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THIS interactive map reveals what number of coronavirus instances are in your space as the brand new variant drives enormous outbreaks.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night imposed another lockdown to attempt to management the “alarming unfold”.
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Commuters journey on the London Underground as England prepares to enter a nationwide lockdown from midnight Credit score: AFP or licensors
From midnight tonight, everybody should “keep at dwelling”, apart from for restricted causes corresponding to to buy necessities, train, search medical help, escape home abuse or work for those who can not make money working from home.
Wales and Northern Eire are already in lockdowns, with Scotland becoming a member of them as we speak.
The brand new lockdown is deliberate to final till the center of February, when the PM hopes for all probably the most susceptible folks to have been vaccinated.
Nonetheless, it may not be until March that the UK realistically comes out the lockdown, senior Cupboard minister Michael Gove warned this morning.
“We’ll hold these continually beneath evaluate, however we are able to’t predict with certainty that we will elevate restrictions within the week commencing February 15-22,” he informed Sky Information.
The Authorities coronavirus dashboard reveals how the outbreak has escalated over the previous month as a result of new variant.
Regardless of the November lockdown, instances surged within the southern components of England, which ministers and scientists now perceive was a results of the brand new variant – which is tougher to regulate with restrictions.
Graphs present that initially of December, after the second lockdown, instances have been rising within the south however easing within the north.
How Covid instances have modified from September (starting of the second wave), to November (the second nationwide lockdown), early December (the top of the lockdown, when the brand new variant started surging), and finish of December. The darkest purple is 800+ instances per 100,000, whereas the lighter purple is 400-800 case sper 100,000
By the top of the month, dozens of authorities within the South East and London have been reporting an infection charges of extra 800 per 100,000 folks. And the North has as soon as once more tipped again into harmful territory.
WHERE ARE CASES HIGHEST?
Knowledge from Public Well being England exhibits that 93 per cent of native areas in England have seen an increase in instances up to now seven days.
Barking & Dagenham in London continues to have the best fee in England, recording 1,476 new instances per 100,000 folks within the week to December 31 – the latest information from Public Well being England.
Thurrock in Essex has the second highest fee, with 1,389 instances per 100,000, and Redbridge in London is in third place, with 1,382 instances per 100,000.
Carlisle, in Cumbria, has proven the most important bounce in instances up to now week, up 134 per cent from 362 to 848 instances per 100,000.
The place are Covid instances highest?
From left to proper, it reads: identify of native authority; fee of latest instances within the seven days to December 31 per 100,000 folks.
Barking and Dagenham, 1,476.2
Thurrock, 1,389.2
Redbridge, 1,381.9
Broxbourne, 1,302.4
Fortress Level, 1,302.3
Epping Forest, 1,289.4
Brentwood, 1,264.6
Newham, 1,257.3
Harlow, 1,251.9
Havering, 1,187.8
Enfield, 1,174.7
Dartford, 1,159.8
Bexley, 1,157.5
Tower Hamlets, 1,140
Gravesham, 1,136.2
Basildon, 1,133
Rushmoor, 1,125.8
Southend-on-Sea, 1,059.9
Medway, 1,058
Waltham Forest, 1,057.5
It’s adopted by Rushmoor in Hampshire – up from 678 to 1,126 – and the Isle of Wight, up from 230 to 677.
Yesterday the Well being Secretary Matt Hancock stated instances have been rising most in Tier 3 areas.
Knowledge from the Authorities’s coronavirus dashboard exhibits that 58,784 folks examined optimistic for the virus on January 4.
There are extra folks in England hospitals now than in April – the spring peak
As much as this date it additionally states that 2.7 million folks have now examined optimistic for Covid-19 within the UK. However there will probably be tens of millions extra who had the virus and by no means acquired a take a look at.
The Workplace for Nationwide Statistics estimates round one in 85 folks have the virus at any given time – and that is primarily based on swabs earlier than the Christmas interval.
THE HARDEST PART
In his deal with, Mr Johnson warned the approaching weeks would be the “hardest but”.
The drastic lockdown measures have come amid the expansion of a brand new coronavirus variant which is between 50 and 70 per cent extra simply unfold.
Mr Johnson stated: “There is no such thing as a doubt that in combating the outdated variant of the virus, our collective efforts have been working and would have continued to work.
“However we now have a brand new variant of the virus. It has been each irritating and alarming to see the velocity with which the brand new variant is spreading.”
What did the PM say final night time?
- Individuals can solely meet up for out of doors exercise with one other person from another household
- All outside staff sports activities are banned aside from elite sportsmen and youngsters nonetheless in school
- Playgrounds will stay open however outside gyms, tennis courts and golf programs will probably be closed as soon as once more
- Colleges are set to remain shut across the nation until at least February half-term
- Nurseries, childcare centres and particular colleges will stay open
- College students won’t be able to return to college and will probably be informed to review remotely from their present residency till a minimum of the center of subsequent month.
- GCSEs, A-Ranges and another exams are set to be cancelled – with additional bulletins on account of come
- Pubs, eating places, bars and most venues have been already ordered to close in each a part of England other than the Isles of Scilly final week and can stay closed for a minimum of one other month
- In an extra blow to the battered business, the brand new nationwide curbs will ban takeaway pints being served amid fears over punters clustering outside pubs. Meals and non-alcohol takeaways will proceed to be permitted
- In a lift for lonely Brits, assist bubbles will stay in place – permitting single households to combine indoors with one different family
Mr Johnson was compelled to behave simply hours after the chief medical officers of the UK said the NHS could collapse within three weeks.
Hospitals have been described as “warzones” on account of workers being stretched skinny to look after document excessive sufferers.
Some medical doctors and scientists expressed concern that the newest measures would nonetheless not be sufficient to forestall the NHS being overwhelmed.
Dr Claudia Paoloni, chairwoman of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Affiliation, informed BBC Radio 4’s Immediately programme: “We’re now in a state of affairs the place the chance of overwhelming the NHS at this level, over the subsequent few weeks, may be very, very excessive.”
VACCINE HOPE
The PM informed Britons final night time that “with a good wind in our sails” it should be possible to vaccinate 13 million of the most vulnerable people by mid-February, paving the way in which for controls to be eased.
It will have a big affect on hospitalisations and deaths, which leaves room for measures to be relaxed in a roundabout way.
Brian Pinker was the primary individual to obtain the Oxford vaccine outdoors of scientific trials yesterday morningCredit score: Getty – Pool
The formidable roll-out plans imply two million folks will have to be vaccinated per week – which officers say the NHS has capability to do so long as provide of doses is on the market.
Scientists, who say the vaccine is the one approach out of the pandemic, are doubtful the mid-February goal will be fulfilled.
Dr David Pressure, Scientific senior lecturer and honorary advisor, Co-Chair BMA Medical Educational Workers Committee, College of Exeter Medical Faculty, stated: “I’ve some reservations about his optimistic timeframe to have everybody within the high 4 precedence teams, roughly 12-14 million adults, immunised throughout the subsequent six weeks.
“Assuming all of those vaccines will be sourced, given the constraints within the fill and end course of (i.e. the packaging course of previous to supply to the vaccination centres), there’s nonetheless uncertainty as to how the logistics of those 2 million vaccines per week will probably be operated.”
Dr Simon Clarke, Affiliate Professor in Mobile Microbiology on the College of Studying, stated: “Boris Johnson stated that at the easiest, probably the most susceptible in our society might obtain their first vaccination by mid-February, however that may not alleviate the speedy pressures on the NHS.
“It appears probably that the British individuals are due for an extended haul earlier than the restrictions on their life will be lifted.
“Getting the tens of millions of probably the most susceptible folks their first dose of vaccine is an efficient begin, however this group will want their second jab earlier than they’ve the sort of safety that trials have proven is feasible.
“Even then, a small proportion of vaccinated folks might nonetheless catch the virus whether it is nonetheless circulating broadly in the remainder of the inhabitants, and crucially, elsewhere on the earth.”
Prof Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Illness Epidemiology, College of Edinburgh, stated vaccinating the precedence teams “won’t be sufficient to realize herd immunity so the virus would nonetheless be capable of flow into within the basic inhabitants within the absence of restrictions”.
It got here after the primary folks have been jabbed with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday, hailed by Mr Hancock as a “pivotal” second within the pandemic.
The jab was the second to be accredited after that made by Pfizer/BioNTech, which started being dolled out a month in the past.
The UK has secured a deal for 140 million doses of the 2 vaccines mixed, sufficient to vaccinate the entire inhabitants (66 million) with the 2 essential doses.
Up to now a million folks have been given the primary dose of a vaccine because the NHS operation began at a sluggish tempo.