Coronavirus – Covid-19 Or SARS-CoV-2 In Liquid With High Details

Covid bulletin #20

Aug 6, 2020 | Sector & policy

This is the twentieth of a series of bulletins produced by ISE to update members on key data and policy on Covid-19. This bulletin focuses on the period 30/07/2020-05/08/2020.

You can access all of the Covid-19 bulletins on the ISE website.

Latest Covid-19 data

Data taken from Wikipedia and from the government’s Number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases and risk in the UK webpage.

The number of new Covid cases has started to increase again during July after being in decline from early April. The data for the week 2nd August -8th August is incomplete but based on current figures it looks like the number of cases may grow again this week. The number of deaths continue to decline.

The UK currently has reported a total of 307,184 cases and 46,384 deaths.
Government guidance on the disease has been updated this week.
New data on the impact of Covid-19 on UK society has been release by ONS.

Ending lockdown

The number of people under forms of local lockdown increased with many northern towns being added to the lockdown. Greater Manchester declares a major incident after a rise in Covid cases and Blackburn and Darwen set up a local test-and-trace system. Detailed guidance is available on the regulations in Leicester and the North West.
The growth in the number of Covid cases is leading some commentators to conclude that the country is on the edge of what it is possible to open. The government has begun modelling options for a second lockdown. Some have started to argue that opening schools needs to be balanced by closing pubs. Others have argued that the test and trace system needs to be enhanced.

Politics

Polling finds that Britons are more likely to blame the public than the government for a second wave.

Education

Schools are planning to reopen in late August/early-September. Teachers and scientists have expressed concerns about how safe this will be.
UK universities have been criticised for putting finances above student safety as they prepare for the start of term.
How can universities improve employment outcomes for students? (ISE podcast)
Careers services and Covid-19 (Laura Greaves explains on Luminate how university careers services have been responding to the pandemic).

Economy

The furlough scheme begins to wind down this month. The Labour Party argue that there is a need to extend the furlough scheme to avoid mass unemployment.
Furloughed workers are three times as likely to default on a load or credit card payment.
Concerns about rising Covid numbers have led the government to delay the opening of various types of business including beauty salons and casinos.
Many companies are choosing to keep workers at home where it is possible to do this. This is contributing to a wider shift in home and local working.
Many companies have seen profits falling due to the pandemic. Diageo were forced to write down the value of their brands.
Job losses have been rising in the theatre whilst a number of high profile companies, including Dixon Carphone, have also announced job losses.
Covid has led to a boom in jobs in some sectors despite the wider issues with the economy.