Babak Belurs

Selasa, 05 Mei 2020

What is the NHS Covid-19 contact-tracing app and how can I download it? - The Sun

LOCKDOWN restrictions could soon begin to ease - and human guinea pigs are supporting the fight to return to normality by testing out the new NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app.

Officials hope the pioneering tech will help the UK overcome the deadly virus - and experts believe high uptake will ensure fresh outbreaks are quickly snuffed out, preventing a second deadly peak.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

A new tracing app is currently being trialled on the Isle of WightCredit: EPA

A trial of the voluntary app – provisionally called “NHS – Covid-19” – will start on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday, May 5, when NHS staff on the island will be able to use it before being rolled out to its citizens.

Experts say daily infections would still have to fall further – ideally below 1,000 - before it could work effectively across Britain.

But England's excess death rate is one of the worst in Europe, new figures show.

The government is hiring a team of 18,000 to trace the contacts of anyone infected with the virus.

What is contact tracing?

Contact tracing is a method used by scientists to slow the spread of infectious outbreaks.

During the pandemic, anyone sufferers might have been in prolonged contact with will be traced.

Those contacts may then be asked to self-isolate.

However, there's some disagreement about what "close contact" might look like.

The Government recommends staying two metres away from others - but the World Health Organisation advises people to stay a metre apart.

The app will capture just distance, rather than time spent with a person and the setting.

Contact tracing is already being used in Hong Kong, Singapore and Germany.

A raft of measures will be introduced to control the virus, and social distancing is likely to remain a key methodCredit: Getty Images - Getty

How the new app works

The app will work by using Bluetooth to log when another user’s smartphone has been in close proximity - but will not use up much of your phone's battery life.

If a person develops Covid-19 symptoms, they can report their symptoms to the app and immediately organise a test.

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The tech automatically sends out an anonymous alert to other users they may have been infected, urging them to self-isolate if necessary – thus stopping further spread.

They will then have the ability to book a coronavirus test.

Experts estimate if 60 per cent of Brits used the app on their phone, then future outbreaks could be prevented.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the press briefing on May 4 that the app does not hold any personal information, with privacy paramount and has been cleared for cyber security.

When can Brits download the app?

Currently, the app is being trialled, and it's not yet available to members of the public.

A national roll-out is expected in mid-May, when it can be downloaded for free.

NHS bosses say Brits will be able to start using it towards the end of May.

Hancock said people living on the Isle of Wight have been written to with details on how to download the app to their phones.

Residents will test out the tech first.

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Could this be our way out of lockdown?

Contact tracing was important when it came to lifting restrictions in other countries, but only when combined with other measures.

South Korea did not go into lockdown thanks to an early strategy of extensive tracing, combined with mass testing.

If adopted widely enough, contact tracing might help ease UK restrictions.

The government first attempted contact tracing early on in the outbreak, before there were too many cases for it to be effective.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock reveals details about the new coronavirus contact-tracing app and Isle of Wight plan

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2020-05-05 08:05:24Z
52780757591463

Senin, 04 Mei 2020

Keir Starmer tries to force Boris Johnson’s hand over lockdown exit strategy - Express.co.uk

Sir Keir has laid out seven principles he wants the Prime Minister to work on as he prepares to announce his blueprint on Sunday. The government is required by law to revise the lockdown restrictions set out in March by Thursday .

In a statement released ahead of talks with the Prime Minister, Mr Starmer said: “We want to support the government to get this right and that is why we need a national consensus on what happens next.

“Our priority is protecting the public’s health and saving lives. That is why we supported the lockdown and again support the restrictions staying in place at this time.

Great Big Lockdown Survey: Tell us what life's like for you by answering THESE questions

"That is why we supported the lockdown and again support the restrictions staying in place at this time.

“However, we need to be honest with the public about the challenges ahead.

“We are in this for the long haul. It is imperative that the government is properly planning for what happens next and properly supporting our NHS and social care services.

“Mistakes were made at the beginning of this crisis. The government was slow to implement the lockdown, slow on testing and slow to get PPE to frontline workers. We need to learn from those mistakes."

The Labour leader asked for a "national safety standard" for businesses and schools, an "ambitious target" for contact tracing.

He also called for the creation of additional help for individuals and businesses facing hardships due to the economic strain the measures have brought on.

Sir Keir said in the statement: “Labour is setting out seven core principles that need to be considered by the government to ensure public services, businesses and people are supported and kept safe.

The Labour Party leader’s statement comes as figures released on Monday showed 6.3 million people in the UK have been put on furlough.

On Monday night Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, said that the cost of having almost a quarter of all PAYE workers on furlough was “clearly not a sustainable situation”.

Mr Sunak said: “To anyone who is anxious about this, I want to give them reassurance today that there will be no cliff-edge to the furlough scheme.

“I’m working, as we speak, to figure out the most effective way to wind down the [furlough] scheme and to ease people back into work in a measured way.

“As some scenarios have suggested, we are potentially spending as much on the furlough scheme as we do on the NHS, for example. Clearly that is not a sustainable situation.”

On Monday, the UK saw its lowest daily death rate since March, with 288 fatalities reported.

The GMB trade union has warned that the latest back-to-work plans announced by the government were “thrown together in a hurry” and would not protect workers from contracting coronavirus.

“They cannot just flick a switch, say it’s safe to work within two metres of other people without PPE and expect them to head merrily off to work,” acting general secretary John Phillips said.

It has been reported that the “first day back” could be on May 26.

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2020-05-05 03:34:00Z
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Coronavirus: First workers to trial NHS tracing app - BBC News

An NHS app which aims to track the spread of coronavirus will be rolled out for the first time today, as part of a trial on the Isle of Wight.

Council and healthcare workers will be the first to try the contact-tracing app, with the rest of the island able to download it from Thursday.

If the trial is successful, it could be available nationwide within weeks.

Concerns have been raised over privacy, though ministers say the app has been designed with this "front of mind".

The app aims to quickly trace recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for the virus.

It is part of the government's strategy for coming out of lockdown, which aims to have widespread testing and contact tracing in place to monitor and reduce any future outbreaks.

If the trial is successful, the app will be rolled out across the whole of the UK by the middle of May, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

How does the app work?

The new app - published on Apple and Google's app stores - works by using a Bluetooth connection.

It records when two people who have the app are within a certain distance of each other for longer than a specified amount of time.

If one of those people later reports having symptoms, all the other app users they came into contact with over the last seven days will be alerted and told to self-isolate.

Mr Hancock urged everyone on the Isle of Wight to download the app when it was available to them. Social distancing rules would still be in place during the trial, he said.

"By downloading the app, you are protecting your own health, you are protecting the health of your loved ones and the health of your community," he said.

"Where the Isle of Wight goes, Britain follows."

The island was chosen for the trial because it has a lower number of new infections, is covered by a single NHS trust and because travel to and from the island is quite restricted.

It comes as the the number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK reached 28,734, an increase of 288.

The daily increase in deaths is lower than at any point since the end of March, but the figures reported at the weekend tend to be lower and are expected to rise, Mr Hancock said.

Privacy debate

The type of approach used to design the app has raised some privacy concerns.

The app has been designed with a "centralised" approach, meaning there is a central computer which works out which phones have matched and should receive an alert.

This is different to the "decentralised" model used by Apple and Google, where the matches take place on users' handsets.

Some have argued a "centralised" approach gives the app advantages, for example by being able to spot hotspots where the disease is spreading. But others say a central system increases the risk from potential hackers.

The UK's data privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office, said "as a general rule, a decentralised approach" would be more in keeping with its principle that organisations should minimise the amount of personal data they collect.

"But that does not in any way mean that a centralised system can't have the same kind of privacy and security protections," said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham on Monday.

At a virtual meeting on Monday, Parliament's Human Rights Committee also discussed privacy fears. Law professor Orla Lynskey said the option on the app for users to opt in and share their location data "poses a big risk".

But NHSX - the part of the health service that developed the app - said the app will be voluntary, and the only personal data stored by the app at the start would be the first part of the user's postcode.

Additional location data will only be recorded if users agree to a further opt-in request, NHSX added.

NHSX chief executive Matthew Gould said: "The app is designed so you don't have to give it your personal details to use it - it does ask for the first half of your postcode but only that.

"You can use it without giving any other personal details at all - it doesn't know who you are, it doesn't know who you've been near, it doesn't know where you've been."

Mr Hancock said the software was "designed with privacy and security front of mind". He said the data was stored on the phone and only sent to the NHS when someone needs a test.

The UK's "test, track and trace" strategy has seen testing be scaled up over the last month, following Mr Hancock's pledge to reach 100,000 tests by the end of April. The UK passed the target, providing more than 122,000 tests on the last day of April. Latest figures show there were 85,186 tests on Sunday.

To track the virus and study how the virus spreads through the population, 20,000 households will be recruited at random and routinely tested over 12 months.

It comes after draft government plans for getting people back to work during the coronavirus pandemic were leaked. It urges employers to stagger shift times and maximise home-working.

Trade unions warned the guidance could compromise workers' safety and asked for stricter rules for businesses.

In other developments:

A group of Tory MPs are calling for restrictions around funerals to be eased, to allow small-scale ceremonies in churches rather than just at the graveside or crematorium
The government is now paying the wages for nearly a quarter of UK jobs, under the furlough scheme that helps people put on leave due to the pandemic
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a "national consensus" to be formed on the next stage of the response to the outbreak
Nearly half of people in Britain experienced high levels of anxiety as the lockdown began, a survey suggests
Doctors working for Premier League football clubs have raised concerns over plans to resume the football season
Thousands of nurseries and childminders could shut permanently due to the pandemic, research suggests.

How have you been affected by coronavirus? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist.

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2020-05-05 02:31:14Z
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Two out of five tests to end UK lockdown ‘have been completed’, suggests new data - The Sun

BRITS were tonight given hope of an end to the lockdown after it emerged two of the government's five key tests to lift it have apparently been passed.

The government has set five tests that need to be met before it will start easing the lockdown that has been in place since March 23.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave the government's daily briefing on Monday eveningCredit: Crown Copyright

Addressing that at tonight's daily press conference, England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said: "The first test is around NHS capacity and we're in a good position on that one."

Earlier today it was revealed the London NHS Nightingale Hospital - which was designed to care for 4,000 patients at a time - will be shut next week. It has treated fewer than 60 patients.

The second test is about a "sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from coronavirus".

Prof Van-Tam said: "It's now very clear in the data that we are past the peak...it's absolutely going in the right direction now."

The UK coronavirus death toll today hit 28,734 as another 288 patients died in the lowest rise in more than a month.

The last time the UK recorded such a low 24 hour fatality rate was almost five weeks ago on March 28 when 214 deaths were reported. However there is often a drop in Monday's figures due to a lag in reporting over the weekend with tomorrow's number likely to be higher.

But Prof Van-Tam added: "New cases need to come down further...we have to get cases lower."

It comes as...

Prof Van-Tam warned there is still work to do to meet the three remaining tests which will allow Boris Johnson to lift the lockdown.

He went on: "The [third test] is solid information the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board. This is an indicator we need to keep a close eye on over the next few days and weeks.

"The fourth one is around operational challenges on testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) and being able to meet future demand. There are continuing challenges on PPE and it's a priority to continue pushing on this. On testing, we're in a very good position.

"Finally we have to be confident that the adjustments we contemplate are not going to risk a second peak of infections and this is really a matter of deep scientific discussion.

"It's one we are keeping under detailed scientific review as the days and weeks go by."

Meanwhile health bosses have urged the public to download a new contact-tracing app as part of measures to ease the lockdown.

The app begins testing on the Isle of Wight this week.

The Government hopes to begin a national rollout of the app in mid-May following the trial.

The app - which asks for the first part of a user's postcode - allows people to alert the NHS if they have symptoms and book a Covid-19 test.

The app tells then tells them to self-isolate while they have their test and await the results.

It also alerts anyone who has been in close proximity with the first user, telling them they should isolate for 14 days.

If the first person's test comes back negative, the app tells both them and their contacts to come out of isolation and carry on as normal.

But if their test is positive, everyone carries on isolating - with the contacts told to book their own Covid-19 test if they themselves develop symptoms.

Matt Hancock was accompanied by the deputy chief medical officer for England, Jonathan Van-Tam and Professor John NewtonCredit: PA:Press Association

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW

Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.

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Boris Johnson releases video reiterating five steps to coronavirus lockdown easing

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2020-05-04 23:09:32Z
52780765404630

Coronavirus: Health secretary doesn't think future COVID-19 vaccine will need to be made compulsory - The Loppy

The health secretary has said he does not think a future COVID-19 vaccine would need to be made compulsory.

At Downing Street’s daily coronavirus news briefing, Matt Hancock said: “I think the extent of the public’s reaction following the lockdown shows we will be able to achieve very, very high levels of vaccination without taking that step.”

A number of versions of a potential COVID-19 vaccine are being researched worldwide, with more than 600 people taking part in an Oxford University trial.

Mr Hancock said: “We are proceeding on the basis that just such a huge proportion of the population are going to take this up because of the obvious benefits to individuals and their families and their communities and indeed the whole nation, that there will be enormous demand for it as and when the science is safe to proceed.”

He added that ministers were not ruling anything out, but were proceeding on the basis there would be enormous uptake due to the “obvious benefits” of a vaccine.

Speaking at the same briefing, England’s deputy chief medical officer said a vaccine would likely be available to adults before children.

Mr Hancock, meanwhile, also warned there was no guarantee a vaccine would be found.

“We can’t assume there will be a vaccine,” he said. “There is no coronavirus vaccine yet for any of the existing coronaviruses and this is uncertain science.”

Mr Hancock was asked about the prospect of compulsory vaccinations, having previously said – before the coronavirus outbreak – there was a “very strong” case for making it compulsory for children to be vaccinated.

Asked at Monday’s news conference what his message would be to people who are against vaccinations, the health secretary replied: “I think there has been no greater demonstration in modern history that vaccines save lives than the need for a vaccine to save lives and to get the world going again following the outbreak of COVID-19.

“We will only license a vaccine when it is both effective and safe.”

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said children appear to be less affected by the coronavirus.

Prof Van-Tam said: “We are following the developments in vaccine research across the world, including in the UK.

“We remain very hopeful that there will be a breakthrough at some point in the future.

“I think what I can say to you is that it is more likely than not that the first vaccines will be licensed in adults in the first instance.

“So far the epidemiological evidence is not showing us that there is a massive burden of disease or burden of mortality in children, it is actually completely at the other end of the scale, it is in the elderly.”

Mr Hancock used Monday’s briefing to launch a trial of the NHS contact tracing app which the government hopes will allow it to keep the future spread of COVID-19 under control.

The app will be tested on the Isle of Wight first and could be rolled out across the UK in the weeks to come if the trial proves successful.

This week Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q&A with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. You can put your questions to Mr Hancock about the coronavirus and its impact on your life live on Sky News.

Email us your questions – or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone – and send it to [email protected]

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2020-05-04 20:41:48Z
52780765657101

Coronavirus: Health secretary doesn't think future COVID-19 vaccine will need to be made compulsory - Sky News

The health secretary has said he does not think a future COVID-19 vaccine would need to be made compulsory.

At Downing Street's daily coronavirus news briefing, Matt Hancock said: "I think the extent of the public's reaction following the lockdown shows we will be able to achieve very, very high levels of vaccination without taking that step."

A number of versions of a potential COVID-19 vaccine are being researched worldwide, with more than 600 people taking part in an Oxford University trial.

Mr Hancock said: "We are proceeding on the basis that just such a huge proportion of the population are going to take this up because of the obvious benefits to individuals and their families and their communities and indeed the whole nation, that there will be enormous demand for it as and when the science is safe to proceed."

He added that ministers were not ruling anything out, but were proceeding on the basis there would be enormous uptake due to the "obvious benefits" of a vaccine.

Speaking at the same briefing, England's deputy chief medical officer said a vaccine would likely be available to adults before children.

Mr Hancock, meanwhile, also warned there was no guarantee a vaccine would be found.

"We can't assume there will be a vaccine," he said. "There is no coronavirus vaccine yet for any of the existing coronaviruses and this is uncertain science."

Mr Hancock was asked about the prospect of compulsory vaccinations, having previously said - before the coronavirus outbreak - there was a "very strong" case for making it compulsory for children to be vaccinated.

Asked at Monday's news conference what his message would be to people who are against vaccinations, the health secretary replied: "I think there has been no greater demonstration in modern history that vaccines save lives than the need for a vaccine to save lives and to get the world going again following the outbreak of COVID-19.

"We will only license a vaccine when it is both effective and safe."

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said children appear to be less affected by the coronavirus.

Prof Van-Tam said: "We are following the developments in vaccine research across the world, including in the UK.

"We remain very hopeful that there will be a breakthrough at some point in the future.

"I think what I can say to you is that it is more likely than not that the first vaccines will be licensed in adults in the first instance.

"So far the epidemiological evidence is not showing us that there is a massive burden of disease or burden of mortality in children, it is actually completely at the other end of the scale, it is in the elderly."

Mr Hancock used Monday's briefing to launch a trial of the NHS contact tracing app which the government hopes will allow it to keep the future spread of COVID-19 under control.

The app will be tested on the Isle of Wight first and could be rolled out across the UK in the weeks to come if the trial proves successful.

This week Kay Burley will be hosting a live Q&A with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. You can put your questions to Mr Hancock about the coronavirus and its impact on your life live on Sky News.

Email us your questions - or you can record a video clip of your question on your phone - and send it to AskTheHealthSecretary@sky.uk

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2020-05-04 19:55:53Z
52780765657101

Coronavirus: 'Overwhelming majority' of recovered COVID-19 patients produce antibodies - Sky News

The "overwhelming majority" of patients who have recovered from coronavirus have been found to produce antibodies - but it is too early to say if they guarantee immunity, England's deputy chief medical officer has said.

Prof Jonathan Van-Tam told the daily Downing Street briefing that "we just haven't had this disease around on the planet in humans for long enough" to know whether those who had recovered were immune.

He said antibodies produced in response to other human coronaviruses "don't persist necessarily for years and years and years", although it is unknown what would happen in the case of COVID-19.

Prof Van-Tam said: "Like everybody else in the world we just have to be patient and cautious until we get those answers."

He added that patients who have recovered from coronavirus are being asked to part in a programme to obtain plasma containing antibodies for potential treatments to be trialled.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who recovered from COVID-19 and is taking part in a trial to analyse patients' antibodies, admitted he would "not yet" feel happy being in a crowded room.

He told the briefing at Number 10 that he could not be "comfortable" being in a crowd because "that might trigger a rise in the number of infections if the science turns out to be wrong".

He said there were "very positive" indications about a new antibody test from Swiss company Roche and the government was in discussions with the firm "about a very large-scale roll-out of antibody testing".

But the health secretary acknowledged there had been problems with antibody testing before, having previously said the UK would order 17.5 million home testing kits only to find they did not work.

"There has been false hope before in antibody testing so we will make announcements when we are absolutely ready," Mr Hancock said.

He also played down suggestions that the government may have to make vaccination compulsory once an effective vaccine became available.

Mr Hancock added: "I think the extent of the public's reaction following the lockdown shows we will be able to achieve very, very high levels of vaccination without taking that step."

He also cautioned that there was no guarantee that a vaccine would be found.

"We can't assume there will be a vaccine," Mr Hancock told the briefing.

"There is no coronavirus vaccine yet for any of the existing coronaviruses and this is uncertain science."

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Earlier on Monday it was revealed scientists have discovered an antibody which prevents the coronavirus from infecting human cells in "groundbreaking research".

Scientists from Utrecht University in the Netherlands have identified a potential method of neutralising COVID-19 which could lead to the development of new treatments.

They discovered that an antibody which prevents the SARS virus from infecting human cells could also block the novel coronavirus from infecting human cells too, according a peer reviewed study in the journal Nature Communications.

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2020-05-04 17:24:16Z
52780765404630

Selasa, 05 Mei 2020

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

What is contact tracing?

How the new app works

Join our George Cross campaign for NHS staff

When can Brits download the app?

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW

COVID CRISIS

TECH, TRACK AND TRACE

VIRAL SPREAD

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CNN SHOWDOWN

Could this be our way out of lockdown?

Senin, 04 Mei 2020

How does the app work?

Privacy debate

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ACE'S WIFE HELD

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DIVIDED UK

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