THE GOOD NEWS VACCINE PROGRESS
Every day in this column, The Telegraph will seek out and report snippets of comfort as the world fights coronavirus.
Italian scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine say they have had successful experiments on mice at the Spallanzani hospital in Rome. Experts at the pharmaceutical company Takis said tests on humans could take place as soon as the autumn.
Carers in Scotland will receive a one-off payment of £230 to help them through the Covid-19 pandemic, which will make up for vital support which has been cut off during the lockdown. Close to 83,000 people will be eligible for the package, which will be available from next month.
More than 650,000 people watched a marathon 11-hour charity reading of
The Hobbit by actor Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Serkis completed the 1937 novel with just a few short breaks, describing it as a “long old haul”, and has, so far, raised more than £250,000 for NHS Charities Together.
A 10-year-old who had both of her legs amputated has walked the equivalent distance of a marathon in order to raise almost £10,000 for charity. Maisie Kirklees, from West Yorkshire, lost her legs as a baby from meningitis, but has now walked on blades in her garden over 10 days to fundraise for LimbPower.
Australia has set out a three-point plan which means its lockdown will lift by July, with fewer than 20 new cases now being recorded each day. Lockdown measures will gradually be eased in stages every four weeks.
The Irish government is considering proposals to introduce an extra nationwide bank holiday after the pandemic, which would come as a boost for tourism. A VAT amnesty is also being considered for the duration of the year as authorities look to mitigate the impact of the virus.
Slovakia has reported no new cases of coronavirus for the first time since March. The country has recorded 1,455 cases since the start of the outbreak, and museums, shopping centres, hotels and outdoor tourist attractions have now reopened to the public.
There has been good news for some of America’s worst-hit virus hotspots, with both death and hospitalisation rates going down in the state of New York, while Hawaii has reported no new coronavirus cases for the first time since March 13.
Five new penguins which belong to the rare Humboldt species have hatched at Chester Zoo. They have been given names around the theme of healthcare, including Florence after Florence Nightingale and Thomas after the St Thomas’ Hospital.
The government of Georgia has announced that domestic tourism will resume next month after the country passed the peak of the virus, with the country’s air borders hoping to reopen as of July 1.