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Coronavirus: The 15 major developments that happened on Thursday

Here’s what you need to know on 13 August. This article was updated at 5.20pm.

Deaths: There were no new coronavirus deaths in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales. A further 13 deaths happened in England’s hospitals.

The death toll in the UK was revised down by 5,000 after figures in England were said to be unreliable. The figures now don’t account for those who had a positive test more than 28 days before they died. Read more here.

Politics: Downing Street is advertising a head of pandemic preparedness job, six months into the UK’s coronavirus crisis. The new job will help officials "learn the lessons" of the coronavirus crisis, including "reviewing our approach to pandemic stockpiling" according to reports. Read more here.

England: A study has shown that as many as 3.4 million people have actually had the virus in England – far higher than the tally of 315,546 cases currently recorded by Johns Hopkins University. The results come from the world's largest home testing programme to find antibodies for the coronavirus, a study involving more than 100,000 volunteers and carried out by Imperial College London. Read more here.

The number of people waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine treatment on the NHS in England is at the highest level since records began. It rose to more than 1.85 million in June. Read more here.

Nearly 300 people have tested positive for coronavirus in a factory in Northampton. Greencore, which makes sandwiches, said some staff are self-isolating. Read more here.

Education: Some A level pupils in England have been left disappointed by their moderated results after thousands were downgraded. NUS president Larissa Kennedy said the system represented “educational inequality”. Read more here.

Sport: Novak Djokovic is to play in the US Open, he confirmed on Twitter on Thursday. There were some concerns Djokovic might not play in future tournaments when he said he is anti-vaccinations. Read more here.

Lockdown: Older people have felt more isolated due to being classed as at-risk while the lockdown eases across the UK. Christina McKelvie, Scotland’s minister for older people and equalities, said older people feel they have lost time as they haven’t been able to see family or attend events. Read more here.

Devon and Cornwall Police have said that the south-west of England is “full to capacity” following a surge of tourists to the area. It comes as more people are holidaying at home because of the pandemic, and ongoing social distancing regulations mean capacity in outdoor areas is smaller. Read more here.

Finance: Demand for homes in the UK rebounded for the second consecutive month in July as the government’s stamp duty holiday prompted new buyers to flood the market, according to a closely-watched survey. There had been concerns because of the shut down to the market during the lockdown. Read more here.

Senior business leaders predict UK businesses will downsize their offices in the next year, as working from home is likely to become “the new norm” as a result of COVID-19. In a survey of more than 500 senior decision-makers across various UK industries, 73% told Accumulate Capital they believe businesses will relocate to smaller commercial spaces because of the pandemic. Read more here.

Read more about COVID-19

How to get a coronavirus test if you have symptoms

What you can and can’t do under lockdown rules

In pictures: How UK school classrooms could look in new normal

How public transport could look after lockdown

How our public spaces will change in the future

Rest of the world

A fresh outbreak of coronavirus in New Zealand is due to a “quarantine breach”, the country’s deputy prime minister has suggested. Coronavirus cases in Auckland have grown to 17, while officials said the number is likely to increase following more than 100 days without any cases of local transmission. Read more here.

Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in imported frozen food and on food packaging including frozen chicken wings which came from Brazil. Samples of outer packaging of frozen Ecuadorian shrimp sold in the northwestern Xi'An city, have also tested positive for the virus. Read more here.

Positive news

The ongoing closure of theatres due to coronavirus means a new musical will be shown on Netflix before it makes its Broadway debut. Diana: A New Musical will be available to subscribers everywhere before its New York premiere next year. Read more here.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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