The 10 places on UK’s coronavirus watch list revealed as app predicts 6 new hotspots but ‘no sign of second wave’

THESE are the 10 places on the UK's coronavirus watch list, according to data from the COVID Symptom Tracker app.

Areas in Essex and Scotland have crept onto the list this week with the remaining hotspot regions being dominated by towns and cities in the North of England.

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Experts identified six new hotspots but said any rise in cases in these areas is not a sign of a second wave of Covid-19 hitting the country.

Prof Tim Spector, who leads the app team at Kings College London, said the data was a "further confirmation that we aren’t at the beginning of a second wave and rather, still trying to end the first".

He said that it was "encouraging" to see that numbers are coming slightly down in the UK and that isolated outbreaks in the North West are being contained.

The data showed that Halton in Cheshire is at the top of the list this week with 0.34 per cent of residents in the area having displayed symptoms of 1,171 of people using the app.

Data from the app revealed that 24,131 people currently have symptomatic Covid in the UK.

The figures released by King's College are based on 10,988 swab tests done between July 26 to August 8.

In second place on the watch list this week is St Helens in Merseyside, with 0.25 per cent of people being symptomatic of 1,598 locals who use the app.

The seaside town of Blackpool is third in line to be placed on local lockdown with 0.23 per cent of 927 people using the app being symptomatic.

Tameside in Greater Manchester has 0.21 per cent of 1,904 users displaying symptoms, while Thurrock in Essex has 0.2 per cent of residents displaying symptoms of 1,493 locals who use the app.

Blackburn with Darwen, which had previously been at the top of the list has fallen to sixth place after a spate of local lockdowns have helped ease off cases of the virus.

Here 0.19 per cent of 904 users are displaying symptoms.

Looking towards the North East and Middlesborough has 0.18 per cent of 885 people reporting to be symptomatic.

In Lancashire, 0.17 per cent of 14,982 users are symptomatic while in Bolton, 0.17 per cent of 2,435 people are symptomatic.

Both Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen are in Lancashire and the experts said the map they use lists them as separate - hence why they are listed separately to Lancashire.

They do this so they have more statistical power when looking at bigger regions.

Experts had previously urged people in northern towns and cities to sign up to the free app and to log their symptoms.

Last on the list in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland where 0.17 per cent of 1,524 on the app have symptoms.

Looking towards various parts of the UK now and in England there have been 1,240 new cases a day.

This equates to 168 in the South East, 305 in London, 252 in the Midlands, 64 in the East of England, 27 in the South West, 204 in the North East and Yorkshire, 332 in the North West, 74 in Wales and 120 in Scotland.

Prof Spector added: "The figures also suggest that the outbreaks we are seeing in other countries such as Belgium, France and Spain aren't having an effect here in the UK yet.

"On top of this, the hot weather which caused concern by making many flock to crowded beaches and parks doesn’t seem to be having the predicted negative impact."

Overall he said the team has been "pleasantly surprised" by this week's figures which he said are back down to the early July levels.

The data release from King's College comes after an urgent review was conducted into the way that Covid death tolls were calculated.

It means that now, only deaths that happen within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test will be counted towards the official figure.

It comes following the announcement that positive tests have remained above the crucial 1,000-a-day mark.

A total of 1,009 new cases have been diagnosed - bringing the total number of positive tests to 313,798.

However, the number of new cases diagnosed is lower than yesterday, when 1,148 people were confirmed to have the virus.