As-it-happened: UK PM 'delighted' at life-saving coronavirus drug

And here's the round-up of coronavirus news stories in the UK.

• There was bleak news from economists who are predicting hard times for UK workers as job cuts hit and the wage support schemes end in October
• The warning came as the total number of people with coronavirus dying in the UK continued to climb - up to 41,969, an increase of 233 over the past day
• But, among the gloom, there were some signs of progress as a cheap and widely available drug can, from today, help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone could save one in every eight patients on ventilators, UK experts say
• Meanwhile, 22-year-old footballer Marcus Rashford successfully convinced the government to provide some 1.3 million children in England with free school meal vouchers during the summer holidays
• And it's been a day of fun for Royal Ascot fans, who donned their finest threads and hats to take part in flat racing's biggest meeting from the comfort of their own homes

As our live page draws to a close, here are the major world events linked to coronavirus for Tuesday:

The top story was really a UK story - the breakthrough in the medical world with the drug dexamethasone, which can save the lives of seriously ill coronavirus patients. But the other top stories globally have been:

• The number of confirmed cases globally has passed eight million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins university
• New Zealand's run of 24 days virus-free was brought to an end by the arrival of an infected woman from the UK
• In China, officials are concerned about a "severe outbreak" linked to a market in Beijing - schools must now close and residents cannot leave the city without testing negative
• In France, thousands of doctors, nurses and hospital staff took part in protests to demand more investment in the health system. Some 18,000 people attended the protest in Paris, which ended with violent action by a small group
• Peru's President Martín Vizcarra called Covid-19 the "most serious crisis in our history" amid 6,500 deaths and a fall in the economy of more than 40% year-on-year
• On the day Germany rolled out its smartphone app to try to break the chain of infections, Amnesty International said the contact-tracing apps being used in Kuwait and Bahrain were some of the most invasive in the world

There are fewer very happy Americans than at any point in nearly 50 years, according to a new survey.

The new poll was released by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago and used data from the General Social Survey (GSS) data.

It found that only 14% of Americans described themselves as very happy. In 2018, the last time the poll was conducted, it was 31%.

The GSS has collected data every other year since 1972. The previous low point came in 2010 when 29% of Americans said they were very happy.

Currently, 50% of people say they sometimes feel isolated, compared to 23% in 2018.

The numbers are somewhat unsurprising, given the lockdowns that have separated communities and led to social isolation.

The survey was conducted in May, before the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, which touched off protests across the nation and world.

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European football chiefs look set to finalise plans to finish this season's Champions League and Europa League over the next 24 hours.

Uefa's executive committee is expected to announce that Portugal and Germany will host a "final eight" knockout tournament for each competition.

However, there has been disagreement about how the outstanding last-16 ties in the competitions are to be resolved.

BBC Sport have been previewing the plans ahead of the committee's crunch meeting on Wednesday. Read more here.

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The Duke of Cambridge has joked that he is looking forward to having a pint in the pub, as he praised ambulance staff for their hard work during the pandemic.

In his first face-to-face meeting with the public in months, the prince told ambulance crews at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Norfolk he thought the weekly Clap for Carers - when people across the UK stood on their doorsteps to applaud the country's NHS staff and key workers - was "powerful".

"Everyone appreciates the NHS, we have an amazing system and many countries around the world envy what we have," he told them.

In a lighter moment, he joked he was looking forward to being told he could go to the pub again and shared his worry for the country's waistline.

"I've done a lot of baking at home - chocolate goes down very well," he said.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a new video explaining the risks of passing the coronavirus to your household pet.

The video, which is spliced with cute cats and dogs around their mask-wearing owners, advises that the chance of catching Covid-19 from a pet is "considered low".

"But it does appear that people can give the virus to animals," it continues, adding that cats and ferrets are most likely to get infected.

Cats should be kept indoors and dogs should be walked on a leash, according to the FDA guidance. Pets should only be allowed to interact with members of their own households.

If you do become infected, the FDA advises that you find someone else to watch your pet until you are better. If that isn't possible, then you should wear a mask around your pet, and wash your hands both before and after playing with them.

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Thousands of doctors, nurses and hospital staff in France have been protesting to demand more investment in the health system.

Like in many countries, the French public expressed their significant gratitude and support to medics during the pandemic - now health workers want this to be followed with more resources.

Around 18,000 people attended the protests in Paris, which ended with violent action by a small group who threw stones and overturned a car. Police made 20 arrests.

Unions are asking for pay rises, a recruitment drive and more beds in hospitals, and say Covid-19 exposed the weaknesses of the French health service.

President Emmanuel Macron says his government is three weeks into a consultation and has announced bonuses for staff who worked through the crisis.

We've been hearing a lot about the drug dexamethasone, which has been found in a medical trial to cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators.

Briton Katherine Millbank took part in the trials and credits the drug with saving her life.

An emotional Mrs Millbank has been telling the BBC about her experience.

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Earlier we reported that a cluster of new cases connected to a Beijing market in China is causing serious concern.

Now all schools have been ordered to close in an effort to contain the outbreak.

The first case, linked to a market, was recorded on Thursday and cases have been rising since then. Beijing had not seen any new cases for more than 50 days before this.

Schools and universities reopened just a few weeks ago, but now classes will once again go online. Entertainment venues will also close, and people must be tested before they will be permitted to leave the capital.

More than a million schoolchildren in England will be able to claim free meal vouchers during the summer, the UK government has said.

It followed a campaign championed by footballer Marcus Rashford for an existing scheme to be extended during the school holidays due to the coronavirus crisis.

The government had previously insisted it would not award free school meals vouchers in England outside of term time, prompting the footballer to pen an open letter to MPs asking for the decision to be reversed.

At the Downing Street briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the Manchester United and England forward, 22, for his efforts.

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Earlier today, the head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine told MPs that requiring patients to have an appointment before attending hospital casualty departments may be necessary in the UK following the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr Katherine Henderson told the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee that older people were those usually most in need of emergency treatment but they were also the age group most at risk from Covid-19.

She said that emergency wards were used to having "elastic walls" and an "infinite number of patients" but that they now needed to know who was coming into A&E.

Henderson told MPs that NHS 111 could be the first port of call for those in urgent need who could then be given an appointment to attend hospital.

She told the committee that is was "just impossible" to have an 80-year-old with a hip fracture left waiting in a corridor alongside a patient with suspected Covid-19.

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Sweden took a different approach to managing coronavirus than most countries - it avoided lockdown and kept many workplaces and social spaces open.

Now there is an uptick in cases again in the Scandinavian country - a further 15,000 confirmed infections since the beginning of June, bringing the country's total to 53,000.

The leading health official, Anders Tegnell, denied that it was a sign the virus was taking hold again. He put the rise down to an increase in testing.

Nonetheless, he urged Swedes to minimise socialising during the upcoming midsummer celebrations.

His critics accused him of arrogance for resisting a lockdown, but the country's death rate is better than some countries that introduced serious restrictions, including the UK, Spain and Italy.

Nearly 5,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Sweden.

Having been closed to the public for three months, London Zoo welcomed back its first visitors yesterday.

The Zoological Society of London had warned it would face permanent closure if the government did not relax restrictions so it could allow the public back in.

But the experience of visiting the zoo is now a little different to how it was before the pandemic.

The attraction is only allowing 2,000 visitors to come each day, and they must have a pre-booked, timed-entry ticket. Restaurants and cafes are closed and additional hand sanitising stations and distance markers have been installed.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo has confirmed that the US Open will take place in New York City's Queens borough but without any spectators.

The US Tennis Association's (USTA) signature Grand Slam event is due to run from 31 August to 13 September.

In a tweet, Cuomo said that organisers would "take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation".

Some players have already expressed concerns about playing in the tournament.

The US Open is normally the fourth and final Grand Slam, but will be only the second this year.

The French Open could now start just one week after the end of the US.

Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since 1945.

A bit of good news was what the government really needed, as it faces pressure from its own backbenchers (and today, a public questioner) on social distancing requirements and after its high profile U-turn on school meal vouchers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his weekly appearance at the Downing Street briefing to deliver news about an unquestionably positive development.

He was very keen to point up the UK expertise behind what he called the "biggest breakthrough yet" in treating coronavirus.

The scientists at today's press conference also seemed upbeat - excited even - highlighting that the drug dexamethasone which could save the life of one in eight patients who experience serious breathing problems is widely available and cheap.

There was one note of caution in the optimistic tone though - having a treatment doesn't necessarily mean less stringent conditions for all of us if there is a second wave of the virus.

And when it comes to that two-metre social distancing rule, there does seem to be a hint of more wiggle room opening up, but Boris Johnson's message is still "watch this space".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson led today’s government press conference.

He was accompanied by the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health at the University of Oxford.

• The government says that it has adequate supplies of a drug, dexamethasone, that has shown success in saving the lives of people who become seriously ill from coronavirus, including enough for any second peak of cases
• The drug does not have an effect on patients who do not have breathing difficulties, but reduces the risk of death for those who require oxygen or ventilation
• Treating eight intensive care coronavirus patients with the drug will cost £40 and on average save one life
• Sir Patrick emphasised that the drug does not stop people catching the disease or going into hospital, so does not lessen the need for social distancing
• Doctors can prescribe the drug from today, as it is already in stock in hospitals and can be quickly manufactured