Coronavirus UK: Mass test attempt aims to halve the quarantine time for contacts of cases

The two-week quarantine for contacts on Covid-19 cases could be cut in half or completely eliminated as part of a pilot project that involves mass testing of pregnancy-style test kits.

The kits, which provide results in minutes, are used to identify uninfected contacts and release them from the 14-day quarantine.

The testing scheme will be tried out next week on rescue workers in Liverpool who will return to shift on negative tests and will be passed on to contacts of Covid-19 cases in the city who have been in isolation for at least a week.

If this succeeds, it could be rolled out across the UK, although this is not expected to get the green light until next year.

Experts touted the program as a way to "cripple society and parts of the economy that are important at this critical point".

There are growing concerns that contacts from Covid-19 cases are not meeting two-week quarantine requirements. A survey in September showed that barely 11 percent obey the rules.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has urged people who self-isolate to distance themselves socially from those they live with.

In a # 10 video update, Boris Johnson, self-isolating after meeting without a mask with a MP who tested positive for coronavirus, said he wanted to reach out to other people who are forced to self-isolate.

He said, 'NHS Test and Trace, which is getting better and better, has achieved what so many of my political enemies have wanted for many years and placed me under house arrest.

“I know how frustrating it can be, so I just wanted to tell everyone else in my shoes. Don't forget that, of course, isolation doesn't necessarily apply to the people you share your home with – your partners can still go shopping or whatever.

“Your roommates can still exercise, but you need to make sure you continue to observe social distancing from them.

“Our kids can still go to school, of course, but you need to make sure you observe social distance from them and follow the basics: hands, face, space.

“And remember, what you do is incredibly important because that is how we will break the chain of transmission, stop the disease, lower the R – as I believe we are doing right now – and get under control.

"Thank you everyone for what you are doing. If it is a burden and you feel mental pressure from what is going on, go online and check out Every Mind Matters."

Rescue workers in Liverpool will be tested daily for Covid-19 as part of the pilot project starting Monday, and those who are in quarantine will be released early.

You will be given side flow tests that will provide quick results.

The mass testing program must be approved by Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, before it can be offered to all contacts across the country.

Professor Calum Semple, an expert on outbreak medicine and a member of SAGE at the University of Liverpool, told The Times that the plans would release key employees from quarantine.

"If we do cross-flow tests on a daily basis, we can avoid quarantine completely," he said.

"If you take a fire truck with six people and the driver is Covid-positive, five people sitting behind him must be quarantined for 14 days. That's a pretty rough, arbitrary 14 days.

“So we can take the other five people and give them a new driver and give the rest of them several packs of side-depth tests that they can use every morning before the shift. And we can keep the fire truck on the road. & # 39;

The arbitrary two-week quarantine period is designed to prevent anyone who has been exposed to the virus and therefore could become infected from spreading it further.

It was initially recommended that anyone infected with the virus could take up to two weeks to show symptoms.

However, many studies have shown that most infected people show symptoms up to five days after they first become infected. These include a high temperature, new continuous cough, and loss of taste and smell.

In other coronavirus news:

• The data from the Office of National Statistics showed that daily infections fell from 47,700 to 38,900 between November 8 and 14, an 18 percent decrease.
• The Government's Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) said the reproductive rate "R" – the average number of people to whom each Covid-19 patient passes the disease – from a maximum of 1.2 in the last week to a slight maximum 1.1 has decreased. and could be as low as 1.0 or lower in any region of the UK;
• Professor Lockdown Neil Ferguson warned that most Covid curbs should remain after the national shutdown ends on December 2nd or the infections would "recover".
• Just a few days after reopening, Northern Ireland will be closed again. All non-essential stores, hair salons and cafes will have to close in another tough two-week stoppage starting next Friday.
• Rishi Sunak faces a battle with unions as they call his wage pressure on five million public sector workers – other than nurses and doctors – a "cruel body blow" as he looks for ways to help pay for coronavirus recovery.
• Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government should test for coronavirus once a month in order to create a "Freedom Pass" system where people with negative results can lead normal lives.
• According to an Oxford study, people with Covid-19 antibodies are protected from re-infection for at least six months.

It comes after repeated warnings that most people who Test and Trace ask to self-isolate may not be following the rules.

A study on medRxiv published in September as a pre-print showed that after questioning more than 40,000 people, less than 11 percent of the two-week quarantine period followed.

There were also growing concerns about the ability of Test and Trace to prevent the virus from spreading in the UK.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Health on the system's performance, released Thursday, showed that it was failed to hit a record number of Covid-19 cases after things seemed to get a little better last week.

In the seven-day period ending November 11, 21,419 positive cases were missed, the largest number since its launch in the UK.

Of the 156,853 Covid-19 cases transmitted to the system, 84.9 percent – or 133,195 – were reached and asked to self-isolate. This is slightly below the previous week when 85.6 percent of all Covid-19 cases – or 121,407 – were hit.

Of close contacts who were near Covid-19 cases for more than 15 minutes before testing positive for the virus, the system hit the same proportion – 60.5 percent – as it did the previous week.

However, this meant they could not reach nearly 189,885 people who could become infected with the virus, so they could continue to circulate in the community and potentially further spread the disease. In the previous week they missed 190,835 of these people.

Test and Trace – which Mr Johnson promised would be "the world's best" – has not achieved its goals in weeks. It has been struggling to reach many Covid-19 patients and their contacts since infections began to rise again in late September.

Former Talk Talk CEO Baroness Dido Harding has come under increasing pressure to degrade the system's performance.

In the meantime, Matt Hancock confirmed yesterday that coronavirus vaccine rollouts will begin next month if one is approved by the UK Medicines Agency.

The Minister of Health said in a TV briefing that the government had formally asked the regulator MHRA to consider licensing the vaccine from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech.

A late study this week confirmed that the sting was 95 percent effective in clinical trials and appears to protect people of all ages from coronavirus.

The £ 15-per-dose push is currently the favorite, first approved by the MHRA, although candidates from Moderna and Oxford University are close behind.

According to SAGE, the R-rate of the virus, which is how many people each infected person gives the virus, has decreased for a second straight week and could be 1.0 or lower in any region of the UK. The estimate for the whole country is between 1.0 and 1.1, the lowest value since the beginning of September before the start of the second wave.

But even though the second coronavirus peak has "flattened out" the public must "keep our resolve" for the remainder of the lockdown to prevent rebounding, Matt Hancock told the Downing Street press conference.

He said it was too early to say which contacts will be able over Christmas and what additional restrictions may be needed after the lockdown is relaxed.

Speaking to Mr Hancock at a press conference on Downing Street, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, also cautioned caution, suggesting that any profits from the second national lockdown could be quickly lost as the virus “only took seconds “Needed spread.

Professor Van-Tam confirmed that the UK is "waiting" for the guard dog to approve the vaccine and said it would "be done at the speed of science".

Leaked NHS plans found that even those in the lowest risk group – healthy adults under the age of 55 – can potentially start vaccinating in just two months, if everything goes according to plan.

The files say any deadlines set for vaccines depend on the arrival of supplies – with up to seven million doses expected in the next month – and are based on NHS proposals to create huge GP facilities to dispense the shots.

Mr. Hancock said, “I can confirm that the government has formally asked the MHRA to evaluate the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for suitability.

"Of course, once a vaccine is approved, it is available across the UK from our NHS and is free at the time of delivery, unless solvency is required."

The announcement follows news that Pfizer had asked the US regulator – the FDA – to do the same there.

A report was released earlier this week confirming that the required safety data has been fully recorded and that tests have shown the vaccine can protect up to 95 percent of people from Covid-19.

Although Pfizer is currently at the top of the queue, it may not get approved or the later process may take longer to complete. However, officials are expected to give the green light to at least one guy this year.

The UK has ordered 40 million doses of Pfizer's vaccine – the first batch is expected to arrive next month – and five million modernas – due next spring. There's also an order for up to 100 million vials of Oxford's candidates that scientists say will complete clinical trials by Christmas.

Leaked NHS plans suggest vaccines could be made available to all adults in the UK by the end of January, but most 18- to 50-year-olds, who are the least likely to get sick and die from severe Covid-19, are expected to be in March vaccinated.

Prof. Van-Tam and the National Medical Director of the NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, both came to Mr. Hancock from a distance for information as they are self-isolating.

Prof. Van-Tam said he had isolated "due to a household contact," while Prof. Powis confirmed earlier this week that he did so after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus.

Prof. Van-Tam said: "It only takes a few seconds to create new infections through unnecessary close contact."

He said those contacts would turn to infection five to seven days later and hospitalizations a week later, adding, "You could lose this in just a few seconds."

He appealed to people to "keep pressure on this virus and get it down as much as possible by the end of the period (lockdown)."

Prof. Van-Tam warned that if the public ignored Christmas guidelines, infection rates will pick up again, saying there is a "double responsibility" for people to obey the rules.

"There is no magic number about how many days it will take us," Prof. Van-Tam said at press conference # 10.

Earlier this week, Public Health England said the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) guidelines suggested requiring five days of more stringent action for each day of greater freedom.

Mr Hancock said it was too early to say what will happen after December 2nd when England's lockdown ends.

He said, "Over Christmas I will know how important it is that we have a system, a set of rules that both ensures people's safety and enables people to see their loved ones."

He added: “I think it would be a big boost for the whole of Britain if the four nations could come together and make a series of agreements that are safe, careful and sensible, but also allow families to see each other at Christmas . & # 39;

Professor Van-Tam said The government hoped that people could enjoy a "reasonable" Christmas season.

"The government clearly wants to give us some break this Christmas," he said.

"We as citizens all want a break, but there are no magic numbers about a Christmas Day – & # 39; n & # 39; days of repayment in relation to the lockdown."

“Part of it is about the reasonable steps the government will take to give us a decent Christmas.

“But it's also about whether we stick to the rules that then apply for this period.

“If people don't, the first scientific principle is that things will go up again. There is a double responsibility here.

"There's no magic number about how many days it's going to take us, so we shouldn't make it that way."

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said he was "generally hopeful" that an agreement could be reached between the four British nations on Christmas plans.

Mr. Drakeford said: "There are no sticking points so far, there are no differences of opinion." In the discussions, of which more are to take place next week.

Some of the issues discussed include travel between nations, how long restrictions could take to relax, and how much households are allowed to mix.

Northern Ireland is set to deploy a two-week breaker next Friday and Scotland has put two million people into the toughest restrictions for three weeks.

Former City Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told LBC Radio that the police were breaking house parties but "had no interest in interrupting the family's Christmas dinner".

The Health Secretary raised hopes last week when he said it was possible to distribute the Pfizer vaccine – which will likely be approved first – to high-risk groups from December 1.

But officials are waiting for the dab to get the green light from the UK drug watchdog, who is now sifting through data from Pfizer's studies to make sure the vaccine is safe enough to administer to millions of people.

Mr Hancock said he "still hopes" the process will be completed in weeks and that vulnerable Britons could get a stab in their hands sometime next month as part of the first wave of crucial surgery.

He added that he had "personal control" of the introduction, which could result in the NHS England delivering an unprecedented million doses each day.

However, the health minister, who still fails to keep his promise of 500,000 coronavirus tests per day by the end of October, admitted that this would be "one of the largest civilian projects in history."

In addition to grappling with the massive Covid-19 vaccination program, the NHS is being asked to give 30 million flu shots – most of all time – to protect healthcare from the dual threats of both viruses.

During a round of interviews this morning, Hancock said on the BBC Radio 4 Today program, “We have changed the law to change the number of clinically qualified people who can vaccinate as this will be one of the largest civilian projects in history.

'It will be run by the NHS, which of course has the annual experience of a mass flu vaccination program, and it will involve general practitioners, the wider NHS and hospitals.

"We have this huge flu vaccine program and then the likely big numbers when it comes out and I stress the 'if' will be for a Covid vaccine next year, but we still hope we can get something going." in December this year. & # 39;

When asked if he would take personal control of the launch, the Minister of Health said, “Yes. I've reported weekly to the Prime Minister, the NHS will take control of the delivery and they'll report to me. We have some of the best people on the NHS who spend all of their time on it. & # 39;

Mr Hancock said that once a Covid-19 vaccine gets the green light, dozens of mass coronavirus vaccination centers will be set up across the country in the coming weeks while firefighters are trained to help deliver the vaccinations.

General practitioners have been instructed to organize the first wave, using community centers, village halls, and practices themselves to deliver the shocks to caregivers and the elderly as early as the next month.

The NHS is setting up a number of much larger venues to inject millions of others once those high on the priority list have received the nudges.

Empty NHS Nightingale hospitals and sports centers, including the Derby Arena, are slated to line up as possible venues.

Firefighters are also encouraged to join an army of 40,000 additional workers, which will include retired medical professionals and medical students.

It was announced last night that the NHS will expand its winter flu shots to millions more this winter.

Mr. Hancock told Sky News, “Typically 15 million people are vaccinated against flu. This year it will be 30 million – the largest number in history.

& # 39; We hope that we will also have a Covid vaccination program alongside. It's going to be a tremendous effort, but I know the NHS is ready for it. & # 39;

He reiterated the comments during an interview with BBC Breakfast in which he said, "I am not denying that it is an enormous amount of work for the NHS and I am very grateful for the incredible change they and we have made this year . " We still have to deliver this winter.

"Of course there is pressure on the NHS this year – by God there is pressure thanks to Covid – and for everyone who works in the NHS, I would like to thank you for the work you are doing."

According to the Health Service Journal, full Covid vaccination is expected to begin in the New Year, although at-risk Brits may be able to begin vaccinating Covid before that.

The vaccination campaign will likely include conference centers and drive-through locations as used by the Covid testing program.

According to the Telegraph, Derby City Council has confirmed it is negotiating with the government over plans to use the Derby Arena as a vaccination site.

It could become one of the first places the vaccine will be given by mid-December.

Every major city will have its own mass vaccination center, according to Sun

The newspaper reports that 50 locations are planned in sports arenas, town halls and NHS Nightingale hospitals, as well as 1,000 smaller locations across England.

In the meantime, the NHS is set to launch a major recruiting campaign to hire up to 40,000,000 people to deliver the Pfizer vaccine, with trained medical professionals and nurses high on their wish lists.

But retired doctors and nurses, as well as those with first aid skills, including firefighters, police officers and members of the armed forces, are also being targeted in the recruitment campaign, Sun reports.

The vaccination army that is being trained will be supported by an additional 30,000-strong team of volunteers from St. John Ambulance, the paper adds.

The UK Medicines Agency announced earlier this week that it was waiting for Pfizer to submit the full results of its definitive Covid-19 vaccine study after the drug company claimed it was safe, 95 percent effective and works in the elderly, those most at risk of dying from the disease.

Best known for producing Viagra, the US company announced that it would submit the required data to regulators in America and the UK "within days," which raises hopes that the UK will get its big of the Army backed operation to vaccinate millions of people could start soon as December 1st.

The UK Medicines Agency MHRA has carried out an "ongoing review" of the vaccine and could therefore complete the approval process within a few days of receiving the application from Pfizer and BioNTech, the German company involved in making the sting.

Dr. June Raine, the agency's chief executive officer, said, “The results reported by Pfizer are very encouraging and complement last week's announcement.

"We look forward to receiving the full results of the studies as soon as possible. After that, we will scrutinize the evidence of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness."

The UK has already pre-ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine and is expected to receive 10 million in the next month. The NHS is preparing to distribute it within 14 days.

Professor Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, said this week the health service was working "incredibly hard" to prepare.

The final trial results from Pfizer and BioNTech showed that only eight out of more than 20,000 people who received the vaccine received the coronavirus, compared to 162 people who were given a fake sting.

A total of 10 people received severe Covid-19, one of whom had received the real vaccine.

An independent safety committee has "reported no serious safety concerns with the vaccine" since the final phase of the trial began in July, Pfizer said.

Side effects were limited – the most common were fatigue, which 3.8 percent of people had, and headache (2 percent).

The updated data from Pfizer and BioNTech should reassure critics, but the government is still faced with the mammoth task of transporting and storing the pile. It may take expensive specialty freezers and huge supplies of dry ice to keep it at the required -70 ° C (-94 ° F).

The announcement is an improvement on Pfizer's earlier estimate that the vaccine was 90 percent effective, and comes just days after competitor Moderna claimed its own shock was 94.5 percent effective.

Unlike Pfizer's shock, Moderna's shock can be stored in normal fridges and freezers between -20 ° C (8 ° C) and 8 ° C (46 ° F).

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed earlier this week that the UK would receive 5 million doses of the shock from March 2021 if approved by regulators.

The deal is expected to cost the UK between £ 24 ($ 32) and £ 28 ($ 37) per dose – while the US, which pre-ordered the burst months ago, will pay just $ 15 (£ 11.32) and is expected to have access will be received next month when health chiefs approve the push.

The UK is expected to pay around £ 15 per stab for the Pfizer vaccine.

Meanwhile, the home-grown vaccine developed by Oxford University and Astrazenica could cost as little as £ 2.23. The results for the UK Jab are expected in December.

Freedom for Christmas: Several families could meet for up to a week in December to relax Covid rules – although scientists warn Boris Johnson it will "throw the pandemic on fire"

As part of a nationwide relaxation of the coronavirus rules, families could meet for up to a week over Christmas, reports from last night said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at a meeting on Downing Street yesterday that it was too early to say what contact people might have with loved ones during the holiday season.

However, it has been suggested that Boris Johnson is preparing to announce a plan to relax the rules next week.

Ministers are expected to work out plans to free the country from shackles for a few days and allow family bubbles to gather around the house for festive celebrations.

According to the Daily Telegraph, multiple families could join a "bubble" and mingle between December 22nd and 28th.

Mr Johnson is also expected to warn that the extent of the restrictions for the remainder of the next month will depend on how well the public follows the current lockdown in England, which is set to end on December 2nd.

It comes from the Prime Minister's battle to save Christmas Thursday after a government adviser insisted that allowing festive gatherings would "fuel" the pandemic.

Mr Johnson said it was his "desire to allow loved ones to celebrate Christmas together" after a tumultuous year in which families were kept apart for months.

Speaking about the coronavirus briefing last night, Mr Hancock said it would be a "boost" for Britain if a "safe, careful and sensible" set of plans could be agreed between the decentralized nations.

He said, "Over Christmas I will know how important it is that we have a system, a set of rules that both ensures people's safety and enables people to see their loved ones."

Earlier this week, Public Health England said the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergency (Sage) guidelines suggested that each day of greater freedom could require five days of more stringent action.

However, the assistant chief physician for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who also appeared at the meeting, said there was no magic number on how many days it could take to relax the rules.

On Thursday, a number of scientific and medical experts warned that the possibility of families gathering for Christmas could trigger a third wave of coronavirus in the New Year.

Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said Christmas should only be treated as one more "date of the month" this year, adding, "If Covid cases turn into hospital cases and then unfortunately turn into deaths, we will a Christmas season that Grandma Covid brought for Christmas. & # 39;

Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the government's scientific committee, Sage, said allowing family gatherings would pose a "significant risk" of new infections.

"In my personal opinion, we attach far too much importance to a near-normal Christmas," he told Radio 4's Today program.

"We know respiratory infections peak in January, so throwing fuel on the fire over Christmas can only help."

Professor Gabriel Scally, a public health expert at Bristol University, said it was "pointless" to celebrate a Merry Christmas only to "bury friends and relatives in January and February".

A Tory MP warned it would be better for the prime minister to cancel Christmas and be branded a "Grinch" than risk a spike in deaths from Covid-19 who could label him a "Grim Reaper".

They said, “He's being held responsible (an increase in deaths). It's always mid to late January when you get the NHS winter crisis. & # 39;

Regarding number 10's new guidance on keeping windows open in winter to rinse out the lingering covid, the MP said, “When the weather is cold, people keep the windows closed. Grandma is always cold. & # 39;

Ministers are exploring a number of ways to ease restrictions this Christmas.

Following a suggestion, families from three or four households could gather but not meet anyone. An alternative would be to simply relax the rule of six to allow larger groups.

Churches are also expected to be allowed to hold services on Christmas Day. The Church of England says that "the message of the light that shines in the dark" is needed more than ever.

Downing Street believes a less constrained Christmas celebration is vital to national morale, and fears that strict rules are being ignored by families desperately searching for loved ones.

Ministers want to see the latest data on the status of the virus before deciding how far to go, and Mr Wallace said a decision will be made shortly before December 2, when the current lockdown expires.

Meanwhile, Hancock said he was increasingly hoping for normalcy by the spring, when he confirmed the UK health authority was considering a coronavirus vaccine that could potentially be launched next month.

He described the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) review of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine as "another important step in combating this pandemic."

He said, “When the regulator approves a vaccine, we will be ready to start vaccination next month with most of the introduction in the new year.

"We are going in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go."

Mr Hancock added that, with news of vaccine breakthroughs in recent weeks and an expansion of mass testing, he was "increasingly confident" that life will be closer to normal by spring.

According to NHS documents in the Health Service Journal (HSJ), all adults in England – of all ages – could be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the end of January if supplies allow.

According to the plan, any adult who wants a sting could be vaccinated by early April.

Prof. Van-Tam, der aufgrund eines „Haushaltskontakts“ aus der Ferne auftrat, weil er sich selbst isoliert, sagte, die Menschen sollten sich „nicht zu viele Sorgen machen“, wo sie auf der Prioritätenliste stehen, da der Unterschied zwischen den Ebenen eine Frage sein könnte ein bis drei Wochen.

Herr Hancock teilte dem Briefing mit, dass er die Unabhängigkeit der MHRA nicht „vorurteilen“ oder „beeinträchtigen“ wolle, als er gefragt wurde, wie lange ihr Prozess dauern könne und dass die Geschwindigkeit der Einführung eines Impfstoffs von der Herstellungsgeschwindigkeit abhängen würde.

Herr Hancock sagte, der zweite Höhepunkt des Virus sei "Abflachung", forderte die Öffentlichkeit jedoch auf, "unsere Entschlossenheit beizubehalten", damit der Rest der Sperrung die Fälle niedrig hält.

Professor Van-Tam mahnte ebenfalls zur Vorsicht und schlug vor, dass alle Gewinne aus der zweiten nationalen Sperrung schnell verloren gehen könnten, da die Ausbreitung des Virus „nur Sekunden“ dauert.

Er appellierte an die Menschen, "den Druck auf dieses Virus aufrechtzuerhalten und es so weit wie möglich bis zum Ende des Zeitraums (der Sperrung) herunterzudrücken".

Er warnte davor, dass die Infektionsraten wieder steigen werden, wenn die Öffentlichkeit die Richtlinien ignoriert, die um Weihnachten eingeführt wurden, und sagte, es bestehe eine "doppelte Verantwortung" für die Menschen, die von der Regierung festgelegten Regeln einzuhalten.

Der erste walisische Minister Mark Drakeford sagte zuvor, er sei "allgemein hoffnungsvoll", dass zwischen den vier britischen Nationen eine Einigung über Weihnachtspläne erzielt werden könne.

Er sagte, über Themen, über die gesprochen wird, gehören Reisen zwischen den Nationen, wie lange eine Lockerung der Beschränkungen dauern könnte und inwieweit sich die Haushalte vermischen dürfen, und dass nächste Woche weitere Gespräche stattfinden sollten.

Nordirland wird am kommenden Freitag einen zweiwöchigen Leistungsschalter einsetzen, und Schottland hat zwei Millionen Menschen drei Wochen lang in die härtesten Einschränkungen gebracht.

Die Regierung sagte, weitere 511 Menschen seien innerhalb von 28 Tagen nach dem positiven Test auf Covid-19 am Freitag gestorben, was die Gesamtzahl in Großbritannien auf 54.286 erhöht.

Weitere 20.252 im Labor bestätigte Fälle von Coronavirus wurden ebenfalls gemeldet.

Am Freitag teilte das Amt für nationale Statistik (ONS) mit, dass es in England „erhebliche Unterschiede“ bei den Covid-19-Infektionsraten gebe, wobei die Raten in London, im Osten Englands und im Südosten weiter steigen, im Nordwesten jedoch abnehmen und die East Midlands.

Sage sagte, die Reproduktionszahl – oder der R-Wert – für ganz Großbritannien sei auf 1 bis 1,1 gefallen.

Downing Street lehnte es letzte Nacht ab, sich zu möglichen Weihnachtsregeln zu äußern.