Covid: UK records 142,224 new cases and 77 deaths
More than 17,000 people in England are currently hospitalised with Covid
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Your support makes all the difference.A total of 142,224 new Covid cases and 77 deaths linked to the virus were reported in the UK today.
The death toll has now reached 150,230 – according to the government’s data.
Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 174,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificates.
The number of new daily Covid cases for the UK has fallen for five days in a row, but analysts have said that it is too soon to draw conclusions over whether the Omicron-driven wave of the virus has peaked.
The government and its experts have said that they are keeping an eye on the effects of children returning to school and of people returning to their workplaces after Christmas, as they have yet to fully emerge.
PM Boris Johnson has said that he will cut the time that people who have tested positive would have to spend in self-isolation if scientists recommend a reduction.
He said he would “act according to the science” on potentially reducing the time period to five days to help businesses and the public sector, as many are struggling with staff absences.
The period has already been cut from 10 days to seven, as long as the person in isolation has negative lateral flow test results.
Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said “if it is possible to go further then we will do so”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer – who is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid last week – said he would back a reduction in the time period if the evidence supported it.
The latest Covid case and death numbers apply to a 24 hour period from Sunday, and the new data also shows a decrease in cases and deaths compared to the figures reported over the weekend.
But a total of 17,120 people were in hospital in England with Covid as of 8am today – a rise of 20 per cent from a week earlier, and the highest number since 15 February 2021.
While no new deaths were reported in Scotland, officials have noted that register offices are now generally closed at weekends and that this could be a reason why no deaths were recorded during this period.
In Wales, 11,693 new cases and 16 deaths have been reported – but these figures are for the latest 48-hour period rather than 24 hours, according to Public Health Wales.
In the north of Ireland, 2,706 new cases and six deaths have been reported.
The region is expected to see the peak of the Omicron wave in the next few weeks, Sir Michael McBride – Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer – said.
He also warned that Omicron would not be the last Covid strain to emerge, adding: “Variants will always arise.”
Sir Michael also said: “We have still, unfortunately, more letters in the Greek alphabet which we will use as those [new variants] become detected”.
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