Coronavirus cases hit their highest rate in seven days on Monday, surpassing 50,000 for the seventh day in a row. The rate of cases across the UK has jumped in recent weeks, driven in large part by a new variant of the virus which is deemed to be much more easily transmissible than other strains.
On Monday, January 4, Boris Johnson implemented a new national lockdown in England.
The lockdown was rolled out in a bid to tackle the rising rate of coronavirus cases and to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed as the new variant causes cases to surge.
Mr Johnson unveiled tougher restrictions calling the new variant “both frustrating and alarming”.
The Prime Minister said: “In England, we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant.
“That means the Government is once again instructing you to stay at home.
“You may only leave home for limited reasons permitted in law, such as to shop for essentials, to work if you absolutely cannot work from home, to exercise, to seek medical assistance such as getting a Covid test, or to escape domestic abuse.”
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Mr Johnson said: “Our scientists have confirmed this new variant is between 50 and 70 percent more transmissible – that means you are much, much more likely to catch the virus and to pass it on.
“As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic.
“In England alone, the number of Covid patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the last week, to almost 27,000.
“That number is 40 percent higher than the first peak in April.
“On December 29, more than 80,000 people tested positive for Covid across the UK – a new record.
“The number of deaths is up by 20 per cent over the last week and will sadly rise further. My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones.”
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Of all the 315 local areas in England, 93 percent of these areas have seen a rise in case rates.
In total, 22 local areas have seen a fall in the rate of cases which equates to seven percent.
The Barking and Dagenham borough in London continues to have the highest rate in England.
There have been 3,025 new cases of Covid-19 in the past seven days to January 4, which equates to a rate of 1,420.8 per 100,000 people.
This is up from 1,106.1 in the seven days to December 24.
The following areas have the highest rates per 100,000 population in the past seven days (all with rates exceeding 1,000 per 100,0000 people):
- Thurrock: 2,436 new cases with a rate of 1,397.3 per 100,000
- Redbridge: 4,126 new cases with a rate of 1,351.8 per 100,000
- Newham: 4,429 new cases with a rate of 1,254.2 per 100,000
- Enfield: 3,970 new cases with a rate of 1,189.4 per 100,000
- Havering: 3,064 new cases with a rate of 1,180.5 per 100,000
- Tower Hamlets: 3,695 new cases with a rate of 1,137.8 per 100,000
- Bexley: 2,823 new cases with a rate of 1,137 per 100,000
- Southend-on-Sea: 1,986 new cases with a rate of 1,084.5 per 100,000
- Waltham Forest: 2,945 new cases with a rate of 1,063.2 per 100,000
- Medway: 2,911 new cases with a rate of 1,045 per 100,000
- Sutton: 2,154 new cases with a rate of 1,043.9 per 100,000
- Bromley: 3,461 new cases with a rate of 1,041.4 per 100,000
- Hounslow: 2,764 new cases with a rate of 1,018 per 100,000
- Essex: 15,082 new cases with a rate of 1,012.8 per 100,000
- Slough: 1,497 new cases with a rate of 1,001.1 per 100,000.
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The largest week-on-week jumps were in Carlisle with 921 new cases, with the rate of cases up from 361.6 to 847.5.
Rushmoor in Hampshire also saw a large increase in the rate of cases from 677.6 to 1,125.8 – with a total of 1,065 new cases.
In the Isle of Wight there was also a huge increase in the number of new cases with 960 reported.
The rate of cases in the Isle of Wight also rose from 229.9 to 677.1 per 100,000.
You can find the rate of infection and the number of new cases in your area here.
