Coronavirus cases in the UK have risen by more than 4,000 for the first day in almost two months, as ministers warn the June 21 lifting of all restrictions is not guaranteed.
The latest Government figures show another 4,182 confirmed positive tests were logged over the latest 24 hour period, the biggest jump since April 1 and a 24 per cent increase on the previous seven day average. Cases on Thursday were also the highest since mid-April.
Meanwhile, the R number estimate - how many people a Covid-positive person goes on to infect - on Friday rose from 0.9-1.1 to 1.0-1.1.
It comes as scientists warn the next few weeks are crucial in determining whether the next stage of England’s roadmap can proceed.
This is despite fresh Public Health England data showing just three per cent of Indian variant infections were in people who had received both vaccine doses, with nearly 73 per cent of all cases in the completely unvaccinated.
Hours before the UK medicines regulator approved a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shown to work against all variants, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Friday "there's nothing in the data that suggests to me that we should move the day" of June 21.
But he warned: “I can't guarantee that on May 28, you will appreciate, I cannot guarantee that in three-and-a-half weeks' time."
Follow the latest updates below.
05:47 PM
Ireland adopts Covid passport to allow EU, UK and U.S. travel from July 19
Ireland will adopt a Covid-19 certificate to help citizens move more freely across the European Union from July 19 and broadly apply the same approach to arrivals from the United States and Britain, the Taoiseach Micheál Martin said on Friday.
The country's leader also confirmed that restaurants and bars will be able to serve guests indoors from July 5 when arts and sports events can also resume indoor and out with specified crowd limits, so long as the spread of Covid-19 remains under control.
Ministers will also set out a new phase of fiscal support next week, Martin said, with a grant scheme for pubs that do not serve food and fresh support for the live events sector promised on Friday.
Responding to the news, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s announcement is an extremely welcome and important step on the road to recovery for our industry. This will help protect thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the tourism industry. For the first time in many months, we can look to the future with optimism.
“We know from our research that there is significant pent-up demand among travellers in GB to return to the island of Ireland as soon as possible."
05:43 PM
Surgery backlog will lead to '6,400 excess deaths by the end of next year'
Thousands of people will die as a result of the ever-swelling NHS waiting lists, Government figures show.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) estimates that 6,400 excess deaths will result from the record-breaking waiting lists by the end of 2022.
Figures also indicate 8,600 excess deaths were caused by reduced elective procedures in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and 3,200 likely as a result of the second wave.
A damning report from the Royal College of Surgeons of England published this week described the current situation as a "colossal backlog".
Origins of Covid debate has been 'poisoned' by politics, says WHO
Debates this week about whether the coronavirus pandemic could have its origins in a laboratory leak have, unsurprisingly, come up at this afternoon's World Health Organization press conference.
Sarah Newey reports that, when asked about next steps in the UN agency's investigation, Dr Mike Ryan, head of the WHO emergency programme warned "we would like for everyone out there to separate, if they can, the politics of this issue from the science".
"This whole process is being poisoned by politics," he said.
"And if you expect scientists to do their work, if you expect scientists to collaborate and actually get the answers that you want actually see in a non blame environment - to find this the origin of the virus so we may all learn how to prevent this happening in future - we would ask that this not be done in a deep politicised environment."
He added that all hypotheses remain on the table, and the WHO will continue to study the origins in a collaborative style, within the framework outlined by member states.
"We believe we can make more progress, especially with the support of our member states and the support of scientists working in a positive manner. To do that we need space.
"Putting WHO in a position like it has been put in is very unfair to the science we're trying to carry out, and it puts us as an organisation, frankly, in an impossible position to deliver the answers that the world wants."
And in a final withering comment, Dr Ryan said: "Quite frankly, over the last number of days, we've seen more and more and more discourse in the media with terribly little actual news or evidence or new material. And this is quite disturbing."
An uptick in coronavirus cases has again raised the prospect of a delay to the June 21 great unlocking of restrictions in England.
As an Independent Sage member and some other experts suggest a rethink of the roadmap may be needed, while other Government scientists and ministers insist we are on track, what do you think?
04:52 PM
'Reckless Hancock left care homes to fend for themselves'
Dedicated carers across the country were being hindered, not helped, by the actions of the state, our columnist Camilla Tominey writes.
Regardless of what Health Secretary Matt Hancock might have you believe, testing in care homes was a fiasco right from the beginning of the pandemic. I know this from first-hand experience because my father, a retired GP, has run a care home for the elderly in St Albans, Hertfordshire, for more than 25 years. Anticipating the crisis about to unfold at the beginning of March 2020, he took the decision to lock the place down – three weeks ahead of the Government’s “stay at home” diktat of March 23.
Pandemic won't be over until 70% are vaccinated, says WHO director
The WHO's European director warned Friday that the Covid-19 pandemic won't end until at least 70 percent of people are vaccinated, and criticized Europe's vaccine rollout as "too slow".
The World Health Organization's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said countries and their populations must not become complacent about the pandemic.
"Don't think the Covid-19 pandemic is over," Kluge told AFP in an interview, adding that vaccination rates need to increase.
"The pandemic will be over once we reach 70 percent minimum coverage in vaccination," the regional director said.
In the 53 countries and territories that make up the WHO's European region - including several in Central Asia - just 26 percent of the population has received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Covid China - Sipa Asia/Shutterstock
04:28 PM
WHO: 'Broad consensus' worldwide on jab access to end pandemic - but action is lacking
There has been a "broad consensus" at the World Health Assembly that equitable access to vaccines is essential to end the pandemic, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization.
But bold action is needed to turn this into a reality, he told a press conference, including a "massive push" in sharing vaccines, The Telegraph's Sarah Newey reports.
"If countries immediately share doses with Covax, and if manufacturers prioritise Covax, we can reach this target and save a lot of lives," Dr Tedros said.
He added that ramping up production will also be key to increase access. It is now a year since C-TAP, a voluntary scheme to share medical patents, was set up by the WHO and Costa Rica - a scheme that was immediately downtrodden by the pharmaceutical industry.
But Dr Tedros said the need for such a scheme is now more evident than ever, amid stark inequalities in rollout of vaccines.
"In this moment of acute need, we must utilise all solutions to boost manufacturing capacity. And the only way is cooperation."
04:14 PM
What's the latest data on the Indian variant?
Our data team have crunched the numbers on how cases of B.1.617.2 are rising.
Extending school day to help children catch up 'will not improve results'
Extending the school day may only give marginal gains to pupils who lost learning during lockdowns, a Cambridge study has found.
Research by Cambridge University indicated that, rather than adding extra classroom time, "schools may find it more productive to consider carefully the range and quality of activities provided".
The analysis used five years of Government data, collected from more than 2,800 schools in England, to estimate the likely impact of additional classroom instruction on academic progress, as measured at GCSE.
It found that even substantial increases in classroom teaching time would likely only lead to small improvements.
Surge testing to be widened in Lancashire amid Indian variant cluster
Surge testing is being expanded across parts of Lancashire, following the "identification of a number of confirmed cases" of the Indian variant, officials have announced.
All B.1.617.2 cases have been instructed to self-isolate and their contacts are being identified.
Across a number of areas including Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn and Rossendale, door to door testing will be carried out with mobile testing units, and enhanced contact tracing will be used.
Everyone who lives, works or studies in these areas, including children, are being strongly encouraged to take a PCR test, whether they are showing symptoms or not.
The Department of Health and Social Care said: "The government and its scientific experts are closely monitoring the evolving situation and rates of variants, and we will not hesitate to take additional action as necessary."
03:46 PM
Ireland reopens to EU travellers but keeps doors shut to Britons
Ireland is to maintain its quarantine on British travellers because of “real concerns” over the Indian variant, but it will open to the EU and US from July 19.
Ireland’s Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said Ireland was “not in a position” to restore the Common Travel Area with Britain for now but hoped that the UK could join the EU and US on its “green” list by mid-July.
It means that anyone travelling to Ireland from the UK must quarantine for 14 days, although can secure release with a negative test on the fifth day. By contrast, people can travel from Ireland to the UK without restrictions.
Mr Varadkar is postponing restoration of the Common Travel area after advice from National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet). "The advice that we have is that there are real concerns about the prevalence of the Indian variant in Britain," he said.
Analysis: Only two people have died with Indian variant after full vaccination
Just two people have died with the Indian variant of Covid after receiving both vaccinations, suggesting the jabs are playing a major role in preventing serious disease even for the mutation.
The latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) show that despite there being 5,599 cases of the variant, only 12 people have died, of whom only two were fully vaccinated.
The data suggest that so far there is little danger of the NHS being overwhelmed by the latest mutation, and that full release from lockdown restrictions can still go ahead on June 21.
A further 10 people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the UK, the latest Government figures show.
A further 4,182 cases have been logged over the latest 24 hour period, meaning the seven-day average of cases has risen 24 per cent.
It brings Britain's total deaths to 127,768 and cases to 4,477,705.
On the vaccination rollout, in the latest 24 hour period a further 256,517 first doses and 434,096 second doses were administered.
This means 38,871,200 first doses have been given so far, and 24,478,052 second shots.
03:00 PM
EU approves Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year olds
The EU's drug watchdog has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus jab for 12- to 15-year-olds, the first vaccine to get the green light for children in the bloc.
The vaccine was "well tolerated" in children and there were no "major concerns" in terms of side effects, the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency said.
Germany has said it will start vaccinating children over the age of 12 from June 7 following the authorisation by the EMA. Earlier, Italy said it was ready to vaccinate under-16s when the EMA gave the green light.
The United States and Canada have both already authorised the vaccine for children of the same age.
02:13 PM
The Wuhan lab leak was always a credible theory - so why did scientists dismiss it?
In silencing all mention of the theory at first, professors have shown just how political they can be, writes Ross Clark on our comment pages.
The use of the term ‘conspiracy theory’ was telling. The possibility that Covid is manmade - or might be a natural virus which escaped from a lab - does imply that there is a cabal of scientists in the Chinese Communist Party secretly engineering a deadly virus to unleash on the world in a bid for global domination. Somewhat more likely is that it was a cock-up: a laboratory accident of the kind which has happened many times before, with SARS and with the world’s last fatal outbreak of smallpox in Birmingham in 1978.
Italy to open up Covid shots to all adults from June 3
All Italians aged over 16 will be able to be vaccinated from June 3 onwards, the government's Covid-19 commissioner has said, with the country also preparing to extend the campaign to 12 to 15-year-olds.
Ministers have so far urged regional health authorities to give priority to the elderly, who are especially vulnerable to the disease.
"From 3 June, all regions will be able to open up to all age groups (over 16)," commissioner Francesco Paolo Figliuolo said.
Some 11.2 million Italians, or 19 per cent of the population, have completed their vaccination cycle as of Friday - as opposed to 45.6 per cent in the UK - while more than 20 million people have received a first shot.
The country has registered more than 125,000 coronavirus deaths so far, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain, and plans to inoculate all adults by September.
Figliuolo said vaccinations may soon be opened up to some 2.3 million Italians aged between 12 and 15 if the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approve, with a decision expected imminently.
01:50 PM
Malaysia PM orders 'total lockdown' amid Covid-19 surge
Malaysia has announced a nationwide "total lockdown" starting in June as coronavirus infections in the country surged to record levels.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the stricter lockdown from June 1 to 14 was for all social and economic sectors, and that only essential services would remain in operation.
The Covid-19 spread in the Southeast Asian nation in recent weeks has been more severe, partly due to highly transmissible variants. =
"With the latest rise in daily cases showing a drastically upward trend, hospital capacity across the country to treat Covid-19 patients are becoming limited," Muhyiddin warned.
Malaysia reported 8,290 new coronavirus cases on Friday, its fourth straight day of record infections and bringing the total number of cases to 549,514. It also reported 61 deaths.
Covid Malaysia - FAZRY ISMAIL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
01:30 PM
US looking 'very closely' at vaccine passports for travel
The US is taking "a very close look" at the possibility of vaccine passports for travel into and out of the country, the Homeland Security Secretary has said.
Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC on Friday that one of his guiding principles throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been "the value of diversity, equity and inclusion and making sure that any passport that we provide for vaccinations is accessible to all and that no one is disenfranchised."
The European Union, some Asian governments and the airline industry are scrambling to develop Covid-19 vaccine passports to help kickstart international travel.
They are working on systems that would allow travellers to use mobile phone apps to prove they've been vaccinated, helping them avoid quarantine requirements at their destinations. The UK's NHS app also has a new vaccine passport function.
01:26 PM
Sweden scraps demand for negative Covid-test for travellers from the Nordics
Travellers coming from the Nordics will no longer have to show a negative Covid-test to enter Sweden from next week, the Minister for the Interior said on Friday.
"We have decided to go ahead with the Nordics first, it's a priority for us," Minister for the Interior Mikael Damberg told a news conference.
Tourists from other countries within the EU will still have to show a negative test until June 30 and those from outside the EU are still banned.
32 members of Congo's parliament in Covid-linked deaths
Away from UK developments, thirty-two MPs in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, the vice president of the National Assembly has revealed.
This is about 5 per cent of the total.
Even as Congo, like many other African countries, has officially reported relatively few cases and deaths, the virus has rippled through the corridors of power, killing prominent lawmakers and members of the president's entourage.
"The latest update announced by the government reports 31,248 confirmed cases and 780 deaths, among them 32 members of parliament," said Jean-Marc Kabund, the first vice president of the lower house of parliament.
The remarks were made to colleagues on Thursday, and Kabund's staff shared a video on Friday. Masks are required inside parliament, but lawmakers often go without them as they congregate in large groups and hoot and holler at speakers.
12:59 PM
Only 3 per cent of Indian variant cases are fully vaccinated
The majority of people with the Indian variant have not been vaccinated, with just 3 per cent of cases (177 out of 5,599) from February 1 to May 25 having received both doses, Public Health England (PHE) data shows.
Of 201 people who ended up in A&E, just five people had had both vaccine doses, while 138 were unvaccinated and 45 had had their first dose more than three weeks previously.
Of 43 patients who needed to be admitted to hospital overnight, only one person had had both vaccines, the PHE data showed.
Over the period there were 12 deaths linked to the variant, of which eight were among the unvaccinated.
Covid UK - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Dr Helen Wall, senior responsible officer for the Covid vaccine programme in Bolton, which is one of the hotspots for the variant, said there are "significant numbers of 30- and 40-year-olds" going into hospital there, and tens of thousands of people in the area who have only just become eligible for the vaccine.
But she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that hospitals were seeing patients who were far less sick than previous Covid patients.
"In terms of how ill they're getting, I think the vaccine definitely seems to be working," she said.
"We are not seeing, certainly not many people as sick as we would have done pre-vaccine, certainly the picture in hospital is much better to previous times when we've been at this position."
12:48 PM
R number in the UK could be above 1, latest figures show
The coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England may now be above 1, according to the latest Government figures.
Data by the Department of Health and Sage estimates that the figure between 1.0 and 1.1, up from between 0.9 and 1.1 last week.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect, and when the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially.
An R number between 1.0 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 10 and 11 other people. Separate Sage figures showed the Covid growth rate in England is flat, at between 0 and 3 per cent.
It comes as between half and two thirds of all new Covid cases are down to the Indian variant. Total Covid cases nationwide have risen in recent days, but vaccines appear to be protecting against serious illness, with hospitalisations and deaths very low.
12:28 PM
'Four safe and effective vaccines'
Prime Minister Boris Johnson reacts to the Johnson & Johnson jab approval...
This is very welcome news and another boost to our hugely successful vaccination programme.
As we encourage everyone to get their jabs, the single-dose Janssen vaccine will play an important role in helping us protect people from the virus.
Meanwhile, Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, the UK's medicines regulator, said: "This is encouraging news for the public and the healthcare sector. We now have four safe and effective vaccines approved to help protect us from Covid-19.
"Our work does not end here. We are continually monitoring all Covid-19 vaccines in use once they have been approved to ensure that the benefits in protecting people against the disease continue to outweigh any risks.
"The safety of the public will always come first - you can be absolutely sure of our commitment to this."
The single-dose Janssen vaccine has already been authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US and the World Health Organization (WHO).
12:24 PM
Why the Johnson & Johnson jab could be useful for an autumn booster campaign
The Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, developed by the company's pharmaceutical arm Janssen, could prove particularly useful for any booster campaign being rolled out in the UK this autumn.
The jab is part of the UK's Cov-Boost study which is looking at the effectiveness of a range of vaccines that could be used as a booster shot, especially for elderly and vulnerable populations.
It can be stored at fridge temperatures, between 2 and 8 degrees, making it ideal for distribution to care homes and other locations across the UK.
Britain's Vaccine Taskforce originally secured 30 million doses of the Janssen vaccine last year, based on the predicted clinical need at the time. With the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination programme continuing at an unprecedented scale and pace, the government has decided to amend its original order to 20 million.
Covid UK - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will submit updated advice for the Janssen vaccine before doses become available.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "The Janssen vaccine will be another weapon in our arsenal to beat this pandemic.
"We are doing everything we can to vaccinate all adults as quickly as possible and I encourage everybody to come forward for a jab as soon as they are eligible."
12:16 PM
Latest Covid positivity rates for UK released
The latest coronavirus positivity rates across the UK have been published by the Office for National Statistics.
Cases remain low overall, with a slight uptick in Scotland, as leader Nicola Sturgeon stressed this lunchtime (see 12.24).
ONS data for England shows an estimated one in 1,120 people in private households had Covid-19 in the week to May 22 - broadly unchanged from one in 1,110 in the previous week. The estimate for Scotland is around one in 630, up from one in 1,960.
The percentage of people testing positive continues to be low at 0.09%, but there are potential signs of an increase since early May, when the percentage was 0.07%, the ONS said, but urged that rises and falls can be volatile.
#COVID19 positivity rates in English regions were generally low, however there were early signs of an increase in the East of England.
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) May 28, 2021
11:54 AM
How effective is the Johnson & Johnson Covid jab?
The latest Covid vaccine to be approved in the UK, developed by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical arm Janssen, has been shown to be 67 per cent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe Covid-19, with studies suggesting it also offers complete protection from admission to hospital and death.
Johnson & Johnson has said the vaccine works across multiple variants of coronavirus.
In a clinical trial involving 43,783 people, published earlier this year, the level of protection against moderate to severe Covid-19 infection was found to be 72 per cent in the United States arm of the trial.
It was 66 per cent in the Latin American arm of the trial, and 57 per cent in the South African arm, where a mutant variant of the virus has been dominating.
The overall efficacy from these trials combined was 67 per cent.
The UK has ordered 20 million doses of the vaccine, which England's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, has previously said could be used for hard-to-reach groups of people, where recalling them for a second jab is not always successful.
The approval of the J&J vaccine comes as it is thought that the most vulnerable groups of people, including the elderly, will be offered a booster jab before next winter.
Breaking: UK approves single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine
A single-shot coronavirus vaccine from Johnson & Johnson has been approved for use in the UK, the medicines regulator MHRA has announced.
Welcoming the approval of the vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is a further boost to the UK's hugely successful vaccination programme, which has already saved over 13,000 lives, and means that we now have four safe and effective vaccines approved to help protect people from this awful virus.
"As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster programme later this year."
11:36 AM
Sturgeon press briefing: 'Quite high numbers of no-shows at vaccine appointments'
Vaccination rates have been "exceptional" in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon tells a press briefing, but "we are now seeing some quite high numbers of people not attending appointments".
She says the second dose is the one that "makes a real difference to how much protection you have" and people should be cautious until they have received the second shot.
"The single most important thing everybody can do right now is to get vaccinated when you're invited," she says, calling it a "civic duty".
She repeats that those aged between 18 and 29 can register online for appointments.
And down in England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also hailed the vaccination rollout again:
Thanks to the power of vaccination, the link from cases to hospitalisations & to deaths is being severed. pic.twitter.com/5bDMmlDv3i
Breaking: Glasgow to stay in tougher restrictions - but may be eased next Saturday
Nicola Sturgeon is now giving an update on coronavirus in Glasgow, the last part of Scotland to be under tougher restrictions.
"There are some early signs that the situation is stabilising in Glasgow," she says, with cases falling and a higher proportion of asymptomatic infections - so not serious illness, but they remain "uncomfortably high".
Hospitalisations have remained "broadly stable" there over the past week and intensive care admissions are low, she adds.
She says it would be "premature" to move Glasgow out of Level 3 restrictions this week, but if cases remain stable officials would support moving the city to Level 2 restrictions - in line with England's current rules - from next Saturday.
She says she will confirm any decision no later than next Wednesday. "Please get vaccinated," she urges young people.
11:24 AM
Sturgeon: R number 'could be as high as 1.3' in Scotland
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is now giving an update on the coronavirus picture in Scotland.
She says there is "cause for concern" mixed with "real cause for optimism" at the moment - and this reflects the phase we are now in which she hopes is a transition towards dealing the virus with near-normality.
She says vaccination has changed our approach to the virus but our understanding is not yet complete so caution is still needed. She says cases increased by more than a quarter over the past week and are more than double the figure earlier in May.
The R number "could now be as high as 1.3" and the Indian variant probably now accounts for 50 per cent or more of new daily cases. But this seems to be concentrated in younger age groups, indicating vaccination is working, she says.
Hospitalisation has slightly increased, but is only a tiny fraction of what it was earlier this year, and Scottish officials are monitoring the situation.
But even if cases are rising, if the health harms of Covid are lower the need for blanket restrictions will disappear, she adds.
11:10 AM
Prime Minister suggests Olympic Games 'can take place safely' this summer, says No 10
Boris Johnson has suggested the Olympic Games "can take place safely" in Japan this summer, according to No 10.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister spoke to Japanese prime minster Yoshihide Suga this morning ahead of the UK's G7 summit next month.
"The leaders discussed their aims for the upcoming summit, including their commitment to make progress on beating coronavirus globally, tackling climate change, preserving biodiversity and nature, and increasing girls' access to education around the world.
"The Prime Minister expressed his support for the Tokyo Olympics, and noted Japan's efforts to ensure the Games can take place safely.
An Olympic Rings monument is seen at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan - KIMIMASA MAYAMA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
11:07 AM
Hong Kong tycoons offer $1 million flat to boost Covid jabs
Hong Kongers reluctant to get the coronavirus jab have been given a million-dollar reason to roll up their sleeves after property tycoons donated a brand new flat to a vaccine lottery.
Worth HK$10.8 million (US$1.4 million), the one-bedroom apartment will be the lucky draw's grand prize, the property developers announced Friday. They will also offer 20 other prizes worth HK$100,000 each.
Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world to have secured more than enough doses to inoculate all 7.5 million people. But rampant distrust of the government combined with a lack of urgency in a comparatively virus-free city - has led to hesitancy and a dismally lagging inoculation drive.
Seeking to boost uptake, Sino Group, Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings said all Hong Kong residents aged 18 and above who have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccines will be eligible to register for the lucky draw until September 1.
Only permanent residents are eligible for the top prize of an apartment in the world's most unaffordable housing market.
10:58 AM
Hungary detects first cases of Indian Covid-19 variant
Hungary has identified two cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India, the government official in charge of vaccinations said on Friday.
Hungary has been badly hit by the pandemic, and according to Johns Hopkins University data is the country with the most deaths per 100,000 people. An especially lethal third wave has been easing after an aggressive vaccination campaign.
"The Indian variant is present in Hungary, according to experts we cannot exclude the possibility of a new wave of the pandemic," Istvan Gyorgy, deputy minister and head of the government's task force on vaccinations, told a news conference.
Surgeon General Cecilia Muller added one of the two patients has recovered already. Contact tracing was unable to establish how they were infected. Neither of them spent time abroad recently.
10:56 AM
'It's not a death, it's murder': how India's second Covid wave has hit mothers and babies
Shama Isra with her baby boy at Safdarjung Hospital - Shama had to have an emergency caesarean section after developing high blood pressure - Catherine Davison
At first, Chandan Vaishnav was not too worried about his wife, Lata, who had just tested positive for Covid-19, writes Catherine Davison.
She was eight months pregnant and was, in theory, more vulnerable to the disease as India's second wave of the coronavirus has been hitting pregnant and post-partum women hard.
Still, Mr Vaishnav thought, this was Delhi, the capital, which has some of the best health facilities in the country. But the first hospital the couple went to refused to take her. So did the second.
In the midst of a second wave that was overwhelming an already strained healthcare system, hospitals in Delhi were struggling to procure enough oxygen and patients were scrambling for limited beds.
Over the space of two days, her condition gradually deteriorating, Lata was turned away from more than 20 hospitals; Mr Vaishnav estimates that he called another 50 to 60. "I got the same reply – 'we can’t take her. We don’t have enough beds.'"
Taxi company in Bangkok creates new system to reassure passengers of Covid safety
A private cab company in Bangkok has created a new system to reassure passengers that its drivers have been vaccinated as the authorities scramble to control the third Covid-19 wave to hit the Southeast Asian nation, writes Nicola Smith.
According to Vice News, the firm – Smart Taxi – has allowed fully vaccinated drivers to change their roof display from the usual "available" sign to a bright green LED sign showing the words "vaccine" and "Covid" in English, Thai and Chinese.
"But they can't just change the display willy nilly," Piset Tinakorn Na Ayutthaya, the Managing Director of Smart Taxi told the news site.
"Every driver must come to the headquarters and provide us with paperwork ensuring that they've been fully vaccinated. Drivers who have only received one shot will not be allowed to do this."
10:15 AM
WHO experts preparing proposal for next studies on virus origin
World Health Organization (WHO) experts are preparing a proposal on the next studies to be carried out into the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19, a spokeswoman said on Friday.
The United States called on Thursday for the WHO to carry out a second phase of its investigation into the origins, with independent experts given full access to original data and samples in China. Britain made a similar appeal.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a U.N. briefing on Friday that experts would prepare a proposal for WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, but that there was no set timeline.
Earlier this week WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said that talks with member states would continue in coming weeks.
09:57 AM
Watch: The government is 'always reviewing data' ahead of June 21 reopening, says Business Secretary
09:53 AM
Delay June 21 unlocking and foreign travel by two months to stop variants, says Independent Sage
The final stage of unlocking should be delayed for two months "until a much higher proportion of people are vaccinated with both doses", a member of Independent Sage has said.
Professor Christina Pagel argued that we would be "in a much better position" if we could "delay international travel and delay step four of the roadmap".
Ms Pagel told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "We are in a situation where compared to two months ago, we now have a dominant variant that both transmits faster and our vaccines are less effective against it, particularly after one dose.
"I think the fourth test of 'is there a new variant of concern that changes the risk profile' is not met.
"What worries me even more is that we have not changed our border policy. New variants are coming up everywhere and this summer we need to protect our vaccination programme."
09:49 AM
Ireland maintains quarantine on British travellers due to Indian variant
Ireland's Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said that the country is to maintain its 14-day quarantine on British travellers because of “real concerns” about the prevalence of the Indian variant in Britain.
"We're buying into the European Digital Green system so there will be different set(s) of rules for EU countries versus non-EU countries, and there will still be countries that are on a danger list or a red list where the restrictions will be very tough," he said.
"All EU countries are coming off the mandatory hotel quarantining list.
"It's great that we're going to see a return to international travel, but we're going to try and do this as safely as possible and minimise risk.
"That, unfortunately, will create a degree of uncertainty for some people because you might book a trip somewhere for a country that's not on a red list but it may be on the red list by the time you go there and there will be requirements around vaccines and testing.
"So, unfortunately, it is not going to be a return to international travel as we used to know it, at least not yet, but it is going to be a clear road map and a phased return to international travel."
09:38 AM
Have you been affected by the care home crisis? Get in touch with our team
The Telegraph wants to hold the Government to account over its lack of testing for elderly patients at the height of the pandemic last March.
Many patients who had unknowingly contracted the virus were later discharged to care homes throughout the nation.
Matt Hancock has claimed "it wasn't possible" to test everyone until capacity had been built up, thanks to his 100,000 test target.
We want to hear from families whose relatives were discharged from hospital into a care home, without being tested positive for Covid-19, and then passed away from the virus.
Taiwan accuses China of disrupting its Covid-19 vaccine rollout
Taiwan has accused China of disrupting its Covid-19 vaccine rollout as it grapples with its worst outbreak of the pandemic, writes Nicola Smith, Asia correspondent.
The war of words began on Wednesday when President Tsai Ing-wen directly accused China of blocking a deal with BioNTech, the German company which sells the vaccine in partnership with Pfizer Inc. The contract was reportedly for about 5 million doses.
Then on Thursday, Taiwan’s health minister revealed that Germany’s BioNTech asked for the removal of the word "country" from a joint press release on the planned Covid-19 vaccine sale a week before the deal collapsed.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and does not recognise it as a separate country.
BioNTech has not commented on the accusations, saying only: “it goes without saying that it is BioNTech’s goal to provide access to our vaccine to as many people worldwide as possible.”
Taiwan announced 557 new domestic Covid-19 cases on Friday, and a record daily death toll of 19. It has reported 7,315 infections since the pandemic began, more than 5,500 of them since mid-May.
09:28 AM
Matt Hancock denies promising Prime Minister hospital to care home testing
Under fire Health Secretary Matt Hancock has insisted he told the Prime Minister people would be tested for coronavirus before being moved from hospitals to care homes "when we could do it".
Mr Hancock told a Downing Street briefing on Thursday that it was not possible to test everyone being sent from hospitals into care homes at the start of the pandemic because the capacity was not available.
His comments came a day after the Prime Minister's former chief adviser Dominic Cummings told MPs that Government claims about putting a shield round care homes were "complete nonsense".
Mr Cummings also claimed Boris Johnson was furious to discover that untested patients had been discharged to care homes, alleging that Mr Hancock had told them both that people being discharged would be tested.
But when asked if he had told the Prime Minister and Mr Cummings that everyone going from hospitals to care homes would be tested, Mr Hancock said: "My recollection of events is that I committed to delivering that testing for people going from hospital into care homes when we could do it.
Here is Matt Hancock saying on 15 April 2020 that everybody going from hospital into social care will be tested:
NEWS: Everybody going from hospital into social care will be tested for #coronavirus & isolated whilst the result comes through to protect those most in need. pic.twitter.com/NaU7ggRRhJ
People with only one jab could still end up in hospital, says Prof Hayward
Professor Andrew Hayward, from University College London and a member of New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said people who have only had one dose of the vaccine could end up in hospital, even if they were young.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "On top of that, we are seeing adoubling of cases (of the Indian variant) every week, and at a very minimum estimate it's about 7,000 cases last week, it only takes five or six doublings for that to get up to say a quarter-million cases, and then you could set the pressure on the NHS and avoidable illnesses."
He said when further restrictions were lifted "instead of doubling every week it's likely to double more frequently than that of course, so I think there is a good argument for caution until such time as we've got a much higher proportion of the population double vaccinated."
He said many people could still work from home "without it having any economic impact", which would substantially reduce transmission of the virus.
08:44 AM
Pictured: Coronavirus in India
Family members of Vijay Raju, who died from coronavirus, mourn before his cremation at a crematorium ground in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India - Samuel Rajkumar/REUTERS Volunteers, Akshaya, 22, a law student, and Esther Mary, 41, a lecturer, carry the body of a person who died from coronavirus for burial at a cemetery in Bengaluru, India - Samuel Rajkumar/REUTERS
08:41 AM
'Huge concerns' about handling of first wave of the pandemic, says care home charity
The head of the UK's largest charity care home provider has said there are "huge concerns" about the handling of the first wave of the pandemic.
Sam Monaghan, chief executive of MHA, told Times Radio: "I think the system of government has managed to get its act together during the course of the pandemic so now, clearly, we have a well-run, rolled-out vaccination programme, and we do have PPE, and we do have honed policies.
"But it feels (like) a journey that we should have gone on an awful lot faster.
"So I think there are just real concerns and huge questions to be asked around what happened, particularly during that first wave, and then the preparation for the second wave."
Mr Monaghan added: "I suppose what I do know is that we need the public inquiry to take place as soon as possible so that we get to really understand exactly what happened."
08:21 AM
Cases will go up but vaccines are helping, says Dr Tildesley
Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) group, told BBC Breakfast that cases will go up but the vaccines are proving to help.
He said: "We would expect, with these restrictions being lifted, at some point the R number would go above 1, and it looks like that's probably what's happening now, given that we're starting to see cases going up.
"But the important thing for us is, given we now have the vaccines, we are in a very different place from, say, in October when we were starting to see cases rising in a concerning way, because hopefully the vaccines can help us along the way."
He said "it seems like the vaccines work pretty well, particularly after a second dose" and urged everyone to come forward for both doses of the jab.
08:20 AM
'Hard to see any reason' why June 21 could not go ahead, says Nervtag member
Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told Times Radio that the people being admitted to hospital are "predominantly unvaccinated" and it was "hard to see any reason" why June 21 could not go ahead.
He added: "The vaccines are doing their job in protecting the most vulnerable, the oldest... the infection is being driven into smaller and smaller pockets, and we really have to just pursue it with the vaccines."
He said the virus is circulating in age groups "which even without vaccination have a very low probability of serious illness or death and, of course, the more it circulates, the more that people build up natural immunity to supplement that which is achieved by the vaccination programme."
08:16 AM
Taking patients from hospital to care home was like 'putting a live explosive in a box of tinder'
The head of the UK's largest charity care home provider has said taking patients directly from hospitals into care homes without Covid testing was like "putting a live explosive in a box of tinder".
Sam Monaghan, chief executive of MHA, told Times Radio: "Obviously you had the pressure from the NHS, which we quite understood in terms of real concerns about them being overwhelmed.
"But there's no way that you can take people into care homes who aren't tested - it is like putting kind of a live explosive into a box of tinder."
He added: "Care home residents were seen as somehow an inevitable casualty of this.
Mr Monaghan pointed out that, of the 40,000 people who died in the first wave of coronavirus, half had been care homes residents.
"That just highlights that there was no support, and that we were abandoned as a sector during that first wave," he said.
08:12 AM
'All support was taken away' from care homes, claims chief of UK charity care home provider
The chief executive of the UK's largest charity care home provider has said "all support was taken away" from care homes in the first wave of the pandemic.
Speaking in the wake of accusations made by Dominic Cummings against Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Sam Monaghan, head of MHA said it was "not the case" the Government had thrown a protective ring around care homes.
He told Times Radio: "We were saying right from the get-go we need testing in order that we can best isolate residents who may have contracted the virus, and to ensure that staff who have got the virus aren't in work.
"But we could not get the testing, and certainly we couldn't get proper routine testing till late May, early June."
Mr Monaghan said care homes had been unable to source PPE because the government had requisitioned it all for the NHS, adding that the government supply line "was just completely inadequate and unresilient".
Mr Cummings claims that Matt Hancock told the Prime Minister “categorically in March that people would be tested before they went back to care homes” - POOL/REUTERS
07:54 AM
Mental wellbeing of country should be considered in unlocking, says UK hospitality chief
The head of industry body UK Hospitality has warned the mental health and wellbeing of millions of people who work in the sector are at risk if the Government extends lockdown restrictions beyond June 21.
Speaking to Sky News, Kate Nicholls said the health and wellbeing of the country as a whole had to be part of the decision-making on extending restrictions, not just Covid-19 data.
"We do need to make sure we get this balance right, and that we take a decision that's based on economics, health and well being in the round, as well as just the public health data," she said.
Ms Nicholls added: "We all ought to have cause for optimism because in this situation.
"Unlike last December, unlike last September, and unlike last July when we did reopen hospitality, we have got a vaccine and we have got large proportions of the country vaccinated and therefore protected, so we should be able to take bigger steps."
07:43 AM
'Nothing' to suggest June 21 unlocking needs to be delayed, says Business Secretary
Kwasi Kwarteng has said there is "nothing" he has seen that "would suggest we should delay or extend the date of reopening.
The Business Secretary added that "the caveat obviously is that the data could change".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "As of today, I can assure people there is nothing in the data that suggest to me we should move the date.
"The data we have seen so far would suggest the vaccination programme has been very successful."
He added: "As of today, with the data I have seen, I don't think we will move the date but I can't guarantee that".
07:28 AM
Hospitality chief calls on extended support for sector if June 21 unlocking gets postponed
The head of industry body UK Hospitality has called on the Government to extend support to the hospitality sector if the date for full lifting of restrictions is postponed.
Kate Nicholls told Sky News: "Businesses will be forced to choose between paying business rates their taxes on their property or paying their people and keeping the business afloat."
She continued: "That is not a position we want our businesses to be in, and it can't be right after 15 months of closure and heavy restrictions that the Government would suddenly cut the industry loose."
Ms Nicholls said proper support was needed "to avoid many of them going bust in very short order as a result of those restrictions continuing".
"The industry was haemorrhaging half-a-billion pounds a month, every month that it was closed," she said.
"None of the businesses are breaking even. The best they're doing is 60% of normal revenue."
Kate Nicholls says if all restrictions are not lifted, greater government support will be needed for the hospitality industry which is "existing on fumes."https://t.co/qUF6tScpZNpic.twitter.com/NTaEKWSfcr
Local lockdown still 'a long way away' in Hounslow, says council's director of public health
Kelly O'Neill, the director of public health at Hounslow Council, has insisted that the possibility of a localised lockdown is still "a long way away", despite an upsurge in cases in the area.
Ms O'Neill said the council had been managing outbreaks by taking a case-by-case approach and persuading people who test positive to self-isolate.
She told BBC Breakfast: "I think that any suggestion of lockdown is is a long way away, it will damage us economically and socially, and actually it would end up with us losing confidence with our communities, and we're nowhere near that."
07:21 AM
Massive response from minority communities in Hounslow in wake of cases surge
The director of public health at Hounslow Council has said there has been a massive response from minority communities in the wake of an upsurge in Covid-19 cases in the area.
Kelly O'Neill said there had been a "one Hounslow" response to the rising case numbers, telling BBC Breakfast 1,300 people had come forward for vaccination at a centre set up at a Sikh temple on Thursday.
Ms O'Neill said that in some minority communities in Hounslow, as many as one in five people eligible for a vaccine have not come forward, but that this was starting to change.
"I'm expecting to see, certainly by the end of the week, a massive change in our data, that really demonstrates that people who should have been vaccinated previously are now coming forward," she said.
"These are groups that we've labelled 'hard to reach', but I think in truth, they have been 'hardly reached', so actually all of this activity around the vaccination programme has allowed us to stop and think and talk to these communities."
Hounslow Launches Surge Testing And Jabs Over Covid-19 Variant Concerns - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
07:16 AM
One million hospitality jobs at risk if UK doesn't open up on June 21, warns hospitality chief
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, has said it will be "pretty devastating" for the hospitality industry if the UK doesn't leave lockdown on 21 June.
She told Sky News that it is "absolutely critical for hospitality as a whole that we unlock on the 21 June."
She continued: "The businesses that are open and the businesses that are trying to reopen, they are not operating at a profit at the moment, they're not even breaking even.
"21 June is critical for our pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, many of whom are still haemorrhaging cash at the moment."
Ms Nicholls added: "About a million jobs will be at risk unless we can get government support extended, or those social distancing measures lifted."
"It is absolutely critical for hospitality as a whole that we do unlock on 21 June."
UK Hospitality's Kate Nicholls says already struggling businesses will be "devastated" and around one million jobs at risk if restrictions are not lifted next month.https://t.co/qUF6tScpZNpic.twitter.com/TokJ835Hof
Matt Hancock in 'difficult situation' while tackling pandemic, says Cabinet minister
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has stressed the "difficult situation" Matt Hancock was in while tackling the pandemic.
Asked on Sky News whether it was incorrect for the Health Secretary to say the "protective ring" had been thrown around care homes, Mr Kwarteng said: "I think what Matt stressed very carefully yesterday was that he was absolutely focused, right from the start of the pandemic, on saving people's lives.
"He was in a difficult situation as the Health Secretary, in a pandemic, the like of which we hadn't seen for 100 years. He was under huge pressure.
"And as a Cabinet colleague, I know that he worked really hard and very few people - if anyone - worked as hard as he did and he was very committed to saving lives. Now, he said what he said, I fully believe him but we'll have an inquiry and that will iron out all these facts."
06:52 AM
'Impossible for anyone to know' what situation will be like on June 21, says Business Secretary
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said "it's impossible for anyone to know what the situation will be like in a week or two weeks' time" in relation to the planned reopening of the country on June 21.
Speaking to Sky News he said: "We'll be looking at the data, we've said repeatedly that we won't make a final decision about the 21st of June until the 14th of June, a week before the established date.
"So I can't guarantee one thing or the other."
He said that business owners understand the Government has "to look at the science... scientific evidence, we have to look at the data, and that we shouldn't be rushing too quick and easy conclusions" with opening up.
"They want to get open and up and running again," he said, "but they do understand that we have to do it in a safe way".
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng leaves Downing Street - Jack Taylor/Getty Images
06:46 AM
Indoor music events do not increase risk, Spanish trial suggests
Early evidence suggests indoor music events can take place without increasing the risk of coronavirus transmission.
The first randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of comprehensive Covid-19 safety measures at a live indoor concert in Spain reports no cases of virus transmission.
Safety precautions included attendees taking same-day lateral flow tests before entry, mandatory N95 mask wearing, enhanced ventilation, and crowd control.
But there was no requirement for social distancing, and participants were allowed to sing and dance at the event.
The study was conducted in Barcelona, Spain, on December 12 last year when the prevalence of coronavirus infections in the region was low to intermediate (221 cases per 100,000 people).
Researchers noted the number of new infections resulting from the event would therefore have been expected to be low.
In the UK spectators have attended a series of scientific pilot events as part of the Government's Events Research programme. This has included crowds at a number of sporting events and indoor music events.
Experts will use the results from these pilots to help inform the Government's plan to safely get big crowds back this summer.
Crowds at a music festival in Sefton Park in Liverpool as part of the national Events Research Programme - Danny Lawson/PA Wire
06:13 AM
Today's front page
Here is your Daily Telegraph on Friday, May 28.
Tel front page
06:10 AM
Too much of a coincidence virus started near a 'very large center working on coronaviruses'
Professor Lawrence Young, Professor of Molecular Oncology at Warwick University, has said that the World Health Organisation's report on whether coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab has produced "a lot of concern among many of us that it was not detailed enough."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "They were not given access to any of the primary data within that laboratory."
He said: "Looking at all the hard evidence around the molecular aspects of all this, it's hard to imagine that this is anything other than spread from another animal."
"Having said that, we do need to see more detail from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. It feels too much of a coincidence, doesn't it, that the original cases were detected in Wuhan and what you have there is a very large center working on coronaviruses," he added.
The WHO report suggested a laboratory incident was "highly unlikely".
Aerial view of the P4 laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan - HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP
05:41 AM
Kim Kardashian West reveals family tested positive for Covid
Kim Kardashian West revealed she tested positive for Covid-19 before taking her law exam.
The star said her son, five-year-old Saint, caught the virus at school late last year and may have passed it to her while she was caring for him.
Her other three children also tested positive and filming for the family's reality TV show was shut down for two weeks.
The positive test was revealed in the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which followed the billionaire businesswoman during her studies for a law exam, a test she previously failed.
US-ARTS-CELEBRITY-CRIME-KARDASHIAN Original description: (FILES) In this file photo taken on February 6, 2019, US media personality Kim Kardashian West arrives to attend the amfAR Gala in New York. - Kim Kardashian found herself caught up in an unlikely international art smuggling row - AFP
05:24 AM
Tokyo state of emergency extended as Olympics loom
Japan will extend a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas on Friday until just a month before the Olympics, in a move that is likely to fuel concerns over whether the Games can be held safely.
Tokyo and nine other parts of the country are currently under emergency orders which mostly involve closing bars and restaurants early and banning them from selling alcohol.
The emergency was supposed to expire at the end of May in most places, but the government now says it needs more time to control a fourth wave of infections.
"The overall level (of infections) continues to be very high," Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of coronavirus response, said.
Morning commuters near Shinjuku Station in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, May 28, 2021. The Japanese government recommended extending a state of emergency that includes Tokyo and other major cities, trying to rein in coronavirus infections ahead of the capital hosting the Olympics in less than two months. - Bloomberg
04:10 AM
Volunteers handling 30 times more bodies in Malaysia
Malaysian volunteers, who help to give virus victims a Muslim burial, say they are being stretched like never before, as the Southeast Asian country struggles to cope with its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
Dressed in full protective gear, the Malaysian Funeral Management Squad is usually called in by hospitals to help families to pay their last respects in a safe way.
Muhammad Rafieudin Zainal Rasid, a religious leader who heads the nationwide volunteer team, has become known as the "cleric undertaker". He said the volunteers were handling almost 30 times more bodies than they did last year.
The volunteer team has grown in size to more than 2,000 members, but Muhammad Rafieudin said they are struggling to keep up.
Malaysian Muslim cleric Rafie Zainal and his team members assist family members of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victim during a burial at a cemetery, in Gombak - Reuters
03:28 AM
Different approach in South America, same high death rate
Uruguay adopted a hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic while Argentina applied strict lockdowns but the fate of the South American neighbors was the same: They now have some of the world's highest Covid-19 death rates.
Fifteen months after the virus first appeared on the continent much of South America is experiencing its worst moment yet, despite some countries making great headway in their vaccination programs.
Uruguay tops the list of the globe's worst death rates, followed by Paraguay, with Argentina coming in third.
Over the last two weeks Uruguay recorded 21.62 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Argentina notched 14.73. Three other South American countries fill out the top six: Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
As Infections Spike Across Argentina Original description: Customers shop for produce at a vendor stall in a market in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, - Bloomberg
02:34 AM
California offers million-dollar prizes in vaccine push
California is giving away the United States' largest pot of vaccine prize money - $116.5 million (£81 million) - in an attempt to get millions more vaccinated before the country's most populous state fully reopens next month.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced the prizes, which include $1.5 million (£1 million) each for 10 Californians, the largest single award offered in any state.
The goal is to motivate roughly 12 million people who are eligible but not yet vaccinated, though the more than 20 million Californians already partially or fully vaccinated also are in the running for the most valuable prizes.
"We're putting aside more resources than any other state in America, and we're making available the largest prizes of any state in America for those that seek to get vaccinated," Mr Newsom announced at an East Los Angeles high school where people were being vaccinated in the gymnasium.
Sisters Guadalupe Flores, 15, right, and Estela Flores, 13, left, from East Los Angeles, get vaccinated with the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine by licensed vocational nurse Rita Orozco, far left, at the Esteban E. Torres High School in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 27, 2021. Vaccinated Californians will be eligible for $116.5 million in prize money. - AP
02:05 AM
Are Dominic Cummings' guilty verdicts really fair?
Dominic Cummings has never been shy of sharing his opinion. Well before his testimony on Wednesday, he happily outlined his world view in lengthy blogs and Twitter threads. The tone is consistent: scornful of consensus, dismissive of the many, star struck by a very few, and a cheerleader for technology.
So it was again before the Commons Science and Technology Committee: Group think had gripped No 10; Whitehall was a disaster zone; computer scientists Demis Hassibis was “incredibly able”; Marc Warner, whose artificial intelligence firm Faculty was drafted into the Covid effort, should have been endowed with “kingly authority” to do as he pleased.
With this curious blend of derision and deference, modesty and authority, Cummings passed judgement on several key areas of failure. But were those guilty verdicts really fair?
Japan considering providing AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan
The Japanese government is considering providing part of the national supply of Cocid-19 vaccines secured from AstraZeneca to Taiwan, Japan's Sankei newspaper reported on Friday, citing government and ruling party sources.
Japan approved AstraZeneca's vaccine last week and has contracted to buy 120 million doses. But there are no immediate plans to use the shots in the country, amid lingering concerns raised internationally over blood clots.
AstraZeneca's local partner Daiichi Sankyo Co started bottling the vaccine in March and the stockpile is currently estimated at around 30 million doses which will expire by September if not used.
Soldiers disinfect a street following the recent surge of coronavirus infections, in the Tucheng district of New Taipei City - Reuters
11:49 PM
Cases in Australia's Victoria fall on first day of lockdown
Australia's state of Victoria reported four new locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Friday, the first day of a one-week hard lockdown imposed to contain a growing coronavirus outbreak in the capital Melbourne.
Victoria, Australia's second most populous state, entered lockdown on Thursday night, due to run until June 3, forcing its near seven million residents to remain home except for essential business.
The state reported 12 locally acquired cases a day earlier.
Essential workers walk past a 'Heroes Wear Masks' sign on the first day of a seven-day lockdown in Victoria - Reuters
When the Prime Minister returned to Downing Street on April 12, 2020 after seven nights in hospital with coronavirus, one of the first things he asked, according to Dominic Cummings, was: “What on earth has happened with all these people in care homes?”
Responding to a notice advertising a vaccination drive among illegal migrants, thousands of people flocked to central London location after jabs offered without need for appointment.
A United Nations inquiry is needed to get to the bottom of whether coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab, experts have said, with one government adviser saying the theory had not been "properly explored".
Ministers are to consider lifting the requirement for “expensive” PCR tests for fully vaccinated holidaymakers returning from green list countries – but the decision will hinge on Porton Down tests on transmissibility.
Nicola Sturgeon is under mounting pressure to announce the end of Glasgow's lockdown after a leading expert suggested the city could be moved into lower restrictions to support businesses.
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