Covid UK news live: Latest vaccine updates as booster jabs for 32m to begin next month

Nicola Sturgeon has urged the prime minister to meet her to discuss the country’s recovery from coronavirus.

The Scottish first minister has invited Boris Johnson to meet with her at her official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh.

In a letter to the PM, she said that as he was due to be in Scotland this week, it would be “their first opportunity to meet in person for a while”.

And while she acknowledged she and Mr Johnson “differ politically”, she stressed the Scottish and UK governments must “work together where we can”.

Food delivery and taxi-hailing companies are to offer discounted rides and meals for customers who get a Covid-19 jab to help boost vaccine uptake, the government has announced.

Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo are among the brands who will be offering incentives to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said taxi app firm Uber will be sending reminders to all users in August encouraging them to get jabbed.

The company will offer discounted Uber rides and meals on its Uber Eats platform for young adults who receive a vaccine.

Bolt, another ride-hailing app, will offer “free ride credit” to vaccination centres, while Deliveroo will give vouchers to young people who get jabbed.

Bulgaria may be moved onto the UK government’s green watchlist, a top data analyst has warned – which would signal that the destination is at risk of having its green status removed.

Tim White, an independent data and Covid expert, believes the move could happen in response to a combination of rising Covid-19 infections and a low vaccination rate in the eastern European nation.

While Bulgaria was added to the green list on 19 July, Britons have been unable to visit , since the Balkan state added the UK to its own “red zone” list, along with Cyprus, Spain, Fiji and Kuwait. Jo Caird has the full story:

The number of new homes being registered jumped to a 14-year high between April and June, according to an industry body, indicating a “remarkable” rebound since swathes of the housebuilding industry ground to a halt during the first lockdown.

Across the UK, 46,452 new homes were registered in the second quarter of 2021, marking the highest quarterly total since the third quarter of 2007, the National House Building Council (NHBC), a warranty and insurance provider, said.

NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said: “A 14-year-high in new home registrations is quite something in the present environment.

“Despite the combined effects of the pandemic and Brexit causing labour shortages and some disruption to the supply of materials, the outlook for the medium term is a positive one.”

Standards of care for hospital patients admitted with coronavirus did not slip during the pandemic, a new study from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) suggests.

Of 510 patients treated across 19 NHS trusts in England during 2020, more than three-quarters of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus received “good” or “excellent” care, according to a new review .

It was deemed to be poor for 3.5 per cent of patients, and reviewers said the “very few instances of poor care” was “exceptional given the enormous pressures that were very rapidly placed upon the NHS at the start of the pandemic”.

The RCP said that, despite overall good performance, hospitals should “strive to reduce variation in care” in some areas including end-of-life care in hospital, care for those with learning disabilities, and documentation and communication.

The prospect of a booster vaccine campaign in the UK – possibly starting as soon as September – is “alarming”, given that many countries face new waves of coronavirus with far less protection, poverty reduction campaigners have warned.

“The real battle to beat Covid and prevent dangerous new variants is now taking place in countries where millions of people are facing deadly new waves of the virus with far less protection, so it’s alarming that the government is choosing to prioritise booster shots,” said Lis Wallace, head of UK advocacy at the ONE Campaign.

“With falling infection rates and a successful vaccination programme that means that almost three quarters of British adults are protected, it’s vital that the government sees the bigger picture.

“The only guaranteed way to reduce the risk of new variants undermining the progress that has been made is to get vaccines around the world as soon as possible. If we want to end this pandemic at home and abroad, then now is the time to ensure we beat this virus everywhere.”

In related news, our health correspondent Shaun Lintern reports that a landmark study has found that a lack of GP services and poor community healthcare could be behind higher death rates among hospital patients admitted at the weekend.

Until now, blame for higher mortality among weekend patients has been placed on a lack of senior doctors on duty in hospitals, following studies which showed patients admitted on a Saturday or Sunday were 16 per cent more likely to die over the next month than those admitted on a Wednesday.

But the new research finds no evidence of a link between mortality rates and the number of consultants on duty.

Another person enjoying isolation-free travel today was Colin Morton, 56, who arrived at Glasgow Airport on Monday morning.

The engineer, who moved to Italy in his mid-20s and had both his vaccinations there, said he had returned to Scotland to visit his mother, who has been unwell.

He said: “My mother and father live here and they are both elderly and my mother has been unwell, so I’m looking forward to being able to see her.

“There would have been no point coming if I had to quarantine.”

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds called on the government to be “open and transparent” over its travel guidelines.

Asked if an amber watch list should be introduced, she told Times Radio: “Well, no, we don’t want to see additional confusion and chaos here… We’ve been here before, we’ve been in this chaos before, and yet government seems to be providing just more of the same, more confusion, more extra categories.

“What we’ve said for months as the Labour Party is that the Conservative government need to be open and transparent, they need to be actually publishing the data that they’re taking their decisions on.

“They need to be also seeking that agreement around vaccine passports internationally that they’ve said they’re trying to do, but we’ve seen no evidence of progress there.

“If there’s more openness, I think that’s going to build trust in the system.”

A decision on whether the over-50s will need a third Covid-19 jab is to be set out by vaccination experts in the next few weeks.

If the programme is given the green light, it is expected that all those over the age of 50 or clinically vulnerable in England will be offered a booster jab before Christmas.

NHS officials have set plans in motion to deliver a joint coronavirus and flu jab campaign in the autumn, but it is still not known whether a booster jab will be needed.

Experts advising the government – the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) – will deliver guidance before the programme is due to commence on September 6.

Pharmacies will play a significant role role in the programme for delivering third jabs to help top up immunity levels as GP surgeries resume usual duties as much as possible.

The Telegraph said vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has briefed MPs on the plans, which include the aim of delivering an average of almost 2.5 million third doses a week and carving out an increased role for pharmacies.