Boris Johnson admits concern over Brazilian coronavirus strain

On Thursday a further 48,682 COVID-19 cases were registered, bringing Britain’s total during the pandemic to 3,292,014. Although the figure has increased by 1,157 from the one released on Wednesday, it has hugely declined since last week’s numbers. According to official data, cases fell by 7.5 percent from last week giving some hope that lockdown measures are beginning to work.

However, deaths related to the coronavirus have risen by 1,248 in the past 24 hours which is a 7.4 percent climb from last Thursday’s 1,162.

It brings the UK’s total pandemic death toll to a grim 86,015.

Speaking to ITV’s Robert Peston on Wednesday, Sir Patrick Vallance warned “we’re in for a pretty grim few weeks”.

It came after the UK recorded its highest daily coronavirus death figure on Wednesday, reaching 1,564.

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It was the most UK deaths related to COVID-19 recorded in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Sir Patrick added: “When you look at the number of infections we’ve had over the last few weeks and how this is likely to continue, I don’t think they’re going to drop very quickly.

“I’m afraid we are in for a period of high death numbers that will likely carry on for some weeks.”

Although the infection rates are falling, Sir Patrick warned that the death rates are unlikely to follow suit in the immediate future.

This is because there is a lag of around two to three weeks after infections before a patient is hospitalised, then a further lag for coronavirus deaths.

But the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government did add that lockdown measures appeared to be working due to the decreasing infection rates.

Areas in London and Kent have seen a drop in COVID-19 rates over the past few days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson plunged England into its third national lockdown after a tiered approach in December.

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The latest surveillance update from Public Health England found that infections were decreasing in all regions except in the North West, South West and West Midlands in the week up to January 10.

Even though infection rates remained high, the update suggested that the tier system was already having an effect on the outbreak.

Research by Cambridge University scientists predicts that deaths will peak “over the coming days”.

They also placed the UK’s R-number at less than one, despite the Government’s official estimate released last week as being between one and 1.4.

The scientists said the R-rate in London and South East was as low as around 0.6.

The R-number is the average number of people each coronavirus patient passes the virus onto.

If it’s higher than one this means the virus is growing exponentially throughout the population.

In a report by Cambridge University’s Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, scientists estimated the R-number had fallen to 0.61 and 0.64 in the South East.

The authors said in the report: “It is now possible to estimate that the Tier Four restriction introduced on Saturday, December 19, in combination with the school holidays and reduced movements around the Christmas period, have contributed to a downward trends in R and the slowing down in the growth in the number of infections in most regions.”

The scientists said the R-rate is highest in the South West and North East, at between 1.1 and 1.2.

Mr Johnson told MPs on Wednesday that the country was “now starting to see the beginnings of some signs” that restrictions are having an effect in parts of the country but stressed it was still the “early days” urging people to “keep their discipline”.

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