COVID-19: UK records 36,389 new coronavirus cases and 64 more deaths

The number of infections is down by more than 15,000 compared with this time last week, when 51,870 were reported along with 49 deaths.

Friday 23 July 2021 18:45, UK

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The number of new COVID cases in the UK has fallen for the third day in a row, according to government data.

The country has recorded 36,389 new cases and 64 more coronavirus-related deaths in the latest 24-hour period.

The number of infections is down by more than 15,000 compared with this time last week, when 51,870 were reported along with 49 deaths.

Yesterday, 39,906 infections and 84 fatalities were announced.

It comes as seven local authorities across Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham, and five local authorities in the Tees Valley, are getting extra COVID support from the government under a five-week package of measures, including more testing and helping to "maximise" vaccine uptake.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: "The decision is based on the latest data and local insights and will provide targeted additional support to try and slow the growth of COVID-19 variants in the region, whilst also carefully monitoring NHS pressures and the number of cases and deaths."

It added: "The support package includes the option to deliver extra testing in these targeted areas, the provision of logistical support to maximise vaccine and testing uptake, and further help for local public health campaigns."

'Fall in cases an encouraging trend' - Analysis by Ashish Joshi, Sky correspondent

It is good news. Three consecutive days of falling COVID cases is an encouraging trend. But it does not mean we have peaked and the trend will continue downwards.

Just two weeks ago, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told us we could see 100,000 daily cases as we headed into late summer. Cases were expected to rise significantly after all restrictions were lifted in England.

It is too soon to see if there has been that expected impact on infections. We do not know why the numbers have decreased but they are still in the tens of thousands. That is a significant. But what is also important is that these infections are not translating into hospitalisations in numbers that pose any risk to the NHS.

This is important because hospitals are already extremely busy dealing with the "summer crisis". They do not need any more pressure.

There is also another concern. PHE scientists said today the Delta variant which now accounts for 99% of cases may be 46% more likely to cause reinfection than the Alpha variant.

They stress, however, the overall chances of getting reinfected are very low and work is continuing to understand better the risk posed.

That is a reminder there can be no complacency even when we are presented with three continuous days of falling cases. As we have seen before, the situation can change very quickly.

Some 43,000 people in the UK had their first jab yesterday, meaning that 46,476,845 have now received at least one COVID vaccine dose.

Another 174,742 people had their second shot, bringing the total number of those now fully inoculated against coronavirus to 36,762,646.

The latest vaccine numbers do not include figures from Wales.

According to the most recent data, hospitalisations are also up.

Some 870 COVID patients were admitted to hospital on 19 July and 5,322 were admitted in the last seven days - a 28% weekly rise.

870 is the highest daily number since 968 people were admitted on 25 February.

Since the pandemic began, a total of 129,044 people in the UK have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19.

It comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show one in 75 people in England are likely to have had COVID-19 last week - the highest number since the end of January.

In England, the estimated number testing positive for COVID-19 in the community was 741,700 in the week to 17 July.

Other figures indicated the R value - which represents the average number of people each COVID-positive person goes on to infect - was the same as last week.

It is estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.4.

When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below 1, it means the coronavirus epidemic is shrinking.

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