Question Time: Nurse says ‘NHS is bleeding’ as Covid cases rise

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The UK recorded 52,009 new Covid cases on Thursday – alongside 115 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. The rapidly spreading virus is now spreading at a similar rate it was in parts of the January lockdown, but the Government has declined to bring in extra measures to halt the spread of the virus such as mandatory face masks and social distancing rules.

Instead, last night Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged those who are eligible to have their third coronavirus jab.

An estimated 4.7 million booster doses – which come at least six months after second jabs – have now been delivered in the UK – but there are still millions who have not stepped up for their third dose.

The news comes after Britain recorded almost 50,000 new positive cases for eight consecutive days leading up to October 20; the latest cases figures reached 49,662, up 17.9 percent on the previous seven days (October 8 to 14).

And it’s not the only number rising dramatically. Hospital admissions are now either close to or exceeding 1000 new patients a day over the course of the last week.

A total of 959 people were admitted today, with 6,315 brought in during the last seven days – up 15.4 percent week-on-week.

While deaths in the last seven days have reached 912 – up 89 people or 10.8 percent over the week before.

The figure makes the 7-day rolling rate of death per 100,000 people as 1.2.

The UK recorded single figure daily death rates for much of April, May and June, before the numbers started climbing once again in July.

And while they’re still well below the horrors seen in the January/February peak, where deaths hit a harrowing high of 1,359 on a single day, the rise is concerning.

Doctors and scientists have demanded the Government trigger ‘plan B’ measures, which could reimpose rules such as working from home and face masks in indoor public places.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “We are right on the edge – and it is the middle of October.

“It would require an incredible amount of luck for us not to find ourselves in the midst of a profound crisis over the next three months.

“The government ought to not just announce that we’re moving to Plan B, but it should be Plan B plus.

“We should do what’s in Plan B in terms of masks… working from home, but also we should try to achieve the kind of national mobilisation that we achieved in the first and second waves, where the public went out of their way to support and help the health service.”

See the latest Covid vaccine stats below and visit InYourArea for all the Covid vaccine latest

Which areas have the worst cases?

Recent data shows Ipswich in Suffolk has the highest rate in the UK, with 1,162 new cases in the seven days to October 14 – the equivalent of 854.5 per 100,000 people.
Wellingborough in Northamptonshire has the second-highest infection rate, up from 738.0 to 817.9 per 100,000 individuals, a total of 655 new cases.

Torfaen in Wales revealed the third-highest rate, up from 687.5 to 814.1, with 772 new Covid cases reported.

You can check the cases in your area by using the data above. Or visit the Government Covid dashboard and enter your postcode.

But Mr Johnson said the number of infections is not exceeding expectations, and therefore Plan A is the correct course of action for now.

He said today: “We are continuing with the plan we set out in July. We are watching the numbers very carefully every day.

“The numbers of infections are high but we are within the parameters of what the predictions were, what Spi-M [modelling group] and the others said we would be at this stage given the steps we are taking. We are sticking with our plan.”

He also said the position going into the winter was “incomparably better” than it was 12 months ago.

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