Sheffield news LIVE: UK records over 5,000 coronavirus cases - highest figure since March

Welcome to The Star’s live blog on Friday June 4.
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Welcome to The Star’s live blog on Friday June 4 where you will be able to find a round-up of the latest coronavirus news and the biggest Sheffield news stories of the day.

Sheffield news LIVE

Key Events

  •  Investigation launched after firefighters tackle blaze in Sheffield suburb
  • Professor Fergusoin: Most people in hospital with the virus have not had a vaccine.
  • UK records highest single-day Covid-19 figure since March with 18 fatalities
  • Holiday hopes dashed as 'no countries added to green list' - and Portugal to move to amber

Robert Jenrick said there was still “nothing at the moment that suggests that we won’t be able to move forward” with the next stage of lifting restrictions on June 21.

He told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ve got a further 10 days until we are going to make that decision on or around June 14, so during that period we’ll see where are we with hospitalisations, with deaths, where are we with the vaccine rollout – we’re doing everything we possibly can to expedite that – and then at that point, we’ll make our final decision.”

Professor Neil Ferguson said most people in hospital with the virus have not had a vaccine.

Professor Neil Ferguson said most people in hospital with the virus have not had a vaccine.

He told the Today Programme: “It’s important to say that most people being hospitalised at the moment with this variant, and with any Covid variant, are unvaccinated.

“So, it’s clear that the vaccines are still having a substantial effect, though it may be slightly compromised.”

He said they are still waiting for data on how much the Delta variant can evade the immunity which protects people against being admitted to hospital.

“The data being reported relates to unvaccinated people, so if you haven’t been vaccinated there appears to be, both from Public Health England data and from Public Health Scotland data independently, about a two-fold increased risk of hospitalisation,” he said.

The fact the quarantine for travellers returning from Portugal begins on Tuesday rather than straight away is a “practical trade-off”, said Dr Mike Tildesley.

The fact the quarantine for travellers returning from Portugal begins on Tuesday rather than straight away is a “practical trade-off”, said Dr Mike Tildesley.

He also acknowledged it is a “really rotten time for the travel industry”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “If you purely ask me what the best thing to do is as an epidemiologist, then at the moment that you know there is a risk, of course you have to impose that control immediately.

“Of course, we need to be practical. It’s very, very difficult to say ‘this country is being added to the amber list, anyone that comes home now needs to quarantine immediately’.

“I always think there needs to be some kind of practical trade-off to allow people to get back, whilst they are overseas in what is currently a green country.”

Holiday hopes dashed as 'no countries added to green list' - and Portugal to move to amber

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said there were two reasons why Portugal was being moved from the green list of travel restrictions.

He told Sky News: “Firstly, the amount of positivity has increased significantly, it’s doubled in the last three weeks to a level that’s much higher than we have here in the UK.

“Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, although both countries have prevalence of the Indian variant or Delta variant as it’s called, we’re also seeing in Portugal now growing evidence of a further mutation being called the Nepal variant.

“We don’t yet know how much of a problem that is, how transmissibility is, whether it might be too difficult even for our vaccines. But it’s important that we take a cautious approach, and so we take action now whilst we do research and learn more about that variant.”

Mr Jenrick said although he appreciated the situation was “frustrating”, travellers had always been warned a country’s classification could change.

He told Sky News: “I completely understand how frustrating this is both for people in Portugal, and for millions of people here who would love to go on holiday abroad this summer.

“We were also clear that if you choose to go on holiday to countries on the green list, those countries are being reviewed every three weeks, and so there was always a risk with a fast-moving situation with new variants that countries might either go on to that list, or indeed come off.

“That’s what’s happened here and I hope that people will understand – hard though this is – that we do need to take a cautious approach because people have made such progress in recent weeks and months.”

Investigation launched after firefighters tackle blaze in Sheffield suburb

UK records highest single-day Covid-19 figure since March with 18 fatalities

The Government said a further 5,274 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus had been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Thursday, the highest single-day figure since March 26.

A further 18 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 127,812.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Latest picture from Staniforth RoadLatest picture from Staniforth Road
Latest picture from Staniforth Road

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said that an internationally agreed approach to coronavirus vaccine certification remains “some way off”.

Speaking ahead of a G7 health ministers’ meeting, he told reporters: “Ultimately there are a number of countries around the world that have said they’re definitely going to have a requirement to be vaccinated in order to travel.

“We’re making sure that here any Brit can see their vaccine status.

“But we’re some way off having an internationally agreed approach for that.

“It’s something we talk about and are discussing but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

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