As it happened: Delta variant is around 40% more transmissible

1. The Delta variant is 40% more transmissible, the health secretary says, adding that protection against it is just as good with two doses of a vaccine
2. Matt Hancock says the variant, first identified in India, makes life more challenging, and the government is "open" to delaying England's 21 June unlocking if needed
3. Asked if measures such as face coverings and working from home could continue in the long term, he says he "wouldn't rule that out"
4. Vaccination is being opened up to the under 30s in England from next week
5. Boris Johnson will urge wealthy countries to commit to vaccinating the world against Covid-19 by the end of next year, at a G7 summit
6. Pupils in England should take Covid tests following the half-term break, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson
7. The Bafta Television Awards will be held later, with some stars attending in person and some virtually
8. The UK reports another 5,341 positive tests for coronavirus, and 4 deaths within 28 days of a positive test

That's all for today

We're bringing the coronavirus live page to a close for today, but we'll be back with more coverage tomorrow.

Today's writers were Lauren Turner, Joshua Cheetham and Joseph Lee.

The page was edited by Holly Wallis.

Evening round-up

Reuters

Queues formed at a vaccine centre in Harrow, offering jabs to all over-18s

We're wrapping up today's live coverage shortly. But before we go, here's a look back at some of the main stories today:

• Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the government is "absolutely open" to delaying the final lifting of England's lockdown restrictions on 21 June if necessary.
• He said the Delta variant, first detected in India and spreading in the UK, was about 40% more transmissible than the Alpha strain which was previously dominant.
• Meanwhile, vaccinations are being opened to under-30s in England from next week.

• The health minister in Wales, which has the UK's highest vaccination rates, has said a third wave of cases is "inevitable".
• Leaders of wealthy countries should commit to vaccinating the whole world by the end of 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say at a meeting of the G7 in Cornwall on Friday.

Cases rising but deaths staying low - latest UK data in charts

Amid outbreaks of the new Delta variant in parts of the country, the daily total of positive tests is rising - reaching an average of 4,785 over the last seven days.

BBC

But so far, that has not translated into a significant change in the number of people in hospital. That's remained pretty steady, with 932 Covid-19 patients at the last count.

BBC

That's also true of the daily reported toll of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test, which has also remained low at an average of 8 over the last seven days.

BBC

That may be down to the protection acquired through the UK's vaccination programme, which has now means 40,333,231 people have had at least one dose and 27,661,353 are fully vaccinated.

There are more second doses being given out daily than first doses, as the UK aims to boost the protection of vulnerable members of the population against the Delta variant.

BBC

BBC

What is the Delta variant?

A coronavirus variant, first identified in India, is causing a spike in cases in some parts of the UK and experts are worried.

Experts say this variant, named Delta by the World Health Organization, is more transmissible than even the "Kent" or Alpha variant, and is now dominant in the UK.

It could pose "serious disruption" to the final stage of lockdown easing in England on 21 June, the prime minister has said.

There are a few "India" variants, but one called B.1.617.2 appears to be spreading more quickly in the UK.

Surge testing has been deployed in some areas, including Bolton and Blackburn, to identify infections - but it may not be stopping the spread.

Second jabs for all over-50s (and the clinically vulnerable) in England are now being brought forward to protect more people, faster. Second doses will come eight weeks after the first, rather than 11-12 weeks.

Read more here.

Twitter suspends Naomi Wolf for tweeting anti-vaccine misinformation

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Renowned American author Naomi Wolf has been suspended from Twitter after spreading a range of unfounded theories about vaccines on her account,

Dr Wolf, well known for her acclaimed third-wave feminist book The Beauty Myth, claimed in one tweet that vaccines were a "software platform that can receive uploads".

She also compared Dr Anthony Fauci, the top Covid adviser in the US, to Satan.

Her suspension has been welcomed by many on the platform. But some have voiced concern that her suspension was stifling free speech.

Read more here.

Vaccinators give out another 676,991 jabs in UK

There were another 676,991 vaccine doses given out yesterday, according to official figures, with 203,613 first doses and 473,378 second doses.

It means 40,333,231 people have now had at least one dose and 27,661,353 have had both doses.

That brings the total UK uptake to 76.6% of over-18s for first doses and 52.5% for both doses.

BreakingUK records another 5,341 confirmed cases

The UK has reported another 5,341 positive tests for coronavirus, meaning that the total number of positive tests over the last week has risen by 49% compared to the previous seven days.

Weekend figures are sometimes lower due to reporting delays. Last Sunday, there were just 3,240 new confirmed cases recorded.

There were also 4 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the figures show. On Saturday, 11 deaths were reported.

'Hostile' ravers pelt police at music event

Essex Police

Police were pelted with objects by "hostile" ravers as they attempted to shut down an event attended by 200 people.

Essex Police were called to a unlicensed music event in a field off Forest Drive in Theydon Bois, Essex, at 23:00 BST on Saturday.

The force said a DJ had been playing loud music and officers were targeted as they tried to engage with revellers.

Officers seized a set of decks, speakers and a generator, while one man was arrested on suspicion of a breach of coronavirus legislation.

Vaccinate the rest of the world before teenagers - health expert

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh: "Vaccinating the world protects against variants"

Scotland should focus on the "huge gap" in global vaccine rollout before vaccinating teenagers, a public health expert has said.

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said she hoped the UK would "step up" to donate vaccines to poorer countries.

It comes after the UK regulator approved use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12-15 on Friday. But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is yet to give its advice on the vaccine use for children.

Prof Bauld told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show that a decision to vaccinate teenagers in Scotland could be "controversial" globally.

"[With] the huge gap in the vaccine rollout around the world, many people, including some of my colleagues, are saying let's not press ahead with this," she said.

"Let's focus on helping out low and middle-income countries. So we wait to see what the decision is."

She also said vaccinating the rest of the world could help protect against the emergence of new variants.

Read more.

Watch: Hancock 'open to delaying 21 June' easing in England

Matt Hancock was on the Andrew Marr Show earlier, when he said the date for easing further restrictions could be delayed in England.

Watch the clip below:

Matt Hancock 'open' to delaying 21 June lockdown end

Black fungus: Is diabetes behind India's high number of cases?

Shruti Menon

BBC Reality Check, Delhi

Getty

About 12,000 cases of a condition known as "black fungus" have been reported in India, mostly in patients recovering from Covid-19.

This severe infection is normally very rare and has a mortality rate of about 50%.

Some medical experts have suggested India has seen cases growing because of the high prevalence of diabetes.

But are other factors at work and what is happening in other countries?

Read more here.

How is Europe lifting lockdown restrictions?

Reuters

The pace of Europe's Covid-19 vaccination campaign has picked up and in many countries infection rates have been falling.

Lockdowns are gradually being eased ahead of the summer tourist season, and the EU's 27 member states aim to have a digital vaccination certificate for travel in place by the end of June.

Read our explainer on the lockdown rules in force across various countries in the continent.

Watch: 'I survived breast cancer - and then Covid'

'I had breast cancer and then Covid'

A woman who caught coronavirus after recovering from breast cancer has described how she felt so nervous she struggled to leave her house following her illness.

Katy Meldrum, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, tells her story above.

Eradicating Covid not a reasonable target now - WHO envoy

Getty Images

It will be a while until we see the end of Covid, the World Health Organisation's special envoy on the disease has told Sky News.

"Eradication is currently not a reasonable target for the world," Dr David Nabarro said.

"Humanity is going to have to learn how to co-exist with this virus, preventing it from spiking and then surging and causing hotspots of disease, and we're going to have to be able to do this for the foreseeable future," he added.

"This virus isn't going away anytime soon, there will be variants emerging."

His comments were echoed by Dame Anne Johnson, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, also on the channel.

Dame Anne said people would not want the lifting of restrictions to carry on being delayed; instead the aim must be to minimise the amount of severe diseases that the virus causes.

She added that any reopening would be a "very finely judged decision" and that next week would be "absolutely critical" for gathering data on infections in the UK to decide whether the lockdown should be extended.

World traveller swaps jet-setting for canal life

Camille Forbush

A man who spent 20 years living in destinations around the world has ditched jet-setting for life on a narrowboat.

Cameron Forbush, from Leicester, ran a scuba diving school in the Philippines before the Covid-19 pandemic.

But when the tourism industry ground to a halt, he and his wife decided to return to the UK and tour the canals.

Read more here.

Stars expected at BAFTAs in person and online

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A host of stars are expected at this year's Bafta Television Awards later, both in physical and virtual form.

Michaela Coel, Graham Norton and Billie Piper are among the nominees due to physically attend the ceremony today at Television Centre in west London.

Others will take part via video call or in hi-tech hologram form.

The event will be hosted by comedian Richard Ayoade, and will kick off with a live performance from Years & Years' Olly Alexander.

Other guest presenters include comedians Bill Bailey and Daisy May Cooper, Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar and Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse.

Read more here.

Morocco to issue vaccine passports - reports

BBC Monitoring

The world through its media

Getty

Moroccan authorities will begin issuing Covid-19 passports for those who have received two doses of a vaccine, according to local news outlet Lakoume.

The government announced that it would start issuing the electronic passes from 7 June.

Those who have been fully vaccinated will be able to download their passes from a national database. Users will receive a personalised QR code to be shown to the authorities when prompted, and it can be downloaded onto a smartphone or printed out.

A government statement obtained by Lakome said the passport would allow holders to travel across Morocco and abroad without restrictions.

To date, the kingdom's health ministry has inoculated more than 9.1 million people with one dose of a vaccine, whilst nearly 5.9 million people have received their second dose, reports state news agency MAP.

Current estimates put the country's population at almost 37 million people.

What are the latest global developments?

Getty Images

Here are some of the latest developments from around the world:

• Over 173 million cases and 3.7 million Covid-related deaths have now been reported globally since the pandemic began, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University
• The US, India and Brazil continue to record the highest numbers of cases and deaths
• Bangladesh has granted emergency use authorisation to CoronaVac, a jab produced by Chinese pharma giant Sinovac
• Israel says it will begin a vaccination campaign next Wednesday for children aged 12-15 years old. The country has had one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world, and more than half the population has been given double shots of the Pfizer BioNTech jab

Watch: Hancock 'open' to delaying 21 June opening

The Andrew Marr Show

Matt Hancock 'open' to delaying 21 June lockdown end

The government is "absolutely open" to delaying the final lifting of England's lockdown on 21 June if necessary, the health secretary says.

Matt Hancock tells the BBC's Andrew Marr that 21 June is a "not before" date to end restrictions under the government's roadmap, and that No 10 "would look at the data."

Concerns about the spread of the variant first seen in India, now known as Delta, have led some scientists to call for a delay in lifting lockdown.

What's been happening in the UK so far today?

BBC

It's been a busy Sunday so far - here are some of the main coronavirus stories from today, if you need a catch up:

• The government is "absolutely open" to delaying the final lifting of England's lockdown on 21 June if necessary, Health Secretary Matt Hancock says
• He also says he "wouldn't rule out" the continued wearing of face masks and working from home measures
• Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy says the lifting of restrictions on 21 June is "looking very difficult" based on rising infection rates in the north-west of England, particularly among young people - amid the spread of the new Delta variant
• She has also criticised the government's traffic light system for foreign travel and called for the amber category to be scrapped, calling it "pointless"
• People under the age of 30 in England will be invited to have a coronavirus vaccine this week as part of the next stage of the rollout
• Pupils in England are being encouraged by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to have a Covid test before they go back to school after half term
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to urge leaders of other wealthy countries to commit to vaccinating the world against Covid-19 by the end of next year. He will lay out a global target at a summit of the G7 group of advanced economies on Friday