Related Articles
THE UK coronavirus death toll today rose by 98 to 46,511.
New statistics revealed another 871 cases of the deadly bug were recorded, bringing the total number of infections to 309,005.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The number of cases has slightly dropped after 880 were recorded last Friday.
Meanwhile data has revealed infections have jumped significantly in four areas in England – with ten areas remaining at risk of further local restrictions being enforced.
Data showed that Bradford in West Yorkshire has the highest amount of new cases with 48.5 per 100,000 people – equating to 262 new cases of the virus.
It comes as…
Leicester – which was the first city to be put into a further local lockdown has 52.2 per 100,000 people, equating to 185 new cases.
Despite this, case numbers in Leicester have fallen from 62.4 per cent of cases per 100,000 people.
Today, the Department of Health announced restrictions banning households from mixing indoors or in gardens are to be brought in for Preston from midnight tonight.
It comes after the coronavirus R rate was revealed to be up for the second week in a row – with the overall average for the UK reaching 1.
New data has revealed that almost every region of England is now pushing the crucial value, which could suggest the epidemic is growing.
The latest figures published today by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) shows that the range across the country is now hitting 1.
It was just under the crucial value at between 0.8-0.9 when the weekly numbers were updated last Friday.
1
Earlier this week Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham urged the government to reinstate shielding measures after a major virus incident was declared.
On Monday it was reported that cases in the city had doubled in a week and that the infection rate in the area is now as high as it was in May.
It was also revealed yesterday that there had been an outbreak of the virus at a Royal Mail delivery office.
What does R rate mean?
R0, or R nought, refers to the average number of people that one infected person can expect to pass the coronavirus on to.
Scientists use it to predict how far and how fast a disease will spread – and the number can also inform policy decisions about how to contain an outbreak.
For example, if a virus has an R0 of three, it means that every sick person will pass the disease on to three other people if no containment measures are introduced.
It’s also worth pointing out that the R0 is a measure of how infectious a disease is, but not how deadly
COVER UP
Full list of new places you must wear a face mask from tomorrow – including salons
URGENT DROP-OFF
Woman horrified to find Amazon delivery driver taking a poo in her garden
HOT TO FLOCK
Sunseekers told to STAY AWAY from 19 beaches over 13 miles in 36.4C scorcher
ON THE R-ISE
Coronavirus R rate up for second week in a row – as UK hits 1
HOT SPOTS
The UK’s 10 coronavirus hotspots – and the 4 areas where cases have jumped
Meanwhile, there are fears some coronavirus cases could have slipped through the net as loss of taste and smell was not added to the list of symptoms.
A study found that almost two-thirds of staff at a London NHS trust developed anosmia during the height of lockdown, a symptom which was only added to the official list on May 18.
The NHS now states that symptoms such as a new and persistent cough, a high temperature and a loss of taste and smell are key symptoms of the virus.
