SPREAD SLOWS
UK Covid cases fall by almost 30% in a week as another 15,450 test positive with 206 more deaths
DAILY UK coronavirus cases today fell by almost 30% in a week as another 15,450 people tested positive.
Last Monday, the UK recorded 21,363 new cases - meaning the number of daily cases has dropped by 27.7% in a week.
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Today's 15,450 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus brings the total number of infections in the UK to 1,527,495.
And according to the figures released today, another 206 more deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours - bringing the grim toll to 55,230.
However, a note was today included on the updated numbers, saying that due to a "processing update" 141 previously published deaths within 28 days in England were excluded from the published data on 21 November.
It said issue has now been corrected for data published on 22 November, which includes deaths omitted yesterday in today’s total and daily number of newly reported deaths.
Figures show a district in Kent now has the highest Covid-19 rate in England — amid concerns people are showing a “wilful disregard of the rules”.
An emergency meeting was held last night to discuss why Swale has overtaken Hull.
The seaside borough reported a rate of 631.7 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to November 18.
That is a 48 per cent jump from the 425.8 cases for the previous week.
It comes as....
- Boris Johnson said we are "turning a corner" in the fight against coronavirus
- A vaccine against coronavirus was found to be 90 per cent effective
- London is expected to be headed into Tier 2 restrictions when the national lockdown lifts on December 2
- The latest infections data for England shows 169 out of 315 local authority areas have seen a rise in cases in the last seven days up to November 16
Across the four nations, Scotland today recorded 949 new cases, bringing the total to 89,310 but did not report any new deaths in 24 hours.
In Wales, 892 new cases were reported, giving a total of 73,233. Nine new deaths were recorded to bring the grim total to 2,385.
Northern Ireland reported 280 new cases, bringing the total to 50,064. Another three deaths were reported, giving a total of 936.
In England hospitals, another 178 deaths were recorded, with the youngest patient claimed by the bug aged 34.
The figures were released after Boris Johnson confirmed the national lockdown would end on December 2 but tough Tier restrictions would be put into place.
The PM said that it meant from next Wednesday, people will be able to leave their home for any purpose and meet others in outdoor public spaces, subject to the rule of six, collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume, and shops, personal care, gyms and the wider leisure sector can reopen.
He added: "But without sensible precautions, we would risk the virus escalating into a winter or New Year surge."
As part of the PM's Covid Winter Plan he said there WILL be a break for the festive period - but families will "need to make a careful judgement" about visiting older relatives as the virus "doesn't know" it's Christmas.
The rules will be reviewed every 14 days to check if they are working, and to see whether they can be relaxed.
VACCINE HOPES
It comes after it was announced the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab - which is cheaper and easier to store than Pfizer and Moderna's has been found to be up to 90 per cent effective.
Experts have praised the vaccine, saying it will "hail the beginning of the end of the pandemic".
Britain has pre-ordered 100 million doses of the jab - which is expected to cost just £2 a time and can be stored at standard temperatures - with four million ready to be rolled out as soon as it gets regulatory approval.
Late-stage findings, published today, showed the vaccine is 90 per cent effective when it's first given as a half dose, then followed by a full dose a month later.
It’s not clear why, but the team think it could be that a smaller dose may be a better way of kicking the immune system into action.
It means those initial four million jabs could be used to give eight million people their first dose by the end of the year, if approved by regulators.
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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) would now assess if the 90 per cent effectiveness dosing regime could be used.
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He told BBC Breakfast: "I'm really very pleased, I really welcome these figures - this data that shows that the vaccine in the right dosage can be up to 90 per cent effective.
"If this all goes well in the next couple of weeks, then we are looking at the potential of starting the vaccination programme next month for this Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as well as the Pfizer vaccine."
Boris Johnson warns families need to make 'careful judgement' over Christmas gatherings
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