After reporting 38,009 new Covid cases in the past week, the government indicated that the spread of Covid is slowing down. This was the eighth consecutive day of falling cases and a 13.5% decrease in new cases compared to the previous seven days.
Department of Health bosses also posted 41,278 new coronavirus infections yesterday, down 8.2 per cent on last Saturday’s figure of 44,985.
Meanwhile, a total of 49,955,853 first doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by Saturday – a rise of 33,763 on the previous day – while some 45,697,856 second doses have been delivered, an increase of 24,908, according to government figures.
A total of 7,925.851 booster and third doses were also delivered, which is a daily increase of 361,428.
However, another 74 people were reported to have died within 28-days of a positive COVID-19 test. This meant that the seven day total of Covid-related deaths rose by almost 16% compared to the previous week.
Because of the time it takes for the virus and disease to develop, hospitalisations and deaths often lag behind daily infection changes.
The figures come after separate official data released on Friday showed more than a million people in England were infected with Covid on any day during the last week before half-term.
Bosses at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate around one in 50 people — the equivalent of 1,102,800 — would have tested positive on any given day during the seven-day spell ending October 22. It claims that infections have risen by almost 13% in a single week, an increase not seen since the worst days of Britain’s pandemic crisis early January.
Other coronavirus developments
- Yesterday saw thousands of protestors take to the streets of London to protest against the introduction of vaccine passports under the Government’s winter Covid Plan B.
- To combat an increasing number of hospital admissions, Wales will tighten its Covid restrictions.
- SAGE experts said that further coronavirus waves cannot yet be ruled out, and there is uncertainty about how the pandemic will play out in the first half next year.
- Official data showed England’s Covid vaccine drive for children is going even slower than thought, prompting calls for the NHS to speed up the roll out over fears it could leave No10 with no option but to resort to Plan B;
- Health chiefs Friday claimed Covid vaccines appear to work just as well against the more transmissible Delta variant offshoot as they do on its ancestor.
On Saturday afternoon, thousands of protestors marched through Piccadilly Circus to demand medical freedom, no vaccination passports, and no future locking downs
Yesterday, protestors gathered in central London at around 1pm to protest against the introduction of vaccine passports under the Government’s winter Covid Plan B.
No10’s advisors stated that it was likely that cases will eventually fizzle out in children due to their high levels of immunity after the back-to class wave.
They also claimed that half term would act as an indoor fire-breaker and stop children from mixing indoors.
‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist who sits on SAGE, on Friday argued Plan B — which would see the return of face masks and work from home guidance if the NHS becomes overwhelmed — ‘shouldn’t be necessary’, if cases keep dropping and the booster roll-out continues at speed.
Separate data from Thursday’s largest symptom-tracking survey in the country suggested that Britain is ‘worryingly close to’ recording 100,000 new Covid infections each day.
Professor Tim Spector is the epidemiologist who ran the study. He suggested that the official Government daily count could be greatly underestimating the extent and prevalence of Covid.
It comes as Health Secretary Sajid Javid today asked all secondary school and college students for testing regardless of symptoms before they return next week to classes.
ONS data showed that 9.1% of children in the ages 7-11 had the virus last week.
Mr Javid stated, “It is crucial that they are taking free and simple rapid tests that will help identify Covid infections from people who aren’t showing symptoms to keep it at bay.”