THE UK has today seen the biggest rise in daily coronavirus deaths since April with 744 fatalities.
As even more swathes of the country are set to be plunged into Tier 4, 39,237 newly infected people have been reported in the last 24 hours.
The total number of Covid patients in hospital climbed to 18,953 – the highest level since April 21.
The hospitalisations figure peaked during the first wave at 21,683 on April 12.
NHS England said today a further 416 people, who tested positive for coronavirus, died in the last 24 hours.
Patients were aged between 32 and 102 years old. All except 15 (aged 37 to 90 years old) had known underlying health conditions.
And another 3,013 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Wales, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 131,102.
Public Health Wales reported another 51 deaths, with the grim toll now at 3,200.
It comes as…
- Dover chaos continues as drivers wait for their Covid tests
- More of the South and East to go into Tier 4 on Boxing Day
- The places where Covid variant is spreading most rapidly across UK was revealed – as the mutant strain has been located in 57 places
- Parents are furious over claims ‘schools may close for ALL of January’ after experts claim mutant Covid strain spreads faster in kids
- The R rate is thought to be as high as 1.5 in some areas
- A new strain from South Africa has been found in two people in the UK – with travel now banned
Scotland has recorded 47 deaths of coronavirus patients and 1,190 new cases in the past 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon said earlier today.
Britain’s R rate has risen again this week as a mutant variant of the virus continues to spread, official data has revealed.
The current R value – the number of people an infected person will pass Covid on to – is now estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.3 and could be as high as 1.5 in some regions.
Yesterday saw the biggest ever UK daily rise with 36,804 new positive tests and 691 deaths.
The daily figures showed Covid cases nearly doubled since the 18,450 infections recorded the same time last week.
The soaring infection levels saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce a new Tier 4 lockdown on Saturday which has plunged 16 million people back into virtual lockdown, with all pubs and non-essential shops shut and people urged to stay indoors.
The new mutant strain is feared to be present in every region of the UK, with health bosses and government ministers urging people living in Tier 4 areas not to travel to other parts of the country.
More than 2,000,000 positive tests and 68,000 deaths have been recorded since the start of the pandemic in January this year.
The increase in cases is believed to be down to a new mutant strain of the virus which has swept London and the South East.
Data from Public Health England (PHE) states that out of the 315 local areas in England, 285 have seen a rise in case rates and 30 have seen a fall.
Today furious lorry drivers stuck in their cabs for days blocked a Dover port exit and clashed with cops this morning as 10,000 trucks are still stranded in England.
The first passengers from the UK arrived in Calais earlier after Emmanuel Macron opened the border – but thousands of drivers are still being blocked from leaving.
They have to show a negative test before they can cross into France, after the President raised fears over the mutant strain.
