Sharp rises in infection levels in England, says ONS

PA Media

Levels of coronavirus are continuing to rise with one in 85 people in England infected, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Figures for the week to 18 December estimate nearly 650,000 people have the virus, up from 570,000 the week before.

In Wales, about one in 60 people are infected - a sharp increase.

The percentage of people testing positive in Northern Ireland is also up, but in Scotland numbers are down.

The ONS data suggests London now has the highest percentage of people testing positive in the UK - more than 2%.

There are sharp rises in levels of positive tests in the capital, the east of England, and the South East, where a new variant of the virus is spreading at a dangerous rate, according to government ministers.

About two-thirds of people testing positive in these areas could have the new variant - but this is only an estimate based on genes detected by the tests, the ONS says.

• New coronavirus variant: What do we know?

• UK has two cases of variant linked to South Africa

There are two variants causing concern at the moment - the first, likely to have taken hold in Kent, is thought to be driving a growth in cases in the south and east of England in recent weeks.

Scientists say it spreads more easily than other forms of the virus but they don't believe it causes more serious disease.

The second variant, which originated in South Africa and is causing a spike in cases there, was detected in two cases in the UK on Tuesday, prompting a ban on travel from the country.

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December 24, 2020 at 11:35PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55436598