Vaccine trial shows ‘robust’ immune response; warning over global impact of travel collapse; Belgium death toll exceeds 10,000World Bank announces $12bn plan for vaccines for poor countries‘Only time will tell’: Russia places huge bet on Covid vaccineGermans embrace fresh air to tackle coronavirusIsrael bans mass protests as Covid lockdown tightensUK coronavirus updates – live 4.30pm BSTThe Italian senate has suspended all parliamentary activity after two members from the ruling 5-star Movement fell ill with Covid-19. Marco Croatti and Francesco Mollame wrote on Facebook that they had gone into quarantine. 4.17pm BSTA malaria drug taken by US president Donald Trump to prevent Covid-19 did not show any benefit in reducing coronavirus infection among healthcare workers, according to clinical trial results published on Wednesday.The study largely confirms results from a clinical trial in June that showed hydroxychloroquine was ineffective in preventing infection among people exposed to the new coronavirus. Continue reading...

Angela Merkel says ventilation may be one of cheapest and most effective ways of containing virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageVentilating rooms has been added to the German government’s formula for tackling coronavirus, in refreshing news for the country’s air hygiene experts who have been calling for it to become official for months.The custom is something of a national obsession, with many Germans habitually opening windows twice a day, even in winter. Often the requirement is included as a legally binding clause in rental agreements, mainly to protect against mould and bad smells. Continue reading...

Campaign scoring countries for global access efforts calls for more British transparency Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK is doing more than most countries to support access to Covid vaccines for the poorest populations in the world, but it is not transparent enough about the deals it is doing at home, according to an international aid organisation launching a tracker.The One campaign has given countries and pharmaceutical companies scores for the efforts they have made to ensure the poorest get vaccines. In the vaccine access test no country or company scores green, the top rating, classed as aiding global access to vaccines. Continue reading...

Nick Forbes says even council enforcement officers do not know how to interpret rulesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government’s “confusing and contradictory” Covid restrictions for the north-east of England have left space for “dangerous” conspiracy theories to fill the void, the leader of Newcastle city council has warned.Nick Forbes, the city’s Labour leader since 2011, said confusion over the latest restrictions – which even Boris Johnson got wrong – were “deeply unhelpful”, admitting even his own enforcement officers were not immediately clear how to interpret them. Continue reading...

Local leaders say financial support needed when new restrictions are imposedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Merseyside economy may collapse and leave a legacy of poverty “for generations to come” without urgent financial support tied to new coronavirus restrictions, according to the region’s political leaders.Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool city region, and six civic leaders, said Merseyside’s public finances were “at breaking point” and needed a “comprehensive package of financial support” from the Treasury when new lockdown measures are imposed.Additional restrictions are expected to be announced for Merseyside in the next 24 hours after Liverpool and Knowsley recorded the highest infection rates in England. Cases are averaging more than 200 per 100,000 people across Merseyside – four times the England average. Continue reading...