Covid-19 news: Pregnant women in England urged to get vaccinated

By Michael Le Page
, Clare Wilson
, Jessica Hamzelou
, Sam Wong
, Graham Lawton
, Adam Vaughan
, Conrad Quilty-Harper
and Layal Liverpool

Latest coronavirus news as of 5pm on 30 July

Research suggests covid-19 hospital admissions among pregnant women in the UK are rising

England’s chief midwifery officer Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against covid-19, as new research indicates that covid-19 hospital admissions among pregnant women are rising and that they may face an increased risk from the delta variant of the coronavirus. “Vaccines save lives, and this is another stark reminder that the covid-19 jab can keep you, your baby and your loved ones safe and out of hospital,” said Dunkley-Bent in a statement on 30 July. 

A preliminary study led by Marian Knight at the University of Oxford, which analysed data from 194 hospitals in the UK, found that 3371 pregnant women were admitted to hospital with covid-19 symptoms between 1 March 2020 and 11 July 2021. Knight and her colleagues found that the severity of illness worsened with each wave of the UK’s epidemic – 24 per cent of pregnant women admitted to hospital with covid-19 symptoms during the UK’s first wave of infections had moderate or severe disease, compared with 36 per cent during the second wave when the alpha variant of coronavirus became dominant and 45 per cent when the delta variant became dominant. 

“It is very concerning that admissions of pregnant women to hospital with covid-19 are increasing and that pregnant women appear to be more severely affected by the delta variant,” said Knight in a statement.

Data from 1 February to 11 July this year reveals that, out of 742 pregnant women admitted with covid-19 symptoms during this period, only four had received a single dose of a covid-19 vaccine and none were fully vaccinated. This means that more than 99 per cent of pregnant women hospitalised with covid-19 during this period were unvaccinated. Among the general population, about 60 per cent of those admitted to hospital with covid-19 are unvaccinated. 

In April, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that pregnant women should be offered covid-19 vaccines, preferably the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna jabs. But while this cleared the way to offering the vaccine during pregnancy, much official guidance has stopped short of explicitly recommending it. 

Other coronavirus news

An estimated one in 65 people in England had covid-19 in the week to 24 July, up from one in 75 the previous week, according to the latest results of a random swab testing survey by the Office for National Statistics. Equivalent estimates for Wales and Northern Ireland were one in 210 people and one in 170 people, respectively – both increases compared to the previous week. In Scotland, an estimated one in 110 people had the virus in the most recent week, down from one in 80 the previous week.

Israel has started offering third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60, in an effort to tackle a rise in cases of the delta coronavirus variant. “Findings show that there is a decline in the body’s immunity over time. The aim of the supplementary dose is to build it up again,” Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett told a news conference on 29 July.

Japan is extending a state of emergency in Tokyo, which is currently hosting the Olympics amid surging coronavirus cases, and expanding it to surrounding areas as well as to the city of Osaka. The emergency measures include reduced hours at certain venues, such as restaurants and karaoke bars, and will remain in place until 31 August.

China is testing all residents in the city of Nanjing for coronavirus as almost 200 people have tested positive in a new outbreak.

Coronavirus deaths

The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.2 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 196.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.19 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Essential information about coronavirus

Where did coronavirus come from? And other covid-19 questions answered

What is covid-19?

Long covid: Do I have it, how long will it last and can we treat it?

What’s the fairest way to share covid-19 vaccines around the world?

Covid-19 vaccine passports: Everything you need to know

Covid-19: The story of a pandemic

What to read, watch and listen to about coronavirus

New Scientist Weekly features updates and analysis on the latest developments in the covid-19 pandemic. Our podcast sees expert journalists from the magazine discuss the biggest science stories to hit the headlines each week – from technology and space, to health and the environment.

The Jump is a BBC radio 4 series exploring how viruses can cross from animals into humans to cause pandemics. The first episode examines the origins of the covid-19 pandemic.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? is a BBC documentary, which investigates what the high covid-19 death rates in ethnic minority patients reveal about health inequality in the UK.

Panorama: The Race for a Vaccine is a BBC documentary about the inside story of the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against covid-19.

Race Against the Virus: Hunt for a Vaccine is a Channel 4 documentary which tells the story of the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of the scientists on the frontline.

The New York Times is assessing the progress in development of potential drug treatments for covid-19, and ranking them for effectiveness and safety.

Humans of COVID-19 is a project highlighting the experiences of key workers on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus in the UK, through social media.

Belly Mujinga: Searching for the Truth is a BBC Panorama investigation of the death of transport worker Belly Mujinga from covid-19, following reports she had been coughed and spat on by a customer at London’s Victoria Station.

Coronavirus, Explained on Netflix is a short documentary series examining the coronavirus pandemic, the efforts to fight it and ways to manage its mental health toll.

COVID-19: The Pandemic that Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One by Debora Mackenzie is about how the pandemic happened and why it will happen again if we don’t do things differently in future.

The Rules of Contagion is about the new science of contagion and the surprising ways it shapes our lives and behaviour. The author, Adam Kucharski, is an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and in the book he examines how diseases spread and why they stop.

Previous updates

29 July

“Important to remain cautious” as daily new coronavirus cases rise in the UK, says health minister

Daily new coronavirus cases in the UK increased for the second consecutive day to 31,117 on 29 July, up from the 27,734 new cases the previous day. These recent rises have reversed a seven-day trend of declining daily case numbers. “It could be the very first signs of increasing infections in response to the ending of restrictions on 19 July,” said Simon Clarke at the University of Reading in a statement on 28 July. However, Clarke said it is still too early to know how the trend in UK cases might progress. “It is always unwise to pin too much importance on a few days’ data.” 

During a visit to a vaccination centre in west London on 28 July, UK health minister Sajid Javid said “when it comes to case numbers no one really knows where they are going to go next”, adding, “I think it’s important to remain cautious”. On 6 July, Javid warned that cases in the UK could rise to 100,000 per day after the lifting of most coronavirus restrictions in England.  

Other coronavirus news

Differences between children’s and adults’ immune responses to coronavirus infection may help explain why children usually seem to get less severely ill with covid-19. Sophie Valkenburg at the University of Hong Kong and colleagues compared the immune responses in 24 children and 45 adults who tested positive for the coronavirus. They found that the children had less activation of coronavirus-specific T-cells – immune cells that can target and destroy virus-infected cells – compared to adults. The children also had lower levels of antibodies against beta-coronaviruses, the family of viruses that includes the coronavirus that causes covid-19. The researchers conclude that reduced immune responses in children may explain why they tend to experience milder disease than adults, since overzealous immune responses can contribute to severe covid-19. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

All civilian federal employees will need to be vaccinated against covid-19 or face regular testing and other hygiene requirements, US president Joe Biden is expected to announce on 29 July. New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced similar rules for the state on 28 July, saying that state employees would be required to show proof of vaccination or take weekly coronavirus tests starting from 6 September. California also recently announced plans to require vaccinations for state employees. Almost half of all people in the US are fully vaccinated against covid-19, however the vaccination rate has slowed in recent months and coronavirus cases in the country have been rising.

Japan reported 10,699 new coronavirus cases on 29 July, the highest daily increase in the country since the pandemic began. The capital Tokyo, where the Olympics are currently taking place, reported a record increase for the city of 3865 new cases on the same day, up from 3177 on 28 July and from 1979 a week earlier. “We have never experienced the expansion of the infections of this magnitude,” Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato told journalists on 29 July.

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.18 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 196 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.17 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist

Coronavirus variants: Countries such as the UK that are partially vaccinated and also have high rates of infection find themselves in a dangerous zone in which immunity-escaping covid-19 variants are most likely to emerge.

28 July

UK announces quarantine exemption for all vaccinated travellers arriving in England from the EU or US 

All fully vaccinated people arriving in England from the EU or US will soon be exempt from quarantine, the BBC reported on 28 July. Currently, fully vaccinated people who were vaccinated in the UK don’t need to quarantine when returning from countries on England’s amber list – which includes the US and most EU countries – except for France. But under new rules coming into force at 04.00 BST on 2 August, people vaccinated in the EU or US will also be exempt from quarantine in England. Fully vaccinated people travelling to England from France will still need to quarantine. In a tweet on 28 July, transport minister Grant Shapps said travellers would still need to take coronavirus tests before they arrive and on their second day in England. It isn’t yet clear whether rules will also change for people travelling to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. 

UK prime minister Boris Johnson said that plans to lift the requirement for fully vaccinated people to self-isolate if one of their contacts tests positive for the coronavirus would go ahead on 16 August. “August the 16th is nailed on, there’s never been any question of a review date for August the 16th,” Johnson told LBC on 28 July.

Other coronavirus news

An analysis of studies assessing the effectiveness of the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin found that the available evidence doesn’t support its use for treatment or prevention of covid-19 outside of clinical trials. The analysis, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, reviewed 14 studies, including 1678 participants, which compared ivermectin to no treatment, placebo or standard care. In a statement, Stephen Evans at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the analysis confirms previously issued advice from the World Health Organization and other health bodies. “Any benefit at any stage of the disease process from infection to prevention of death will require large carefully-conducted randomised trials. Such trials are under way now,” said Evans.

People living in areas of the US experiencing substantial or high levels of coronavirus transmission are being advised to wear face masks indoors, regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the updated guidance on 26 July, citing the need to maximise protection against the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus.

Thailand has begun transporting some covid-19 patients out of the capital Bangkok on sleeper trains in an effort to lift pressure on hospitals in the city as coronavirus cases continue to surge. On 26 July, the first train left Bangkok transporting asymptomatic people or those with mild symptoms to their home towns in north-east Thailand. There were 16,533 new cases and 133 deaths reported across Thailand on 27 July. 

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.17 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 195.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.15 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

27 July

Rising covid-19 hospitalisations, long covid cases and a significant care backlog are putting pressure on health services in England, say health leaders

Health leaders in England have warned that the country’s health service is as stretched now as it was during the peak of the second wave of the coronavirus epidemic in January. NHS providers, a membership organisation for NHS trusts in England, said “the NHS is currently grappling with a very difficult combination of pressures”, including rising covid-19 hospitalisations and long covid cases, a significant care backlog and a large number of staff self-isolating due to recent rises in community cases in England.

“Many trust chief executives are saying that the overall level of pressure they are now experiencing is, although very different in shape, similar to the pressure they saw in January of this year when the NHS was under the greatest pressure in a generation,” NHS providers said in a letter sent to UK prime minister Boris Johnson and other ministers, on 26 July. The letter called for more government funding for the health service in order to free up hospital beds, address the backlog of patients and expand emergency departments and ambulance capacity ahead of winter.

The number of hospital beds in England occupied by confirmed covid-19 patients increased from 1998 on 6 July to 4401 on 23 July, NHS providers said. “Given the lag between infection and hospital admission rates and the likely impact of the relaxation of restrictions on July 19th, it seems reasonable to assume these numbers are likely to increase further,” said the letter.

Other coronavirus news

There were 218 deaths from covid-19 in England and Wales in the week to 16 July, up from 183 the previous week, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. The latest figure is the highest number of covid-19 deaths recorded across the two nations since the week to 23 April, when 260 deaths were recorded. Across the UK as a whole, daily new coronavirus cases have been falling in recent days, however there is a time lag between cases and resulting hospitalisations and deaths. “The effect of vaccines is hugely reducing the risk of hospitalisations and death,” Neil Ferguson at Imperial College London, told the BBC. “I’m positive that by late September or October time we will be looking back at most of the pandemic,” said Ferguson. 

Hospitals in Thailand are under growing pressure amid a recent surge of coronavirus cases. On 27 July, authorities in the capital Bangkok announced plans to convert 15 disused railway carriages into a 240-bed isolation ward for covid-19 patients. Coronavirus cases in Thailand have been rising sharply since mid-June and on 26 July there were 14,150 new daily cases reported – up from 7970 new cases reported two weeks earlier.

Tokyo saw a record increase in daily new coronavirus cases of 2848 on 27 July. Cases in the city, which is currently hosting the Olympics, have been rising for the past eight days. Olympics organisers reported 16 new coronavirus cases on 26 July, including three athletes, bringing the total number of cases linked to the event to 148 since 1 July, Reuters reported.

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.17 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 194.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.14 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

Latest on coronavirus from New Scientist

UK cases: Official figures suggest that UK coronavirus infections have fallen for six days in a row, but there are many explanations as to why it may not be a genuine drop.

26 July

As daily UK cases fall, scientists say it is too soon to determine the full impact of lifted restrictions in England on the UK’s epidemic

Daily new coronavirus cases in the UK fell for the sixth consecutive day on 26 July. There were 24,950 new cases reported on 26 July, the lowest daily number of new cases since 4 July. However, James Naismith at the University of Oxford said that more data is needed to understand how the UK’s epidemic might progress. “Daily ups or downs in the numbers has little value in understanding disease progression,” said Naismith in a statement.

The most recent figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics indicate that coronavirus infections increased in all four of the UK’s nations during the week to 17 July. “It is far too early, on 26 July, a week after restrictions [in England] were lifted, to know the impact of the final lifting of those restrictions,” said Jeremy Farrar, a member of the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, during a Q&A at the Institute for Government in London.

A spokesperson for UK prime minister Boris Johnson said that while “any reduction in cases is encouraging”, Johnson “has stressed many times before that the pandemic is not over and we are not out of the woods yet”. 

Other coronavirus news

Almost 60 medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, are calling for the US to make covid-19 vaccination mandatory for US healthcare workers. “Due to the recent covid-19 surge and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our health care organizations and societies advocate that all healthcare and long-term care employers require their workers to receive the Covid-19 vaccine,” the groups said in a joint statement shared with the Washington Post.

France’s parliament approved a law requiring people to have a health pass, showing that they are either fully vaccinated against covid-19, have recovered from the disease or have a recent negative coronavirus test, in order to enter bars, restaurants, trains, planes and some other public venues from the start of August. The law initially applies to all adults but will apply to everyone aged 12 and above from 30 September. Vaccinations will be mandatory for healthcare workers who are medically able to receive the vaccine, with those who don’t comply risking suspension if they are not fully vaccinated by 15 September.

A survey of more than 5000 adults in England conducted by Public Health England found that 41 per cent said they had gained weight since the country’s first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020. “The past sixteen months have caused many to change their habits, so it is not a surprise to see so many people reporting weight gain,” said Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, in a statement. 

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.16 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 194.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.12 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

23 July

Longer interval between first and second Pfizer/BioNTech jabs may boost antibody responses

A preliminary study found that a longer gap between the first and second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine may boost the immune response. The study measured coronavirus antibody responses in 503 healthcare workers in England who received two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at different intervals in late 2020 and early 2021, at a time when the alpha coronavirus variant was becoming dominant. They compared a three-week gap and a 10-week gap between the first and second shot, and found that those who had the longer period between the two generated more neutralising antibodies, which can bind the virus and stop it from infecting cells. 

Given the current dominance of the highly transmissible delta coronavirus variant, Susanna Dunachie at the University of Oxford, who was involved in the study, told the BBC that an eight-week interval may be best to ensure people can get fully vaccinated as quickly as possible without compromising immunity. “Eight weeks is about the sweet spot for me, because people do want to get the two vaccine [doses] and there is a lot of delta out there right now,” said Dunachie. 

The UK government extended the dosing gap for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to 12 weeks in December 2020, but on 15 July NHS England announced it would start asking people to bring forward their second covid-19 vaccine to eight weeks if possible.

Other coronavirus news

Coronavirus infections are rising in all four of the UK’s nations, according to the latest results of a random swab testing survey by the Office for National Statistics. An estimated one in 75 people in England had covid-19 in the week up to 17 July, up from one in 95 the previous week. Equivalent estimates for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in the week up to 10 July were one in 80 people, one in 170 people and one in 210 people, respectively.

New Zealand announced it is closing its travel bubble with all of Australia for at least two months, as a number of states in Australia are experiencing outbreaks of the delta coronavirus variant. The travel bubble allowed people to travel between Australia and New Zealand without quarantining on arrival. Qantas and Air New Zealand said that from 31 July most Australia-New Zealand services would be cancelled, Reuters reported.

The European Union’s medicines regulator approved the Moderna covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 and above. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved in the EU for use in children aged 12 and older in May.

Preliminary data from Israel’s health ministry suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine is less effective at preventing coronavirus infection and symptomatic covid-19 caused by the delta coronavirus variant than it is for other variants. However, while the vaccine was found to be just 40 per cent effective against infection and symptomatic disease due to delta, it remained 91.4 per cent effective at preventing severe covid-19. 

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.13 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 192.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.09 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

22 July

Weekly coronavirus cases and alerts by the NHS Covid-19 app in England are both on the rise

Coronavirus infections are continuing to rise in England, with a record number of people receiving alerts from the NHS Covid-19 app telling them to self-isolate. According to the latest figures from NHS Test and Trace, 259,265 people tested positive for the coronavirus in England in the week up to 14 July – an increase of 33 per cent from the previous week and the highest weekly figure recorded since the week up to 20 January. In the same week, the number of people alerted by the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales increased by 16.8 per cent, hitting 618,903 in the week to 14 July – the highest weekly figure recorded to date. 

UK businesses, including supermarkets and retailers, as well as police forces, are reporting staff shortages. UK business minister Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC on 22 July that the government would release a narrow list of jobs in which fully vaccinated people would be exempt from self-isolating.

“The reason that so many people are receiving notifications is simple, we have a highly transmissible virus that is being allowed to spread throughout the country with the bare minimum of mitigation,” said Stephen Griffin at the University of Leeds in the UK, in a statement. Griffin was one of more than 1200 scientists who backed a letter published in the journal the Lancet criticising the UK government’s plan to lift most coronavirus restrictions on 19 July despite rising cases.

Other coronavirus news

China rejected a World Health Organization (WHO) plan for a second phase of an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, including investigation of the possibility that the virus escaped from a laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Reuters reported on 22 July. The second phase of investigation proposed by the WHO included audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan. Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China’s national health commission told reporters that the WHO plan “in some aspects, disregards common sense and defies science”. Last week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was premature to rule out the possibility that the virus leaked from a laboratory and urged China to cooperate with the WHO’s investigation.

US president Joe Biden said that children under 12 may be able to get vaccinated against covid-19 in the country by the end of August at the earliest. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna both started trials of their covid-19 vaccines in children under 12 in March, with results expected in the coming months. On 21 July, Biden told a town hall in Ohio that his expectation was that “some time, maybe in the beginning of the school year, at the end of August, beginning of September, October, you’ll get a final approval” for vaccinating children.

Coronavirus deaths
The worldwide covid-19 death toll has passed 4.12 million. The number of confirmed cases is more than 192.1 million, according to Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher. According to Our World In Data, 2.08 billion people globally have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

See previous updates from June to July 2021, May 2021, April-March 2021, February 2021, January 2021, November/December 2020, and March to November 2020.