HERE'S the latest Covid news:

  • The Government said a further 22 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 127,502. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 152,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. The Government also said that, as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 2,445 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,414,242.
  • The UK’s coronavirus testing system for travellers could “buckle” when foreign holidays resume, a consumer group has warned. Which? said social media and review sites are already “flooded” with complaints from people who have suffered delays in receiving their test kits and results. That is despite passenger numbers being a fraction of normal levels due to the ban on overseas leisure travel. The consumer group claimed the system is “at risk of being overwhelmed, and potentially collapsing” when foreign holidays resume, which is expected to happen for people in England on May 17.
  • Covid-19 case rates in all regions of England have either fallen very slightly or remain broadly unchanged, according to the latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England. Yorkshire and the Humber recorded the highest rate in the seven days to April 25: 44.7 cases per 100,000 people, down very slightly from 46.0 in the previous week. South-west England had the lowest rate: 14.2, broadly unchanged from 14.4.
  • Matt Hancock has described it as a “privilege” to get his first coronavirus vaccination at London’s Science Museum, and thanked England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, for administering the jab. The Health Secretary tweeted a picture of the moment he was given his first dose, describing the process as quick and painless. Mr Hancock said he was “very excited” when he was called for the jab and encouraged everyone invited for a Covid-19 vaccination to take up the offer.
  • Face masks made using smartphones and 3D printers could help better protect people during future epidemics or further waves of coronavirus, according to research. Engineers at the University of Edinburgh devised a system to create bespoke, reusable masks for health workers – designed using photos taken with smartphones. The researchers carried out a pilot trial with 66 volunteer staff from NHS Lothian, including plastic surgeons, speech therapists and virologists, with the 3D scanners and printers available in hospitals.
  • The schools minister hopes that pupils will no longer have to wear face masks in class in secondary schools and colleges in England from mid-May. But Nick Gibb said the decision on whether to lift the precautionary measure when further easing of social contact limits indoors are confirmed, which will be no earlier than May 17, will depend on “the data”. His comments came after MPs raised concerns about face coverings disrupting pupils’ learning and wellbeing. During the education select committee, Caroline Johnson, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said she had heard many stories of children “really suffering” as a result of wearing masks.
  • Covid-19 case rates have dropped below 50 cases per 100,000 people in more than 95 per cent local areas of the UK, new analysis shows. It is the first time since the start of September that as many as 19 in 20 areas have seen their rates plunge below such a symbolic level. Around one in 10 areas are even recording rates in single figures. It is almost a complete turnaround from how the data looked three months ago, when the second wave of coronavirus had just peaked.
  • The number of cars built in the UK has increased for the first time after 18 months of decline, figures show. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the figures were a “major step in the right direction” but added that with factories shut for much of March 2020, output was always going to be up. The trade body reported that 115,498 cars were built in March, 46 per cent more than the same month a year ago. The figures were published a year since the coronavirus crisis caused all UK automotive plants to close in mid-March 2020, after only 78,767 cars had left factory gates that month.
  • A further 122 cases of Covid have been reported across the North-East and North Yorkshire in the last 24-hours.