Britain’s coronavirus outbreak is still growing as officials recorded another 892 cases today — causing the average daily number of infections to shoot up again.
Department of Health bosses say 820 Britons are now being struck down with the life-threatening virus every day, on average. The rate has been rising since dropping to a four-month low of 546 on July 8.
The figures add to mounting fears of a second wave in Britain, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson understood to be ‘extremely concerned’ about cases bubbling up in the UK and in other European nations that have relaxed tough lockdown measures. France today warned it could lose control of Covid-19 ‘at any moment’.
Officials also announced another 65 coronavirus deaths today — taking the official number of victims to 46,364. Around 58 Brits are now succumbing to the life-threatening infection each day, on average.
For comparison, 89 laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 deaths were registered yesterday and 83 were recorded last Wednesday.
It comes as Aberdeen today became the latest city to be put back into lockdown as pubs, cafes and restaurants were shut. Officials last week imposed tough new restrictions on 4.5million people living in Greater Manchester and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire to curb spiralling coronavirus rates.
In other developments today:
- Britain’s jobs bloodbath continued with hundreds of jobs axed at high street giants WH Smith and M&Co, meaning the number of workers facing redundancy as a result of the Covid crisis is now above 100,000;
- One of Britain’s leading hair loss clinics reported a link between Covid-19 and hair loss after survivors complained the disease caused their locks to fall out in clumps three months after their battle;
- Ministers batted away calls for face coverings to be worn in schools when they reopen next month after pleas from unions to reconsider the guidance;
- Delaying quarantine measures at the border was a ‘serious mistake’ that allowed 10,000 infected people into the UK accelerated the virus spread, a major report by MPs warned.
Department of Health chiefs today announced that another 892 people tested positive for the virus, taking the rolling seven-day average to 820.
For comparison, the rate was 802 yesterday — which was the first time it had topped 800 in more than a month. The rate has been on the up for over a fortnight amid growing fears of a resurgence.
Government statistics show the official size of the UK’s outbreak now stands at 307,184. But the actual size of the outbreak is estimated to be in the millions, based on antibody testing data.
The deaths data does not represent how many Covid-19 patients died within the last 24 hours — it is only how many fatalities have been reported and registered with the authorities.
And the figure does not always match updates provided by the home nations. Department of Health officials work off a different time cut-off, meaning daily updates from Scotland and Northern Ireland are out of sync.
The count announced by NHS England every afternoon, which only takes into account deaths in hospitals, does not match up with the DH figures because they work off a different recording system.
For instance, some deaths announced by NHS England bosses will have already been counted by the Department of Health, which records fatalities ‘as soon as they are available’.
But the fatality curve is no longer flattening as quickly as it was, with the rolling seven-day average number of daily deaths having been in the sixties since July 18.
It can take infected patients several weeks to die, meaning any spike in deaths won’t be immediately apparent in government figures.
NHS England today declared 13 victims in hospitals across the country. Wales recorded two in all settings. No fatalities were registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Separate figures — released yesterday — revealed overall deaths in England and Wales are still below the number usually expected at this time of year, based on an average from the previous five years.
It comes as Aberdeen was today put back into lockdown as officials announced pubs, cafes and restaurants will shut and people will be banned from travelling more than five miles from their homes.
Large crowds of revellers gather outside Soul Bar on Union Street in Aberdeen city centre on Saturday evening
The warning came as authorities grapple with a sharp increase in fresh cases which has seen more than 7,000 new infections within the last week (graphic showing growing number of daily coronavirus cases in France)
The country also reported 29 new coronavirus-related deaths which takes the confirmed total to 30,265 since the pandemic began – one of Europe’s highest death tolls (graphic showing growing number of daily coronavirus deaths in France)
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ordered all indoor and outdoor hospitality venues to close by 5pm today because of a cluster of 54 cases.
She said the rise in cases heightens fears Scotland is ‘dealing with a significant outbreak in Aberdeen that may include some community transmission’. Residents were told not to enter each other’s houses.
It comes a day after the Queen and Prince Philip landed at Aberdeen Airport where they were met by a driver and whisked off to the Balmoral estate, which is roughly an hour away.
Their staff in Scotland have been quarantined for a fortnight to minimise the Covid risk, and the couple are expected to stay there until early October.
The Aberdeen lockdown also comes just six days after parts of the North West of England were also put back under restrictions, with 4.5million people in Manchester facing £100 fines if they breach the rules.
In other developments in Europe today, officials in France warned the country could lose control of its coronavirus outbreak at any time.
The country’s top scientific body conceded that a second wave was highly likely. It said the situation was ‘under control but precarious’, adding: ‘We could at any moment tip into a scenario that is less under control.’
The warning came as authorities grapple with a sharp increase in fresh cases which has seen more than 7,000 new infections within the last week as well as a rise in the number of people admitted to intensive care.