THE number of people testing positive for Covid has plunged over the course of the past month – but deaths are continuing to tick up.
Another 38,263 people have been diagnosed with the deadly bug in the past 24 hours, while 201 more casualties have died.
On October 22, by comparison, 49,139 people were newly-diagnosed with coronavirus, while 179 people lost their lives.
Deaths are continuing to steadily rise in the UK.
And an expert has warned that the UK may follow Germany and Austria into lockdowns for the unvaccinated.
Governments in Europe are scrambling to contain rising infections by placing restrictions on those without jabs.
Two million Austrians without the inoculations have been banned from leaving their homes unless for food or work.
Similar measures – as well as the additional restrictions of a ban on using public transport or entering bars or restaurants – are expected in Germany within days.
Now Professor John Ashton, former regional director of public health for the North West of England, said it “may come to that” in the UK, too.
Asked what he thought of such measures on Good Morning Britain, the former president of the UK Faculty of Public Health said: “I fear that it might come to that.
DEATH TOLL STAYS HIGH
“We all need to be playing our part, and at the moment, it’s as though the thing is over.
“We really need to get back to wearing our masks, social distancing and, yes, passports.
“This is not about civil rights, it’s about winning the battle with this virus and not throwing in the towel, which is what seems to be being advocated by the business community.”
He said all eligible youngsters should get two jabs before Christmas, while those in primary school should also be considered.
“There are still millions of people who are not double vaccinated in the UK,” he warned.
“That’s a problem because the virus is still circulating, and while the virus is circulating, there is the potential for more mutations.”
Meanwhile, the number of people dying each week in England and Wales is at its highest level overall since March.
A total of 995 people died of coronavirus in both countries in the week ending November 5, according to the Office for National Statistics.
WARNING OF LOCKDOWNS
It’s the highest number since the week to March 12 during the 2021 national lockdown, when 1,501 coronavirus deaths were registered.
The latest weekly figure is up 16 per cent on the previous week, with around one in 12 – 8.6 per cent – of all deaths registered mentioning Covid-19.
While fatalities have crept up, they remain significantly lower than those registered last winter during the second wave.
At its peak, some 8,433 deaths involving coronavirus were registered in the week to January 22. The highest number that occurred on a single day was 1,484 on January 19.
The head of the NHS in England yesterday warned the health service is facing a “really tough winter”.
Amanda Pritchard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “NHS staff have worked absolutely tirelessly over the past 18 months as we’ve responded to the pandemic.
“We’ve seen now half a million people in hospital with Covid, and of course at the same time rolled out the fastest and largest vaccination programme in our history.
“But we are facing really significant pressures.
“We have ongoing pressures from Covid. On Monday, there were 6,864 patients in hospital with Covid.
“We’ve seen demand rebound for urgent emergency care services – the most recent data that we published just last week tells that story very clearly, with the highest ever number of 999 calls in a month and more than 1.4million people treated in A&E departments.
“Colleagues are giving really significant focus to recovering services affected by Covid, especially tackling backlogs.
“We’re also maintaining that vaccination programme.”
