Stay informed with The Spectator during the Covid-19 crisis. This daily email will cover the latest developments, data and new research.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

A summary of news, research and general developments in the Covid-19 crisis Covid-19 Update News and analysis The government will launch a campaign next week encouraging people to return to their workplaces. No under-18s have died with Covid-19 in the UK without also having a ‘profound comorbidity’, a study suggests. Details below. The UK has recorded its highest number of new Covid-19 infections since 12 June with 1,522 positive cases reported on Thursday. However the seven-day average for deaths fell from 64 on 24 July to 11 yesterday and just 767 coronavirus patients remained in hospital as of 25 August – the lowest figure since 27 March. Arrivals from Switzerland, Czech Republic and Jamaica from 4 a.m. on Saturday must quarantine for two weeks due to rising infections in the countries. Cuba has been added to the list of nations exempt from the rule. NHS surgeons are working at around 50% of capacity as efforts to restore services are being hindered by procedures meant to protect against coronavirus. Waiting times for operations have soared because of the pandemic, with more than 50,000 people having waited longer than 12 months for treatment compared with more than 1,000 a year ago. The Care Quality Commission has refused to disclose individual care homes’ coronavirus death rates, in part because the figures would ‘likely prejudice the commercial interests’ of the businesses involved. ‘On the other hand, it’s a marvellous example of successful rewilding.’ Tweet this Cartoon . Risk to children is ‘vanishingly small’ by Ross Clark   It has been clear from the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis – from the experience in Wuhan, before cases had been confirmed in Britain – that it was a disease with relatively little impact on children. A study led by Liverpool University and published in the British Medical Journal today confirms that and sheds more light on how Covid-19 affects children. The study looks at data from 260 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales, to which 69,516 patients were admitted with Covid-19 symptoms between 17 January and 3 July. Of these, 651 were aged under 19 and 225 were aged under 12 months. Serious underlying medical conditions were present in 42 per cent of the children.   Most were successfully treated on hospital wards but 116 went on to be admitted to critical care and 58 ended up on mechanical ventilation. In 52 cases, the patients were judged to be suffering from Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome associated with Covid-19 (MIS-C) – the condition similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome that was identified in London hospitals in March. Six children went on to die. Three were aged under 28 days, had been born very prematurely and had complex congenital anomalies and bacterial sepsis. The other three who died were in the 15 to 18 age bracket. Two had profound neurodisabilities which had compromised their respiratory systems. The other had a suppressed immune system as a result of cancer treatment and was also suffering from bacterial sepsis. No children without serious comorbidities died, and nor did any child between the ages of 28 days and 15 years. However, the 10 to 14 age group was over-represented among those admitted to critical care.   As in the adult population, males were more at risk of being hospitalised than females: boys made up 56 per cent of those admitted. Ethnic minorities, too, were over-represented, with 12 of those hospitalised of South Asian heritage while 10 per cent were black. By comparison, black children account for 4.7 per cent of the child population in England and Wales and 1 per cent in Scotland. The symptoms suffered by the children who were hospitalised varied a little from the symptoms reported in adults. Only 39 per cent had a cough. Fever was present in 70 per cent of cases, nausea/vomiting in 32 per cent and shortness of breath in 30 per cent. Those who went on to be admitted to critical care were especially likely to present with three symptoms: diarrhoea, conjunctivitis and altered consciousness/confusion.   Those who required critical care were likely to have been in hospital several days before they showed symptoms – suggesting that in their case, Covid-19 might have been a hospital-acquired infection. The study is bound to be of interest to those on both sides of the debate about whether schools should return full-time next week. The study shows that children are not immune from Covid-19, but, in the words of one of the authors, the risk of serious illness is extremely low and death ‘vanishingly small’. . In pictures French Prime Minister, Jean Castex (left), made face masks compulsory in public spaces in Paris from today. (Photo by Christophe Archambault/Pool/AFP via Getty Images.) . In words ‘Well I know that the police figures or the border force figures come out retrospectively so I don’t have those. But I can tell you that 4,200 cases have been referred to the police for breaking the quarantine. And a reminder that you are in danger of getting a criminal record as well as the fine if you break the quarantine, it is a serious matter.’      – Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Times Radio that he did not have the latest police figures for quarantine breakers. Yesterday’s figures show that police have only fined three quarantine breakers.   ‘Ministers are increasingly sounding like dinosaurs here. Millions of employees are working from home very successfully whilst employers are recognising that the world of work has changed and are embracing it. The genie won’t fit back in the bottle, best not try.’      – Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union for UK senior and middle management civil servants, on the government’s push to get workers back to the office. . Global news A recent three-week trip to China by a World Health Organization team sent to investigate the origins of Covid-19 did not involve a visit to Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. The omission prompted accusations from Australian politicians that the WHO is placing political sensitivities above the public health interests of the world. As of this morning all pedestrians in Paris must wear face masks in public areas. Yesterday France recorded 6,111 new infections, its highest total since early May, while the number of ‘red zones’ in the country where the virus is in active circulation has jumped from two to 21. Meanwhile Spanish children over the age of six must wear face masks in schools. Donald Trump has announced a $750 million (£564 million) deal to buy 150 million rapid coronavirus tests from Abbott Laboratories. The announcement comes the day after emergency approval was granted by the US Food and Drug Administration for a test made by the firm. Poland will ban flights from 46 nations from Wednesday as the country tries to contain an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. This week Poland also announced that it would shorten its quarantine period from two weeks to ten days. Around 10,000 bottles of rakija, a traditional plum brandy popular in the Balkans, will be used to disinfect a hospital in the Serbian city of Krusevac. The alcohol had been sitting in a warehouse since 2005 having failed an inspection. Authorities had previously converted 350,000 bottles of wine from a bankrupt distillery into disinfectant. . Datawatch . Research: Contact-less Contact-tracing apps are not enough to prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to a study published in The Lancet Digital Health. Researchers at UCL reviewed 110 papers on contact-tracing, focusing on 15 studies to analyse the efficacy of tracing systems. They found that even under the ‘optimistic assumptions’ of 75-80 per cent of smartphone owners using contact-tracing apps and 90 to 100 per cent of close contacts complying with quarantine advice, ‘automated contact-tracing appears unlikely to control the spread of Covid-19 without concurrent measures’. The lead author of the review, Dr Isobel Braithwaite from UCL’s Institute of Health Informatics, said that ‘although automated contact-tracing could support manual contact-tracing’, it would depend on large uptake and ‘strict adherence to quarantine advice by contacts notified’ to prevent transmission. . Our latest podcast Coffee House Shots Can self-isolation payments improve test and trace? Listen here . Coronomics Pret A Manger is to cut more than 2,800 jobs and permanently close 30 stores with trade down 60% across its shops year-on-year. The sandwich chain has suffered a decrease in customers as a result of lockdown and the large number of people working from home. Some 97% of schools will open their doors to all pupils at the start of term, while 3% are preparing for a phased return of students. Gatwick Airport recorded 7.5 million passengers between January and June, down from 22 million over the same months last year. The airport posted a 61% fall in revenue and a £321 million loss over the period, and on Wednesday announced plans to cut 600 jobs. Clothing retailer Gap has sold $130 million (£97 million) worth of face masks during the pandemic, although total sales still fell by 18%. Some 24,330 nursing students have been placed on to courses in England this year, up 22% from 19,970 last year. The increase follows an appeal for more people to join the profession. Police have issued only 38 fines to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport. Previous data from Transport for London, which is not included in the figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, had previously shown 285 people had been issued with fines for non-compliance while 6,275 were asked to leave the transport network. Some 13% of the UK’s workforce remains on furlough according to the ONS, with more than half of employees in the arts and entertainment industry still being paid under the scheme. For the ninth week in a row the government has failed to reach its 80% contact-tracing target, with 75.5% of close contacts reached in the week ending 19 August. Some 88% of employees who have worked from home during the pandemic would like to continue doing so in some capacity, according to a new study. Some 30% of respondents said their productivity had fallen while working from home, but 70% said they got as much or more work done than from their usual workplace. Just 46% of people in Britain believe their country has done a good job of handling the coronavirus crisis, the worst assessment among 14 advanced countries in research from the Pew Centre. Denmark and Australia scored the highest with 95% and 94% of people, respectively, saying they had done a good job, while 71% of Swedes thought their country had done well. . More from The Spectator Children who died of Covid-19 were already seriously ill, new study shows – Ross Clark Putin prepares to send in the troops – Mark Galeotti France has partly seen sense on face masks – Gavin Mortimer Trump goes for Biden’s jugular in convention speech – Freddy Gray ‘Harper’s law’ is a mistake – Matthew Scott . Leaving lockdown with Spectator Life Word of the week: Proms Andy Shaw The secret to apple and blackberry crumble The Vintage Chef, Olivia Potts How to make the perfect Mojito Joe Rogers Follow us Sign up for more Spectator newsletters Lunchtime Espresso Spectator Arts Evening Blend Spectator Books Best of Coffee House Spectator Life View this message in a web browser If you want to stop receiving this email, you can unsubscribe now Or, manage your preferences to select exactly which Spectator emails you receive The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP Contact us www.spectator.co.uk/faqs Reg no. 01232804 Copyright © 2020 The Spectator (1828) Ltd. All rights reserved.