Concern over surge in UK coronavirus deaths

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And here are some of today's biggest global developments:

• Infections have risen to nearly 38 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.08 million coronavirus-related deaths have also been recorded
• The International Monetary Fund is forecasting a somewhat less severe recession than it predicted in June. But it says the global economy is still in deep recession and there is a "sizeable" risk of a worse outcome than anticipated
• A man in the United States has caught Covid twice, with the second infection becoming far more dangerous than the first, doctors report
• Meanwhile, in the first report of its kind, Dutch virologists have disclosed that an 89-year-old woman died after she became reinfected with coronavirus for a second time
• Health officials in China say they've tested more than three million people in the last 48 hours after a cluster of coronavirus infections was detected in the city of Qingdao
• Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus. Portugal's Football Federation said the 35-year-old Juventus striker was "well, has no symptoms and is in isolation"

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It's been a busy day for coronavirus news in the UK. Here's the latest this evening:

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a short lockdown or "circuit-breaker" in England of two to three weeks to bring the rising rate of coronavirus under control
• His call comes after documents revealed government scientific advisers called for such action three weeks ago, although UK ministers have defended the new three-tier alert system in England as a robust and balanced approach to restrictions
• Another 143 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, with a further 17,234 cases recorded - a rise that Public Health England has called "hugely concerning"
• The UK unemployment rate has surged to its highest level in over three years as the pandemic continues to hit jobs
• Scientists are looking for volunteers to take part in a trial to see if taking vitamin D can give the immune system a boost against Covid
• A leading care home operator has criticised Scottish government plans to relax rules on visiting as "premature" and "ill thought out"
• Leaders in Northern Ireland are meeting to discuss a range of new proposed restrictions, including school closures
• The number of secondary schools in England sending home pupils because of Covid is increasing rather than diminishing, the latest official figures show

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New targeted restrictions designed to curb the rapidly increasing infection rates are expected to be introduced in the Netherlands this evening.

The rules appear to be focused on limiting social contacts, concentrating on places like bars and restaurants while schools and vital professions will remain virtually unaffected.

Experts at the Dutch Outbreak Management Team (OMT), who help to shape the Dutch government's approach to tackling Covid-19, consider the hospitality industry a hub where many infections still occur, especially among young people.

In an effort to stop house parties, shops are likely to be banned from selling alcohol after 20:00. Ordering drinks for delivery online is expected to be off limits too. This goes beyond the measures put in place during the first wave.

Limits will probably be placed on the number of visitors you can have at home, with a maximum of four people, both inside and outdoors.

Adult team sports are expected to be prohibited. Youth and professional games can apparently continue.

Traveling by public transport will be restricted to essential journeys. Only those considered to be working in the vital professions should leave home for work. Everyone else will be told to work from home.

The Netherlands recorded 6,854 new infections in the 24 hours to Monday morning. Approximately 1,298 patients are being treated in hospital, 252 in intensive care.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte is scheduled to hold a press conference at 19:00 (18:00 BST) and it is anticipated that the more stringent measures will come into effect from Wednesday.

Hospitality industry groups have said it could prove a "fatal blow" for some restaurants. But bar and cafe owners I've been speaking to in The Hague are still holding their breath and hoping the total closures will come with compensation from the state that will cushion the blow.

Plymouth's Derriford Hospital has announced a temporary pause in non-critical inpatient surgery due to the "growing number of Covid patients and a need to ensure we can keep everyone safe".

Chief operating officer Kevin Baber said: "We appreciate how difficult it is for a patient to have their surgery cancelled and apologise for the distress and inconvenience this causes."

He added: "We have to ensure patients who have suspected or confirmed Covid are safely cared for away from those patients without Covid.

"This involves reconfiguring our wards to ensure everyone remains safe.

"We will be looking to resume planned inpatient surgery as soon as possible."

He said patients affected have been contacted directly so any who had not heard from the hospital should attend as planned.

Derriford remains open for emergencies - but only those people who really need it should attend the emergency department.

The hospital is one of a number which have cancelled some non-critical surgeries due to an increase in admissions of patients with Covid-19.

Plymouth has 51 cases per 100,000 people, according to the latest figures, below the England average of 77.

The 143 new deaths reported is clearly a concern.

It is the highest daily figure since early June and feels significant, even taking into account the impact of the delayed reporting at the weekend, which often pushes up the figures on a Tuesday.

But to understand what is happening you have to rewind a month or so and look at cases.

Cases were rising rapidly then – it is what promoted the government’s senior advisers to warn there could be 50,000 cases a day by mid October.

That has not happened. Just over 17,000 were announced today.

The trajectory has not been as steep as it could have been.

We have seen a similar pattern happen with hospital admissions. They are rising, but over the last week the rate of increase has slowed just a little.

Deaths will, sadly, continue to go up in the coming days and weeks, but if the patterns seen with cases and hospital admissions are sustained those rises will slow too.

It is very, very different from the rapid surge we saw in the spring.

But a gradual and slow continual rise could still have a devastating impact over the long autumn and winter period.

That is why we are seeing politicians and scientists argue about what is the best way to contain the virus, while limiting the impact restrictions have on wider society and the economy.

MPs have approved the government's three tier Covid-19 alert system for England after supporting three motions in the House of Commons.

Some backbenchers forced a vote to express disapproval of the 10pm curfew in hospitality businesses. The government won the vote 299 to 82.

You can read more about the new system of restrictions here.

This dog is able to detect Covid-19 just by smelling human sweat, a French-Lebanese research team says. Now they are training 20 dogs to screen arrivals at Beirut airport in a trial that, if successful, could be rolled out around the world.

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The Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has warned that more than 800 million Africans could be infected with coronavirus, if the virus is allowed to spread deliberately with the aim of achieving herd immunity.

The projection is a worst case scenario.

This could put the lives of 8.4 million Africans at risk if immunity was to be achieved naturally, Africa CDC added.

Herd immunity is a situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease through vaccination and/or prior illness to make its spread from person to person unlikely.

Read more here.

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Some of the first cases of Covid-19 in Europe last March were detected in ski resorts. Now an official investigation in Austria says the virus could have been contained in two popular resorts there if the authorities hadn’t made some “momentous miscalculations”.

The report said officials had been too slow to close the resorts of Ischgl and St Anton when the outbreaks became clear and led to thousands of new cases spreading across 45 countries.

The authorities maintain they responded appropriately according to the information that was available at the time.

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We're hearing a lot about a so-called "circuit breaker" - but what is it and can it work?

Well a "circuit-break" is the name for a proposed short, sharp period of tightened restrictions for everyone, to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick, said last month such a measure could be used to "buy yourself some time".

A bout of tighter restrictions should result in cases falling instead of rising, but how far they drop is uncertain and would depend on how severe the restrictions are.

It is suggested schools and workplaces would remain open, but the hospitality sector (think bars and restaurants) would be hit. This is not Lockdown 2.0.

Read more from the BBC's Health and science correspondent James Gallagher here.

What we heard from Sir Keir Starmer is the argument that the government has essentially lost control - that it needs to try and wrestle back control with a two to three week shutdown of significant parts of the economy in England.

The argument the government makes is that PM Boris Johnson has to balance the economic necessity the country has - the need to keep businesses afloat and keep people earning money - with the health risks.

But it does seem today there are increasing calls for a circuit breaker - or short lockdown.

It will be really interesting to see how that argument develops over the next couple of days.

ITV's Robert Peston asks the Labour leader whether his "circuit breaker" proposal would be more or less identical to the March lockdown, but with schools open. He is asked whether it has been costed.

Sir Keir Starmer replies that his idea would indeed be "very similar" to the initial lockdown but with schools open, and is "in line" with what the government's scientists have recommended.

He says suppressing the virus now will "save money in the long run".

The BBC's Vicki Young says a number of local leaders, including Labour mayors, have been calling for more of a say over restrictions.

Sir Keir says his "circuit breaker" plan would allow areas to get the virus under control "much more quickly".

He says a short period of restrictions would provide the opportunity to "get back in control of the situation".

Sky News' Kate McCann asks why Sir Keir is not opposing restrictions including the 10pm hospitality curfew in England during a vote in the House of Commons later.

He says, "we're not going to vote down a package of restrictions because restrictions are needed", adding that it is not possible for MPs to vote against a single restriction, such as the curfew.

Sir Keir says: "There’s no longer time to give this prime minister the benefit of the doubt."

He says a circuit breaker - or short lockdown - would be "designed to get the R rate down" - referring to the rate at which an infected person passes on the virus.

He adds: "This would not mean schools closing but could be timed across half term to minimise disruption."

Addressing Boris Johnson directly he says: "You can't keep delaying this - act now, break the cycle."

And he guarantees Mr Johnson will have the votes needed to pass the legislation through Parliament.

Sir Keir says that under his circuit breaker plan, only essential workplaces would remain open, bars and restaurants would close - while household mixing would be further restricted.

He says the government's approach “simply isn’t working".

This temporary period should include "extensive support" for businesses, he adds.

Sir Keir Starmer calls for a two to three week "circuit breaker" of lockdown restrictions across England.

He says this could be timed to run across half-term, but would see schools remain open.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Sir Keir Starmer addresses viewers directly as he begins the news conference, saying the UK is at a "decisive moment in the fight against coronavirus".

He describes the latest figures as "stark" and affecting all regions of the UK and all age groups.

He says three things are now clear: the government has not got a credible plan to slow infections, it has lost control of the virus, and is no longer following scientific advice.