News Round-Up

• “‘We’ll never have Zero Covid. But yes, I believe the end is in sight’” – It emerged Monday that new daily infections had fallen in England for six days in a row. The numbers had plummeted 38 per cent week on week, with deaths happily down 24 per cent. Prof Philip Thomas, writing in the Daily Mail, thinks the fall will continue.
• “Covid cases are falling – but don’t think it’s all over” – Professor Oliver Johnson says in the Spectator that cases may be about to start going up again.
• “COVID-19 cases fall again as pandemic starts retreat” – The number of reported coronavirus cases has fallen for a sixth day in a row, offering further hope that the peak of a third wave has passed, says the Times.
• “No 10 cautious over declaring Covid turning point despite fall in cases” – Downing Street says latest figures are “encouraging” but impact of July 19th unlocking not yet reflected, according to the Guardian.
• “Exclusive: Over half of Covid hospitalisations tested positive after admission” – Leaked data suggest vast numbers classed as being hospitalised by the virus when they were admitted with other ailments, reports the Telegraph.
• “Father given two years to live after cancer diagnosis delayed in lockdown” – A 38-YEAR-OLD father-of-three has been left fighting for his life after his cancer went undetected during the coronavirus lockdown.
• “Vaccine passports are a step on the road to Hell” – We may criticise China for its social credit system, but we too are on the way to big state surveillance, writes Tim Stanley in the Telegraph.
• “Return to the office risks stirring a rush for the exits” – A ‘Great Resignation’ may be bad news for employers, but at least would show Britons are confident enough to gamble on a new job.
• “Protests? Whatever for?” – Our political class cannot comprehend why people who have been locked in their homes for the better part of two years yesterday took to the streets in the middle of a pandemic, writes James Macpherson in the Spectator Australia.
• “‘More freedom’ for the vaccinated? Merkel aide warns of restrictions for unvaxxed Germans if COVID-19 cases continue to rise” – Unvaccinated Germans could be barred from entering restaurants and cinemas if Germany is hit with a new wave, a top aide to Chancellor Angela Merkel says, adding that those vaccinated will “definitely have more freedom”.
• “Over 3,800 Germans got sick with COVID-19 following full vaccination, hundreds were hospitalised” – Germany has registered more than 3,800 symptomatic COVID-19 cases among people that were fully vaccinated against the disease since February, the nation’s disease control and prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute, says.
• “Double-jabbed British expats could see travel rules eased next month” – British expats who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will be able to visit family in the U.K. without having to quarantine from next month, it was claimed today, says the Telegraph.
• “Why Neil Ferguson’s critics are missing the point” – The limitations of modelling were clear all along, but vaccines have enabled us to stop obsessing about case numbers altogether, writes Ross Clark in the Telegraph.
• “This Government is losing its grip” – On what planet are massive tax and cost of living increases popular with the Tory electorate, including its Red Wall recruits, asks the Telegraph in this leader.
• “Sajid Javid shouldn’t have apologised for stating the obvious” – Those appalled by his remarks imply we should continue to be fearful of the virus.
• “47 studies confirm ineffectiveness of masks for COVID and 32 more confirm their negative health effects” – That young children are being forced to wear masks is of particular concern, according to this piece in Life Site.
• “Labour ready to back vaccine passports for sports events, says Keir Starmer” – Starmer’s U-turn could save Boris Johnson from humiliating defeat in Commons, reports the Independent.
• “Tory biosurveillance fantasy is chilling and farcical in equal measure” – A doomed political gamble on dystopian apps as a way out of the pandemic is a devastating blow to personal privacy, writes Sherelle Jacobs in her Telegraph column.
• “Iceland tightens virus restrictions again” – Four weeks after lifting all its coronavirus restrictions, Iceland is reversing course. Bars and clubs will have to close at midnight, a maximum of 200 people will be allowed at events and masks will be required indoors.
• “University leaders hit out at plans to force students to be double jabbed” – Move a “terrible infringement on personal freedom” and would fall foul of contract law, warn Vice-Chancellors, reports the Telegraph.
• “The fading case for vaccine passports” – Last week, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said the current surge in NSW infections is due to the Delta variant, not Australia’s low vaccine take-up. Ramesh Thakur begs to differ in the Spectator Australia.
• “Row over Boris’ ‘Beijing-style’ Covid passports in universities” – Tory MP Tom Tugendhat railed against the scheme today saying it would turn Britain into a “Beijing-style democracy”
• “Scientists considering 77 countries for move to travel green list” – Don’t pack your bags yet: Government sources say many of the ‘long-listed’ countries might not make the cut once assessments are complete, according to the Telegraph.
• “The unending economic nightmare created by Australia’s zero-Covid strategy” – Scott Morrison’s coronavirus strategy has badly backfired with the emergence of the Delta variant, says the Telegraph.
• “French will need Covid passport to visit a café” – President Macron has been forced to withdraw a threat to sack key workers who refuse vaccination in order to overcome parliamentary opposition to his Covid passport scheme, says the Times.
• “Compulsory Covid passports are a step too far” – Emmanuel Macron has gone full dictator, according to the Times. He wants the French to show evidence of Covid vaccination to enter restaurants, cafes, cinemas, museums and most forms of public transport.
• “Why Is The CDC Quietly Abandoning The PCR Test For COVID?” – Zero Hedge speculates about the recent announcement about testing from the CDC.
• “The Ivermectin Debate” – Is ivermectin highly effective or totally useless against Covid? And why is there still no agreement on this question? The Swiss Doctor weighs in.
• “Civil Rights And The Pandemic” – A collection of footage of civil rights protests in numerous cities on six continents, all held on Saturday, July 24th.
• “The Insect Apocalypse That Never Was” – For the past four years, journalists and environmental bloggers have been churning out alarming stories that insects are vanishing, in the United States and globally. Turns out, it’s not true, according to Quillette.
• “Can London’s floods be explained by climate change?” – Despite claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that London is experiencing substantially more rainfall or the recent floods are caused by climate change, says the Spectator.
• “Can we trust the climate scientists?” – The reaction to Steven Koonin’s mildly sceptical book about climate change highlights just how toxic the debate has become, says Tom Chivers in UnHerd.
• “Civil servants to be asked to include pronouns in email sign-offs” – Scottish Government backing proposals to ask 8,000 workers to take a ‘pronoun pledge’ under transgender inclusivity plans.
• “Ann Widdecombe demands free speech ‘taught in schools’ following years of Brexit divisions” – Former Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe calls for the protection of free speech after years of people being divided on their Brexit position and ‘cancelled’ because of it.
• “Brighton’s battle over critical race theory” – The city council has embraced this divisive ideology, says Spiked.
• “What liberals get wrong about race” – The media’s fixation with identity has skewed reality, says Prof Eric Kaufmann in UnHerd.
• “British ethnic minorities have longer life expectancy than white people” – Britons from ethnic minorities live longer than white people and are less likely to die from cancer, says the Times.
• “England football team should not go to Qatar for the World Cup next year” – Rod Liddle tells Dan Wootton on GB News it wouldn’t sit right with their new status as the nation’s moral guardians.