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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Yohannes Lowe and Rhi Storer(earlier)

UK Covid: virus prevalence in England increases from last week – ONS – as it happened

A testing centre at Guildhall in the City of London.
A testing centre at Guildhall in the City of London. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock

Afternoon summary

Here is a recap of the main Covid-related events from the UK:

That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here:

Updated

This is from Janet Daby, the Labour MP for Lewisham East. Under the traffic light system, red arrivals will be subject to restrictions currently in place for red list countries, which include a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, as well as pre-departure testing and and two PCR tests.

Updated

Government data up to 8 April shows that of the 38,444,540 jabs given in the UK so far, 31,903,366 were first doses – a rise of 96,242 on the previous day.

Some 6,541,174 were second doses, an increase of 449,269.

Updated

In the UK, 60 more people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 127,040, according to the latest update to the government’s dashboard.

This number is up from the 53 recorded the previous day.

You can read the official release here.

More women than men aged 20-39 admitted to hospital with Covid – study

PA Media reports:

There were more women than men in the 20-39 age group admitted to hospital with Covid-19, according to documents from scientists advising the government.

In a set of papers published by Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Friday, the experts said this increase in the number of women in hospital could be attributed to a lower threshold for admission when testing positive for Covid-19, as well as labour and birth and pregnancy-related complications.

The scientists, who included experts from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Liverpool, also said maternal mortality rates in the UK have increased during the pandemic, although they stressed that Covid-19 may not be the sole reason.

They added that the mortality rates for mothers-to-be for March 2020-February 2021 may be at least 20% higher than in previous recent years (12 per 100,000 maternities compared to 10 per 100,000).

These include indirect deaths, due to women delaying going to the hospital or concealing pregnancy.

Updated

This just in from ITV’s political correspondent Daniel Hewitt:

Britain will on Friday achieve herd immunity from Covid-19, according to a forecast from scientists at University College London – which was no sooner made than disputed, writes my colleague Sarah Boseley. You can read the full story here:

This is from Dan Bloom, the Daily Mirror’s online political editor:

That’s it from me – Rhi Storer – I will now hand the live blog back over to Yohannes Lowe.

Updated

The latest ONS data brings few surprises – the percentage of people testing positive has, broadly, levelled off in England in recent weeks, with a similar situation in Northern Ireland and declines in Wales and Scotland. About one in 340 people in the community in England are thought to have had Covid in the most recent week.

The results are similar to those released this week by experts at Imperial College London in the latest round of their React-1 study, which found the rate of new coronavirus infections has levelled off, although they estimate that about one in 500 people had Covid in England from 11 to 30 March.

However both studies highlight that Covid is not evenly spread around the country. According to the ONS data the percentage of people testing positive is higher in regions such as the north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber than the south-west.

What’s more there are some signs that cases may be rising in the north-west and south-east – although the latter has lower levels of Covid to start with. The React data also shows regional differences, with the north-west, north-east and Yorkshire and the Humber showing the highest prevalence of positive tests.

Regional disparities also arose after the first lockdown, leading to local restrictions and later a tiered-system, which were criticised both in terms of their fairness and how well they worked. Some parts of the country such as Leicestershire were placed under enhanced restrictions for many months.

Experts have warned a different approach must be taken this time, amid concerns that Covid could become a disease of the poor. Among recommendations, scientists say a greater effort must be made to engage and support communities where infections remain high, including building trust and offering practical help around issues from vaccination to isolation.

Updated

PA Media reports:

The Covid-19 variants that have been worrying scientists do not appear to be rising in popular European destinations, UK advisers have said.

While coronavirus infection rates are still high in countries such as Spain and France, levels of, for example, the South African variant, are staying pretty constant and are not going up, according to scientists advising the Government.

The Kent variant is now so prevalent in many European countries that there is currently no advantage for other variants, and so they are not particularly rising.

The advisers believe that in Europe, as has been the case in the UK, there is now a race between increased viral spread and vaccination.

Updated

PA Media reports that Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has said mistakes made by the Scottish health secretary, Jeane Freeman, in handling the coronavirus pandemic, are “deeply frustrating”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Politically Thinking podcast, Freeman said the Scottish Government had failed in “understanding the social care sector well enough” and “didn’t take the right precautions” in the early part of the pandemic.

In October, a report released by Public Health Scotland found more than 100 patients had been discharged from hospitals into care homes following a positive Covid-19 test.

In response, Sarwar said that despite medical evidence to the contrary, it was “common sense” not to discharge patients from hospitals to care homes.

“I find it deeply, deeply frustrating and frankly it makes me angry.

“I remember saying at the time, when (the Scottish Government) were hiding behind medical advice. It’s common sense you don’t send Covid-positive patients into a care home where you are housing the most vulnerable people to the virus.”

Sarwar described the move as a “catastrophic error”, adding that someone within the Scottish Government must be held accountable, and said questions should now be asked of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

“An apology is one part and I think an apology should be forthcoming,” he said.

Freeman, who has served in Holyrood since 2016, is not standing for re-election in May and will therefore be stepping down as health secretary.

Updated

Hello, this is Rhi Storer taking over from my colleague Yohannes Lowe for the next hour. Please send your contributions to rhi.storer@guardian.co.uk, or alternatively you can send me a message on Twitter.

An outbreak of Covid-19 at a Newcastle hotel which led to a spike in local figures is under control, health chiefs have said.

The Novotel at the airport-currently being used to house asylum seekers-recorded 36 cases among staff and residents in the week to 2 April, according to the BBC.

It was the reason the city had England’s second highest week-on-week rise in infection rates. But the most recent testing now shows cases have “satisfactorily reduced”.

Speaking to a meeting of the city council’s health scrutiny committee, Prof Eugene Milne, Newcastle’s public health director, said:

We had two outbreak control team meetings, there has been significant work on the site and we are cooperating with Mears (which is operating the facility for asylum seekers), the Home Office, the police and Public Health England. It looks controlled to me at the moment, the numbers I’m seeing... it looks as if that is satisfactorily reducing now.

Updated

Update from previous post: Sage has said the increasingly localised approach to managing the epidemic between nations means UK-level estimates are now less meaningful and may not accurately reflect the current picture.

Updated

As of today, the R range for England is 0.8 to 1.0 and the growth rate range for England is -4% to 0% per day, according to the latest government figures. They remain unchanged from last week.

An R value between 0.8 and 1.0 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between eight and 10 other people.

A growth rate of between -4% and 0% means that the number of new infections is broadly flat or shrinking by up to 4% every day.

Updated

More than three months after Britain entered another strict lockdown, the gradual process of easing restrictions will reach hairdressers in England next week, and for many – battling with bouffants, man buns, dark roots and chin-fringes – their reopening cannot come soon enough, my colleague Esther Addley writes.

Read the full story on the “stampede” many hairdressers will face for post-lockdown appointments here:

Public Health Wales has published a statement on the safety concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Concerns have been raised over reports of rare but serious blood clots in a small number of recipients of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, leading to a UK recommendation on Wednesday that healthy adults under 30 should have an alternative jab if they can.

Covid prevalence in England increases from last week- ONS

About one in 340 people not in care homes, hospitals or other institutional settings would test positive for Covid in the week ending 3 April in England, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. You can read the full release here.

The ONS figures published last week estimated that 148,100 people within the community population in England had Covid, equating to around 1 in 370 people.

In Wales, the infection rate decreased in the two weeks up to 3 April. The ONS estimates that 1 in 800 people not in care homes, hospitals or other institutional settings in Wales had coronavirus the week ending 3 April 2021, equal to 3,800 people.

In Northern Ireland, the percentage of people testing positive appeared level in recent weeks. The ONS estimate that 6,100 people in NI had Covid-19, equating to around 1 in 300 people.

In Scotland, the percentage of people testing positive continued to decrease in the week ending 3 April 2021, with the ONS estimating that 13,000 people in Scotland had Covid. This equates to around 1 in 410 people.

Updated

The town with the highest Covid rate in England is to carry out door-to-door testing on 3,000 residents ahead of the easing of restrictions on Monday, the BBC reports.

Trained volunteers will be going out in the Beanfield area of Corby in Northamptonshire from Saturday, with officials saying there was “continued transmission” in the town.

The Corby district had 126 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 4 April - treble the England-wide average, but down 45% from the previous week.

People with symptoms will be offered PCR tests, while those without symptoms will be offered rapid lateral flow tests to take at home.

Frasers Group, which includes Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, has doubled the hit it expects to take from the coronavirus pandemic to £200m in the expectation that a third wave will lead to more restrictions on retailers.

The retail chain, controlled by the Sports Direct founder, Mike Ashley, had estimated in February that the impact of the Covid-19 crisis would lead to a £100m non-cash writedown in the value of its properties and other assets.

Mark Sweney, the Guardian’s media business correspondent, has the full story here:

Updated

Here are the latest vaccine figures from the Welsh government:

This is from Wales’ first minister, Mark Drakeford, who has tweeted about the bringing forward of the easing of some coronavirus restrictions (see earlier post):

Updated

PA Media reports:

Tackling the nation’s obesity levels is a “particular obsession” of Boris Johnson after his brush with Covid, Matt Hancock has said.

Speaking at the launch of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity’s Levelling Up Health report, the health secretary said that “improving the disparities in healthy life expectancy is absolutely at the core of our levelling-up agenda”.

Earlier this year, the prime minister pledged to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis following his admission to intensive care with coronavirus, admitting that he had been “too fat” when he contracted the virus.

This is from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, which is asking Michael Gove to give evidence about the government’s plans for use of Covid vaccine certificates:

Steve Baker, who retweeted the post, is the deputy chairman of the Tory Covid Recovery Group. He has previously expressed concern that businesses would be able to turn away customers “from communities which have shown an unfortunate hesitancy to take up the offer of a vaccine”.

Updated

A Covid memorial in Stoke-on-Trent has been damaged days after being unveiled.

The memorial garden at Fenton Park paid tribute to the 703 residents who passed away due to coronavirus.

But flowers have been torn out of a wreath and a plaque with a quote from Captain Sir Tom Moore damaged by vandals, according to the BBC.

This is from Hugo Gye, the i’s deputy political editor:

The ONS figures have been published. They found that about two thirds (65%) of disabled people said the pandemic was affecting their wellbeing.

Of these, a quarter said they feel like a burden on others, about half were lonely, and 67% said they are stressed and anxious, as PA Media reports.

This compares with 10% of non-disabled respondents feeling like a burden, 37% feeling lonely and 54% feeling stressed and anxious.

And 46% of disabled people said the pandemic was making their mental health worse, compared with 29% of respondents without a disability.

You can read the full findings here.

England is “in the grip of a mental health crisis” because of the Covid pandemic, with under-18s suffering the most, psychiatrists are to warn on Friday.

Analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that:

  • In 2020, between April and December, 372,438 under-18s were referred for mental health help, the most recorded, and 28% more than the 292,212 referred in the same period in 2019.
  • Under-18s received 3.58m sessions of treatment in those nine months, 20% up on the year before.
  • The number of children and young people needing emergency care because they were in a mental health crisis rose 20% to 18,269.

The Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, has the latest here:

Updated

Here are the latest Covid infection rates for Greater Manchester:

Jet2 airline suspends all flights and holidays until end of June after travel announcement

Jet2.com has extended the suspension of its flights and holidays up to 23 June following the government’s announcement on how foreign leisure travel will resume.
Steve Heapy, the low-cost leisure airline’s chief executive, said:

We have taken time to study the Global Travel Taskforce’s framework, and we are extremely disappointed at the lack of clarity and detail. After several weeks exploring how to restart international travel, with substantial assistance and input from the industry, the framework lacks any rigorous detail about how to get international travel going again. In fact, the framework is virtually the same as six months ago. Following the publication of the framework today, we still do not know when we can start to fly, where we can fly to and the availability and cost of testing. Rather than answering questions, the framework leaves everyone asking more.

He added: “Because of the continued uncertainty that the framework provides, it is with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to extend the suspension of flights and holidays up to and including 23rd June 2021.”

Updated

Gyms will be allowed to reopen and people will be able to form extended households a week earlier than planned in Wales, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, has confirmed.

Gyms and leisure centres will be able to open from 3 May (instead of 10 May), while two households can bubble up to meet indoors from the same date, the BBC reports.

Wedding receptions outdoors for up to 30 people will be allowed from 26 April, also moving forward a week.

The changes have been prompted by a fall in Covid cases, according to the Welsh government.

Updated

Ministers are expected to announce near the start of May whether travel can resume on that date, and will also then give the first list of countries in each colour-based list.

This will be reviewed regularly, taking into account factors such as Covid infection rates, the prevalence of variants, and the extent of vaccination programmes.

The restrictions for each tier of the system will be looked at for potential changes on 28 June, 31 July and 1 October.

This has been shared by the shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds:

Updated

The number of people suffering with long Covid should be published routinely, as happens with those infected with or hospitalised with coronavirus, MPs and peers are urging Boris Johnson.

The cross-party group of parliamentarians want the prime minister to ensure that the “untold human suffering” that the condition involves helps shape future government policy towards the pandemic.

The Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, has the full story:

Shapps to work with private firms to reduce cost of PCR Covid tests

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has said he is “concerned” about the cost of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type of test.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said:

The PCR test is often called the gold standard test, it’s the one which will be able to be processed further to look at things like variants of concern. I’m concerned about the cost of these. They are provided by private providers and we would like to see that cost driven down. And I’m actually going to work between now and May 17, which is the earliest possible date for international travel to resume, with the private sector, with providers, to see whether this can’t be driven down quite a lot further. I think they are too expensive and that may be that there needs to be more entrants in the market and we’ll be taking a very close look at that.

Pressed on what would be an acceptable price, he replied: “It seems very surprising, particularly some of those higher-end tests, I would have thought should be half the price they are by now.”

Updated

Good morning everyone. I will be running the blog today so feel free to drop me a message on Twitter with any coverage suggestions.

Hopes are rising for foreign holidays to be permitted from next month, with the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, saying the public could now “start to think” about overseas breaks this summer.

As the Guardian reported yesterday, from as early as 17 May, countries will be placed in a traffic light system with green, amber and red lists that will set out whether, and where, travellers must isolate on returning to England.

Destinations with the highest vaccination rates at present include the US, Israel, Chile and the Maldives, though there will be a “watchlist” to identify countries that could switch from green to amber.

People arriving in England from green-list countries will have to take a pre-departure virus test and a PCR test on the day after their return, but will not need to self-isolate or take any other tests.

While doing the media rounds this morning, Shapps, who said he wants to drive down the cost of Covid tests required for international travel to resume, told Sky News:

I’m not telling people that they shouldn’t book summer holidays now, it’s the first time that I’ve been able to say that for many months.But I think everybody doing it understands there are risks with coronavirus and of course actually, I think people would want to be clear about which countries are going to be in the different traffic light system. So there is only two or three weeks to wait before we publish that list itself. But yes, tentative progress, for the first time, people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad, or perhaps a summer holiday.

Many in the travel industry have reacted with disappointment to the need to test, even from green-list countries, with warnings the requirements could make holidays unaffordable for many.

People coming from amber-list countries will have to take a pre-departure test, isolate for 10 days at home, and get tested on days two and eight after their journey.

From red-listed destinations, passengers will have to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, as well as a pre-departure test and two PCR tests

Criticising the government’s double testing requirement for returning travellers, the Heathrow chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, told BBC Breakfast:

Why if you’re fully vaccinated, and you’re coming back from a low-risk country where there are no variants of concern, that the Government in its own judgment has said, why do you still need to take a 150 PCR test after you have arrived? I think for most people that would make no sense, and this is where we need to make sure that travel is something anyone can do and is not just something for the wealthy.

The government has not yet said which countries will be green, amber or red - but said it would do by early May.

We’re expecting to hear more reaction to the “traffic light” plan throughout the day.
Here is the agenda for today (so far):
09.30am ONS figures on social impacts of Covid-19 on disabled people
11.45am: National Education Union annual conference continues, joint general secretary’s speech
12.00: ONS weekly UK Covid-19 infection survey

For global coronavirus news, do read our global live blog:

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