Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Published by Sarah Yeoman at 6:47am 20th July 2020. (Updated at 1:08pm 20th July 2020)

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Cornwall has topped 900.

Official figures from Public Health England show there are now 902 cases in the Duchy.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

Covid-19 cases are identified by taking specimens from people and sending them to labs around the UK to be tested.

The rate of infection in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly stands at 158 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 450.

It comes as the UK has secured early access to 90 million Covid-19 vaccine doses through partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.

A treatment containing Covid-19 antibodies is also being ordered for people who can't have a jab. There should be enough doses to vaccinate priority groups.

"The fact that we have so many promising candidates already shows the unprecedented pace at which we are moving.

"But I urge against being complacent or over optimistic. The fact remains we may never get a vaccine and if we do get one, we have to be prepared that it may not be a vaccine which prevents getting the virus, but rather one that reduces symptoms."

Kate Bingham, chairperson of the Vaccine Taskforce

Meanwhile, the government has launched a website where people can register to take part in future vaccine studies.

The aim is to get 500,000 people signed up by October to enable large-scale studies to take place across the UK.

These studies, which would involve hundreds or thousands of volunteers, will help researchers better understand the effectiveness of each vaccine, speeding up efforts to discover what could be the key to stopping the pandemic.