Coronavirus live: expert warns situation will worsen in England; Seoul heads for lockdown as cases surge

The White House has accused a Republican governor who tried to block coronavirus vaccination efforts of “literally killing people” as immunisation rates plateau across the US.

For months the Biden administration has held back on criticising Republican officials who downplay the importance of vaccination. But yesterday, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, hit back at South Carolina governor Henry McMaster’s attempt to stop door-to-door vaccinations in his state.

She said: “The failure to provide accurate public health information, including the efficacy of vaccines and the accessibility of them to people across the country, including South Carolina, is literally killing people, so maybe they should consider that.”

Although 67% of American adults have had at least one dose, there are growing fears over geographic disparities in vaccination rates. The highest rates are on the west coast and the north-east, while the lowest are in the south.

A new coronavirus surge in Spain is sending younger patients to hospital as the Delta variant continues to spread.

Infections are being driven by largely unvaccinated younger patients, who have been arriving at health centres and emergency wards, reports AP.

The country has so far fully vaccinated 21 million people, half the adult population, but less than 600,000 of those vaccinated are under 30.

The 14-day contagion rate per 100,000 people rose to 316 yesterday from a 2021 low of 92 on June 22.

The Academy of Royal Colleges has warned that things in England “will get worse before they get better”.

Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There seems to be a misapprehension that life will return to normal from then [July 19], and that we can throw away all the precautions, and frankly, that would be dangerous.”

She added: “We all want to make sure that the public is fully aware that this pandemic is far from over and that when the 19th comes, what we need is a responsible approach and a very cautious approach to relaxing restrictions.”

She also warned that hospitals are seeing more young children being admitted and that GP surgeries and hospitals are coming up against similar demands to mid-winter.

Good morning. I’m looking after the global coronavirus blog today. Please get in touch with any tips or suggestions: miranda.bryant@guardian.co.uk