and it’s hard to watch the continuous deterioration, and the anxiety and worsening outcomes this can cause patients.

The British Medical Association has written to the health secretary urging him to step in and tackle “the wave of growing abuse” against GPs.
Last Friday, four members of staff suffered injuries at the Florence House Medical Practice in Openshaw, Manchester, on Friday afternoon.
Two of the victims were taken to hospital with head injuries and a 59-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault.
In the letter to Sajid Javid, the BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said there needed to be a change in legislation to increase the maximum prison sentence for assault against emergency workers from 12 months to two years.
The letter also said the government must publicly support the profession by condemning “the onslaught of abuse and media scapegoating of GPs and their staff”.
GPs have also come under fire in the media over the number of remote consultations now offered to patients.
Calling for a meeting with the government, Dr Nagpaul said GPs had worked tirelessly over the course of the pandemic, as had general practice staff.
He said the narrative that practices are not offering face-to-face appointments is “as dangerous as it is inaccurate”.
Dr Nagpaul added: “The reality, as you must know, is that with the constraints of the size of GP practice premises, there are limits on how many people can safely be present in a waiting room while adhering to appropriate infection control measures.
“GP practices, in the same way as hospitals, are using telephone, video and online consultations to assess patients (in accordance with NHS England guidance) and provide them with physical face-to-face consultations when this is needed. It is soul-destroying for GPs and their staff to hear the narrative that they are ‘closed’.”
He said the truth was that “GPs are seeing more patients than ever” and “working longer hours than ever”.
NHS GP appointments data shows there were nearly 1m more appointments in July 2021 than pre-pandemic levels (July 2019), he added.

EU set to recognise NHS Covid pass

Daniel Boffey - The Guardian
The EU is expected to accept the NHS Covid pass as proof of vaccination across the union within days, as the Netherlands warned British tourists that they will otherwise need to take a daily test to visit Dutch bars, restaurants and museums.
Nearly two months after making an application to the European commission, UK officials said they believed Brussels would “shortly” recognise the NHS certificate as equivalent to the EU’s own digital pass.
Sources in Brussels suggested that agreement could be expected by the end of the month, with “significant progress” having been made in recent weeks on the technical tie-up of the systems.
The decision would ensure that all 27 member states and 16 non-EU countries automatically allow entry to visitors from England and Wales carrying the NHS Covid pass, which contains a QR code.
The app would also be recognised by hospitality premises in countries where proof of vaccination is necessary for entry to bars, restaurants and cultural events.
The lack of “equivalence” status has been a thorn in the side of British tourists seeking to visit a range of European destinations and for those people who were vaccinated in the UK but who live abroad.
The problem has become particularly acute as an increasing number of EU governments have introduced a need for a Covid pass to attend events or be admitted to places of hospitality.
As of 25 September, people vaccinated in the UK but visiting or living in the Netherlands, for example, face having to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken in the previous 24 hours in order to enter a restaurant, bar, museum, cultural event or sports stadium.
In Switzerland, expats spoke of being unable to attend sporting facilities, including gyms, due to the NHS Covid pass being regarded as invalid.
The NHS Covid pass has been accepted unilaterally by 19 EU countries, including France, as proof of vaccination at the border but even in some of these countries recognition was not always automatic for those seeking to go to a bar or restaurant.

31,564 people test positive in UK, with 203 further deaths

In the UK, another 31,564 people tested positive for Covid in the last 24 hours - an increase of almost 5,000 on last Tuesday.
The government’s dashboard shows 861 people were admitted to hospital and 203 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test.

Several parts of Wales saw the highest rise in Covid cases across the UK last week.
Neath Port Talbot has the highest rate in the UK, with 1,235 new cases in the seven days to September 17 - the equivalent of 855.3 per 100,000 people. This is up from 699.5 in the seven days to September 10.
The five UK areas with the biggest week-on-week rises are:
Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf (557.7 per hundred thousand up to 701.2), Vale of Glamorgan (502.6 to 631.2), Blaenau Gwent (522.7 to 645.5) and Stafford (306.1 to 425.8)

Around 20% of workers in Nigeria have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19
Reuters reports that the National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria worked with the UN to survey 3,000 businesses.
“While there have been promising signs of recovery this year, COVID-19 has had an outsized socio-economic impact on Nigeria,” the two organisations said in a statement.
Businesses complained about revenue declines, higher costs and an inadequate safety net for those in the informal sector, they said, adding that the disruption could leave a lasting impact on enterprises.
The West African nation’s economy, the biggest on the continent, was hammered by the fall in oil prices following disruptions caused by the pandemic. The country relies on crude exports for around 70% of government revenues.
The bank has said that the COVID-induced crisis was expected to push over 11 million Nigerians into poverty by 2022, taking the total number of people classified as poor in the country to over half the entire 200 million population.

Welsh ministers face 'difficult decision' on travel PCR testing

While the UK government announced last week plans to scrap PCR tests for returning, fully-jabbed, international travellers to England, Wales' first minister says this is a "step away" from a duty to people's health.
Mark Drakeford says ministers in Wales face a "difficult decision" - with the nation not yet having decided whether to follow England.
He says the tests allow scientists to detect new variants of the virus.
From 1 October, for travellers to England, PCR tests will no longer be required on day two and this will be replaced instead by a cheaper lateral flow test.
Concerns have also been raised in Scotland about the change to the testing regime.
Drakeford says the "most concerning" decision is moving away from PCR tests on day two, "because that was the strongest defence against the re-importation of viruses from elsewhere in the world".
"In Wales we genomic sequence a higher proportion of tests than any other part of the United Kingdom and it is that sequencing that allows the very skilled scientists who do it to identify new variations in coronavirus," he says.
However the fact that many Welsh travellers travel to the UK via England made it a "difficult decision", with English ports not keen to communicate differences in rules.

Young offender institution declares Covid outbreak

A young offender institution is declaring itself a Covid-19 "outbreak site" after "a high number" of inmates tested positive for the virus.
HMYOI Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, houses boys and men aged between 17 and 21.
In a tweet it says it has "restricted the regime" on one wing "as Covid has returned to the prison".
An HM Prison Service spokesman says precautionary measures are being taken at the institution in line with public health guidance.
HMYOI Aylesbury says on Twitter: "Unfortunately we have had to restrict the regime on one of our wings as Covid has returned to the prison with a high number of prisoners testing positive.
"We are now classed as an outbreak site.
"We are sorry for any impact this has on you and your loved ones as we try to contain the virus."

Analysis: September case spike fails to materialise

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
There were fears September would see cases start to take off.
The return of more normal mixing patterns with schools back and people going into the office would – some predicted – lead to a new surge.
We are now two-thirds of the way through the month and the opposite has happened – cases have fallen.
Dig beneath the headline figures and there is a little more volatility, Scotland has seen a rapid rise, but that appears to have peaked.
This is now translating to falling numbers in hospital overall – a trend which is likely to continue for the rest of the month.
Deaths are averaging close to 150 a day. That may seem a lot, but it is worth pointing out that it is similar to what you would see for months on end during a bad flu winter.
The big question now though is what happens next as the nights draw in.
There is uncertainty, but the longer cases remain in check the more hope it gives us that UK has truly reached an equilibrium whereby the amount of immunity built up through vaccination and natural infection is enough to keep the virus at bay while society returns to normal.

Welsh opposition parties demand vote on Covid passes

Covid passes should be approved by the Senedd before they become compulsory, say opposition parties in Wales.
From 11 October, people attending big events and nightclubs in Wales must show they are fully vaccinated or have tested negative in the previous 48 hours.
The Welsh government has the powers to change the law, but the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru say Members of the Senedd (MSs) should get a vote first.
Conservative shadow health minister Russell George said the Welsh government should make sure there is "a vote in the Senedd prior to any proposed introduction and that the full details are given to members".
Plaid Cymru said it had "consistently argued that coronavirus regulations should be agreed in the Senedd before coming into force".
Read more here.

Military to support Scottish Ambulance Service from Saturday

More than 100 military personnel are set to come to the aid of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The UK government said 114 drivers and support staff would be deployed in Scotland from Saturday, along with a further 111 to operate mobile testing units.
"Our armed forces are once again stepping up, demonstrating their versatility as we support the Covid-19 response across the UK," said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
"We are proud to work alongside the dedicated men and women at the Scottish Ambulance Service as they continue to provide a lifesaving service to the people of Scotland."
The announcement from Westminster came minutes after Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said 88 drivers and 15 support staff could be called in.
Yousaf also announced a boost of £20 million to the ambulance service budget.
Read more here.

Re-cap: Main coronavirus developments today

We're closing the live page soon - but before we go, here is a re-cap of the main coronavirus developments this Tuesday:

• Covid was the third leading cause of death in England and the seventh leading cause in Wales in August, the Office for National Statistics says
  
• The north Chinese city of Harbin goes into a swift lockdown after one case of Covid was identified there
  
• During a visit to New York Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that "sweet reasoning" is behind the UK's high vaccine uptake
  
• In England, unions warn that mask wearing has significantly dropped on public transport since it stopped being a legal requirement in July
  
• More than 100 military personnel are set to come to the aid of the Scottish Ambulance Service as early as this weekend, Scotland's health secretary announces
  
• Northern Ireland deputy first minister Michelle O'Neil says the nation's health service is set to "topple over" without intervention from ministers
  
• Wales' first minister Mark Drakeford says ministers face a "difficult decision" over whether to follow England's new travel testing rules from 1 October
  
• The UK records a further 203 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, alongside 31,564 new cases
  

Goodbye

That's all from us today - the live page will be back again tomorrow morning.
Your writers today were Doug Faulkner and Victoria Lindrea. Your editor was George Bowden.
Thanks for joining us.