COVID-19: UK records 35,693 new cases and 207 more coronavirus-related deaths, daily figures show

The figures compare with 32,181 infections and 50 fatalities reported on Tuesday, and 35,847 cases and 149 deaths announced this time last week.

Wednesday 1 September 2021 21:43, UK

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The UK has recorded 207 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period, government data shows.

It is the highest daily fatality figure since 9 March when 231 deaths were reported.

There have also been 35,693 new COVID daily cases recorded.

The figures come after a bank holiday weekend when there is usually a lag in reporting deaths and cases.

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The numbers compare with 32,181 infections and 50 fatalities announced on Tuesday and 35,847 cases and 149 deaths reported this time last week.

Meanwhile, 38,596 people had their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, taking the total to 48,086,605 (88.5% of UK adults).

And 117,437 people had their second jab, meaning 42,908,022 are now fully inoculated (78.9% of the adult population).

According to the latest data, 842 COVID patients were admitted to hospital on 28 August and there were 6,484 admissions in the last seven days, a 4.6% rise on the previous week.

Since the pandemic began, 132,742 people have died in the UK within 28 days of a positive COVID test, and there have been 6,825,074 lab-confirmed cases.

Analysis by Ed Conway, economics & data editor

While the sheer number of daily COVID deaths reported today looks high - indeed, the highest since March, when the UK was still facing its most deadly wave - it's worth being very cautious.

These numbers are heavily distorted by the August bank holiday.

Registrations were low over the weekend and on Monday, so a lot of the increase in today's number almost certainly represents a statistical "catch-up" from the weekend.

Indeed, when you look at the seven-day average of daily death announcements, it is, at 106, slightly lower than it was for most of the past week.

But here too it's worth being cautious, for it does look as if deaths are rising. It's just that the increase is very much more gradual than you'd have thought from looking either at today's figure or at the previous waves of COVID.

But here's what matters. The relationship between cases and deaths is still far, far weaker than it was in the summer.

What does that mean in practice? Last winter, when COVID cases hit the kinds of levels we have today - around 34,000 on average over the past week - the number of deaths was running at 500 (indeed, 14 days later, they were around 700, which, given the lag between cases and deaths is probably a more appropriate number).

Today, deaths are averaging just over 100 over the past week.

What happens next remains unclear. It seems likely, given the experience in Scotland, that the return to school pushes case numbers up further (though it's worth pointing out that for the time being UK cases are actually falling on a weekly basis).

The real question, however, is what happens to hospitalisations and deaths. Those are the numbers to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.

But, volatile as the daily numbers might be, the news thus far is tentatively promising.

It comes as vaccine passports are set to be needed for people to gain entry to nightclubs and large-scale events in Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that the "limited use of vaccine certification" could help control the spread of the virus through autumn and winter.

She said numbers of new infections are 80% higher than last week and five times higher than four weeks ago and described the situation as "extremely concerning".

The new rules - if approved by parliament in a vote next week - will cover indoor live events with more than 500 unseated people, outdoor live events with more than 4,000 unseated, and any event with over 10,000 attendees.

Meanwhile, school leaders have expressed concerns about the potential impact on COVID cases of pupils returning to classrooms in England and Wales - particularly as most restrictions in place since last year have now been dropped.

Government advisers are reportedly resisting recommending vaccinations for younger teenagers over fears it could pose problems for the booster campaign, The Independent reports.

The Department of Health confirmed at the weekend that preparations are under way to ensure jabs can be offered to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from early September to help control cases when schools return.

The MHRA medicines regulator has already cleared the Pfizer and Moderna jabs for those aged 12 and over on safety grounds.

A source close to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation told The Independent that there is "a need to consider how to prioritise boosters for vulnerable groups and a campaign for that, along with getting people to have their second doses before trying to launch a schools programme".

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