Covid cases in kids 30 times higher than this time last year amid fears of ANOTHER lockdown

COVID cases in children are 30 times higher than this time last year as fears are stoked of another lockdown.

Infections are high as kids return to school in England and Wales, with Scotland already back for weeks.

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It has sparked concern that by the end of the month the mixing of children will cause a spike in cases.

In the week running up to August 28, there were more than 300 Covid infections per 100,000 five to 15-year-olds.

During that same week last year the numbers were less than 10 per 100,000 in that age group.

Good Morning Britain's Dr Hillary said today the trend in cases "is gradually upwards".

But he added: "Unless there's 100,000 cases a day, we're not facing any further restrictions or lockdowns at the moment... however hospitalisations are increasing and we need to keep across that.

"As we see more cases in younger people we will see higher proportion of them becoming sick with Covid and long Covid."

It comes after we told how parents of 12 to 15-year-olds will get an official letter asking for consent to give their children a Covid jab.

Mums and dads will be contacted in the coming days, Whitehall insiders say.

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It comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation refused to give the green light to inoculating the age group.

It said the children were at such low risk from the virus that it was not worth it.

Ministers, however, hope the UK’s four chief medical officers will come back shortly in support of the wider benefits of the injections, such as lessening classroom disruption and reducing infections spreading through them to adults more at risk.

School bubbles were binned in July after more than one million pupils were kept home that month, but heads would reportedly like to revive the measure.

Bubbles proved a nightmare for parents forced to scramble childcare at short notice or be forced to work from home while looking after their kids. 

Many were also concerned about the damaging impact days of missed teaching time is having on children.

But Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), told some schools could defy the guidance by reintroducing bubbles after just two confirmed cases.

CLASSROOM CHAOS

Yesterday Downing Street warned ministers were ready to take the nation back into another lockdown over winter if they had to.

Booster vaccines for the vulnerable are expected in the coming months too, and a decision on vaccinating teenagers is expected within weeks.

The PM's spokesperson said today when grilled on the extension: "With regards to what comes next we need to carefully monitor the situation.

"As a responsible government, we retain the ability to take further steps if necessary but it is thanks to significant defences of vaccination programme that we are able to be one of the most open societies in Europe.

";And we will continue to push forward with vaccination programmes and that remains the case."

It came after the PM sparked fury among his own backbenchers with plans to extend the draconian Covid powers for another six months.

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He will keep the legal underpinning for restrictions in place in case he needs to use them in the coming months.

Another shutdown would destroy the UK's economy at just a time where it's starting to recover post-pandemic.