Britain’s daily coronavirus cases rose by just two per cent in a week today as another 38,046 positive tests were recorded across the home nations.
The figure, published by the Department of Health, included a record-high of 6,800 in Scotland, which has seen infections spiral since children returned to school last week.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today insisted officials were not considering a circuit-breaker lockdown north of the border, to stem the surge in infections.
Meanwhile, hospitalisations — which lag behind cases because of how long it can take for the infected to become seriously ill — crept up by another 10.5 per cent. Some 948 patients were admitted to hospital on August 23, the most recent day figures are available for.
Deaths fell by 12.3 per cent on the week before, the statistics also showed. A further 100 victims were added to the Government’s official toll today, compared to 114 last week.
It comes amid fears the bank holiday weekend will trigger a spike in cases, which has prompted health chiefs to urge youngsters to stay safe at festivals such as Reading and Leeds.
And there are fears the return of schools will trigger another spike, with SAGE papers today warning of ‘high levels’ of Covid in classrooms by the end of September.
Meanwhile, data today revealed England’s outbreak was already growing before the bank holiday weekend, with the R rate now above one and up to one in 70 people infected on any given day last week.
It comes as:
- England’s R rate is between 1 and 1.2, with Covid cases growing by up to two per cent each day, figures from the UK Health Security Agency revealed;
- One in 70 people in England tested positive for Covid in the seven days up to August 20, according to data from the Office for National Statistics;
- Some 2.36 per cent of the population in Northern Ireland had Covid last week, the highest rate ever recorded;
- Health chiefs warn people to be cautious as hundreds of thousands head to festivals across the country this weekend;
- Schools returning next week is likely to causes infection levels to spike, scientists warn the Government;
- Scotland is ‘not currently considering a lockdown’ despite a record number of Covid cases, Nicola Sturgeon says;
- GCSE and A-Level results parties ‘fuel Covid spike among 16 to 21 year olds’ as experts warn Bank Holiday weekend may trigger a nationwide surge before schools return in a fortnight.
The official daily figures, which are updated every day, revealed 38,046 people tested positive for Covid.
The latest number brings the rolling seven-day average to 34,177 — the highest it has been in a month.
Meanwhile, 6,853 infections were recorded in Scotland, as cases continue to reach new highs.
Prior to the latest peak in infections, cases reached a high of 3,922 in Scotland on June 28 in the midst of the third wave, which coincided with the Euro 2020 football tournament.
The new hospitalisation figures bring the rolling seven-day average to 894 — the highest figure since July 27.
And the number of Covid fatalities recorded in the UK — which includes everyone who died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus — stayed flat.
Deaths linked with the coronavirus fell sharply after the peak at the beginning of the year — when the UK recorded 1,359 deaths in a single day on January 19 — due to the lockdown.
Fatalities then remained low due to the success of the vaccine rollout, but began ticking upwards in July as restrictions eased.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ‘privately accepted’ that 50,000 people will die from Covid a year — some 137 deaths a day, it was revealed today. The i reported that the Prime Minister will only consider a lockdown if fatalities breach that threshold.
Meanwhile, 55,140 first vaccine doses were dishes out today and 114,936 second doses were administered. Some 47.9million over-16s (88.2 per cent) have now had their first dose, while 42.3m (78 per cent) are fully immunised.
Dozens of tents are lined up in one of the camping areas as Leeds Festival gets underway
It comes as data from the UK Health Security Agency revealed the R rate in England may be as high as 1.1 nationally and reaching 1.2 in parts of the country.
The figure can be used as a guide as a general trend of the outbreak in the country, with a rate above one meaning the outbreak is growing.
An R rate of 1 to 1.1 means on average, every 10 infected with Covid will pass the virus on to 10 or 11 others.
And the pandemic growth rate in England is between zero and two per cent, according to the HSA, meaning the number of new infections could be rising by two per cent every day.
But the figures represent the transmission of the virus two to three weeks earlier, giving a rearview mirror view of the outbreak.
This is because of the delay in someone being infected, developing Covid symptoms and requiring NHS care.
The latest figures reveal the South West as the worst-hit region, where the R rate was as high as 1.2 and cases were growing by four per cent every day.
The rate also reached 1.2 in the East and South East, while cases were growing by three per cent a day in those areas.
And the gold-standard Office for National Statistics (ONS) data — which is used by ministers to track the state of the outbreak — showed infection levels increased across the UK.
In England, the proportion of people testing positive for Covid continued to be highest in Yorkshire and the Humber (1.8 per cent) and the North West (1.6 per cent).
In London, 1.5 per cent of people were infected in the most recent week, compared to 1.4 per cent one week earlier.
Cases were also on the rise in the East Midlands (1.4 per cent), the South East (1.3 per cent) and West Midlands (to 1.3 per cent).
Meanwhile, infection levels stayed static in the North East (1.3 per cent) and dropped in the East of England (1.2 per cent) and the South West (0.9 per cent).
And 3.5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-old tested positive, the highest out of any age group, with cases shooting up from 2.9 per cent one week earlier.
The figure equates to one in 30 people in the age group testing positive.
And cases also increased among 11 to 15-year-olds, with 2.5 per cent testing positive, compared to 2.3 per cent in the previous seven days.
Cases fell among those aged 25 to 34, as well as in children aged two to 10, but increased in all age groups over 35.
It comes as the UK is set to have its biggest weekend of live music in two years, with more than 100,000 people attending Reading and Leeds music festivals and some 40,000 going to All Points East in London.
Susan Hopkins, PHE strategy response director and Test and Trace Chief Medical Advisor said: ‘Festivals are a great opportunity for people to come together after what has been an incredibly difficult year and we want everyone to enjoy themselves.
‘However, it’s important to know that at least 1 in 50 young people currently have Covid.
‘Therefore, do a test before you go, wear a face covering if you’re travelling to and from the festival if you’re using public transport and socialise outside as much as possible.
‘If you test positive or have any symptoms then do not attend.’
She added: ‘It’s especially important to be cautious when you leave the festival and when you get home as you may well have caught Covid while you’ve been away.
‘Make sure you take an LFD test when you get home and then test twice a week after having mixed with a large group of people, as you could have Covid without having symptoms.
‘Try and avoid seeing older or more vulnerable relatives so that you don’t pass anything on.’
Meanwhile, Covid infections increased across the rest of the UK.
In Scotland, 36,700 people tested positive for the virus on any given day in the week ending August 20, equating to 0.7 per cent of people, or one case per 140 people.
Seven days earlier, on the week ending August 14, just 25,900 were infected, equating to one in 200 people.
It follows schools reopening across Scotland for the autumn term last week. In England and Wales, schools broke up later, so do not return until next week.
The rising figures caused Ms Sturgeon to warn that Scots could be dragged back into tougher coronavirus restrictions amid the biggest surge in cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
The First Minister earlier this week raised the prospect of reintroducing some curbs despite the successful vaccine rollout.
She also said that existing regulations, including mandatory face masks and limits on capacities at major events, are likely to be extended again next week.
And cases also appeared to be on the rise in Wales, with 25,200 people being infected in the most recent week, compared to 23,500 in the previous set of figures.
Last week, one in 120 people in the country were infected with Covid, around 0.83 per cent of the population, the ONS estimated.
Infection rates were highest in Northern Ireland, where 2.36 per cent of the population tested positive, around one in every 40 individuals. Some 43,300 people were infected, up from 35,300 one week earlier.
But the ONS warned the data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is less certain than England, because the sample size of participants is smaller.
Its figures are also a lagging indicator due to how the estimates are made. People can test positive for several weeks after getting infected.
Whereas official daily figures look at new cases, and offer the most up-to-date view of the true state of the outbreak.
Professor Kevin McConway, an expert in applied statistics at The Open University, said the ONS figures are ‘a bit depressing’ but not surprising, as the official daily figures already confirmed cases were rising across the UK throughout August.
But it’s important to see infection rates confirmed in the ONS estimates, because the results come from a representative sample of people who are tested only to measure the progress of the pandemic, he noted.
So the data is not affected by changes in who is being routinely tested, which can bias the dashboard counts, Professor McConway said.
He said: ‘Infection levels are really high in England and in Northern Ireland. They are quite a lot lower in Wales and in Scotland, but confirmed case numbers on the dashboard have been rising quickly in both of those countries recently, so things look problematic there too.’
‘It’s just about possible that the reopening might have contributed a bit to the increase in infections [in Scotland], but the effect on the latest figures is unlikely to be large, given that it generally takes a few days after an infection contact for the infection to become detectable.
‘It’s true that vaccines have much reduced the risk that someone will end up in hospital or die, if they become infected with the virus. But they haven’t reduced the risk to zero.
‘The last time that infections were at the level they now are in England, according to the [ONS figures], was the end of January.’
At that point, there were 2,300 hospital admissions and 1,100 deaths linked with the virus, while now there are around 770 admissions and 80 fatalities, Professor McConway said.
He added: ‘Obviously the position is better than it was at the end of January – but it’s still not good, and the latest dashboard figures and models indicate that things are going to get worse in the short term.
‘What I’d like to hear is an explanation of what policy actions are being taken by the UK Government to take this into account, with an explanation of the choices that have been made, even if the choice is not to change anything.
‘I’ve heard very little about policy on Covid for England recently, apart from the welcome encouragement for people to get vaccinated, and some changes in the rules for foreign travel. What’s the plan, please?’