UK coronavirus cases surge by 4,422 in highest daily rise since May

Another 27 people have died with Covid-19 in the country, the Department of Health said
Harriet Brewis @HattieBrewis19 September 2020

UK coronavirus cases have soared by 4,422 overnight, amid fears that a second national lockdown is inevitable.

The total number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 now stands at 390,358, according to the Department of Health.

It marks the highest daily rise in infections since May 8.

The country's official death toll also rose by 27 in the 24 hours up to 9am on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 41,759.

These figures are based on deaths of people who tested positive for the virus and died within 28 days of the results.

However, data published by the UK’s statistics agencies suggest the "true" death toll has passed 57,500.

This is calculated by the number of fatalities registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Among the 27 new fatalities confirmed on Saturday, 21 died in hospitals across the country.

A further 16 deaths were recorded in hospitals in England, with three in Scotland and two in Wales.

Northern Ireland has reported no new deaths over the past 24 hours, however, it recorded another 222 new cases.

This is believed to be the largest increase the start of the pandemic.

Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures

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It comes Professor Neil Ferguson – whose modelling led the Government to order the nationwide lockdown in March – urged Boris Johnson to "act sooner rather than later" to tighten up restrictions.

He said the UK is facing a “perfect storm” following the easing of social distancing measures over the summer.

“Right now we are at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February,” Prof Ferguson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday.

UK facing 'perfect storm' after coronavirus rules eased over summer

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is spending the weekend in Downing Street considering how to curb the spread.

Ministers are thought to be looking at a temporary two-week “circuit break” in an attempt to break the chain of transmission.

The move could see pubs and restaurants ordered to close or face a 10pm curfew, while socialising between households could be banned.

Prof Ferguson said the Government needs to move swiftly rather than wait until the October half-term break, as some reports have suggested it is considering.

“If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That’s clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised," he said.

“I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later.

“We have in some sense a perfect storm right now of people, as they have been told to, getting back to normal, schools reopening, a surge in cases, so therefore the testing system is under strain.

“So unfortunately we do have to roll the relaxation of measures back a little bit and get contacts down in the population.”