Covid case maps show just how much the virus has exploded across the UK since Freedom Day in July.
Coronavirus cases are on the rise once again as the maps show a number of hotspots shooting up across the UK.
England fully opened up with no restrictions on July 19 and while cases went down after this date, they have seen a steady rise up to over 50,000-a-day now.
The most up to date map from October 16 shows a scene of rising cases across all four countries.
Some areas, particularly Bath and Somerset, and Swindon in England, and the Vale of Glamorgan, Neath Port Talbot, and Caerphilly in South Wales all are recording 800+ cases per 100,000 people, the highest in the UK.
The map paints a worrying picture as winter sets in, with the majority of areas recording rates over 400 cases per 100,000 people over a seven day period.
When compared to a map almost three months prior the difference is clear as data from July 31, shortly after Freedom Day on July 19, shows how cases have rocketed.
At the time, during the summer, only a few areas recorded 400 or more cases per 100,000 people, the rate that has now become the average across the UK.
The Vale of Glamorgan even went from having one of the lowest instances of Covid in the summer, to the highest in mid-October.
It recorded 10-49 cases per 100,000 people in the summer, and now has over 800 cases per 100,000 people.
With the complete unlocking, lax mask wearing and a sluggish rollout of booster jabs, cases have rocketed from the halcyon days of summer.
Scotland still has the lowest rates compared to the rest of the UK, and Northern Ireland’s rates were higher in the summer and continue to be as high as the rest of the UK, but the country did open up at a slightly later date.
Presently, the South-East is faring better than most of the UK, but as cases continue to rise and winter sets in, forcing more people indoors into poorly ventilated spaces, numbers are expected to continue to go up.
This comes as recently health secretary Sajid Javid refused to adopt a ‘Plan B’ ahead of winter, despite calls from the NHS Confederation.
Speaking in a press conference earlier this week, Mr Javid said whilst the NHS was under pressure, it was not “unsustainable” pressure, suggesting that this, and not death rate, continues to be the metric that will determine if extra measures come in.
Mr Javid called on Brits to show their “Blitz spirit” and get their booster Covid jab and said: "On this particular question we don’t believe the pressures currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.
"Don't get me wrong, there are huge pressures, especially in A&E, in primary care for example as well.
"But at this point we don't believe they are unsustainable."
The Health Secretary did call upon people to continue to wear face masks in enclosed spaces but refused to make doing so compulsory.
Mr Javid warned that restrictions would “of course” return if Brits did not wear masks or get their booster jabs when able to.
Analysis by the Mirror shows that, as cases rise week-on-week in all regions, there are particular hotspots in Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.
