The coronavirus has hit the United Kingdom hard, with the country registering more than 22 million cases and more than 170,000 deaths related to the disease.
The government figures below include only confirmed cases – some people with the disease have not been tested. In particular, after the end of the legal requirements for testing and self-isolation after a positive test result, much fewer tests are performed – after the free tests end in early April, testing is likely to decrease further. So the number of cases may show a sharper decline in infections than it actually is.
Where are the current coronavirus hotspots in the UK?
At the start of the pandemic, London bore the brunt of the coronavirus before the center of the virus shifted north. More recently, hotspots have re-emerged across the country, with London being hit the earliest by the Omicron wave.
Everyday life in the UK has been subject to varying degrees of restrictions since March 2020, although national restrictions have been eased in all four nations in the UK in the summer of 2021.
Details of the English guidelines are listed here, the Scottish here, the Welsh here and the Northern Irish here.
How does the disease work in the UK?
Cases in the United Kingdom peaked for the first time in early April 2020, before declining in late spring and summer. After reaching a record level in January 2021, the number of cases decreased sharply. They remained high but stable since the last block release in July 2021, but increased again with the arrival of the Omicron variant. The number of available tests affects the number of registered cases.
The number of coronavirus patients has risen sharply since recordings began in late March 2020, peaking in April. This figure began to rise again in September and reached a new record in January 2021. It is now at a relatively low level.
Deaths peaked in the first wave in January 2021, with daily deaths again above 1,000. As with hospitalizations, the number of deaths is now relatively low, although there was an increase in the winter of 2021-2022. with the arrival of the Omicron variant.
In this graph, deaths are reported as people who died within 28 days of their first positive test. The enumeration of all Covid-19s as the cause of death resulted in a higher number (see note below).
How does the third wave compare to the second?
Since mid-May 2021, cases have been growing at a rate comparable to the beginning of the second wave in the autumn of 2020. However, hospitalizations and deaths remain much lower than in the equivalent of the second wave. Scientists say this is due to the protective effects of vaccines.
How is the vaccine implemented?
Since UK regulators approved the Pfizer vaccine in December 2020, the introduction of the vaccine in the UK has gained momentum. By early July 2021, hundreds of thousands of people were vaccinated every day. The introduction of the booster campaign in October 2021 again increased the spread of vaccines, although this has slowed since.
With the first dose of vaccine open to people over 5 in the UK from March 2022, vaccines are available to all but younger children. However, there is a constant number of people in all age groups who have not been vaccinated. The lowest levels of vaccination are among the younger age groups. Although they were the last to be invited for vaccinations, there are concerns about vaccine variability among young people.
How testing affects cases
Since not everyone gets a test, the number of people infected with coronavirus will always be greater than the number of positive tests.
The consistent level of testing makes it easier to compare the number of cases over time. But due to a lack of tests in the first phase of the 2020 pandemic, the number of cases has been underestimated compared to the second and third waves.
The level of testing has once again become a problem in the spring of 2022, as all parts of the UK have changed their testing rules.
England charges for side-flow tests and PCR for most people from 1 April 2022. In Scotland, testing remains available only to certain groups, such as health professionals or people with certain health problems, with most people with symptoms being advised to simply stay at home . In Wales, side-flow tests are only available for free if you have symptoms of Covid-19, while PCR is only available under certain conditions, such as if your doctor says you are eligible. In Northern Ireland, most people no longer have access to a free PCR test, while side-flow tests are free only for those with symptoms. The latest information on tests in all countries is available here.
Reducing the availability of tests will reduce the number of reported cases and make it harder to track the spread of the virus.
How many new cases are reinfections?
Initially, recurrent coronavirus infections were rare. But as the Omicron variant arrived in late 2021 and immunity from previous infections declined, re-infections increased to account for about 10% of all daily cases in England.
How does the number of cases change?
The blockade reduced the number of cases for all. But different age groups are affected differently. During the pandemic, people between the ages of 20 and 60 had the highest levels of infection.
This has become more serious as the introduction of the vaccine has protected many of the more vulnerable older people in society, with the incidence rate rising among the younger groups while remaining relatively low among the elderly.
Find cases of coronavirus near you
In the table below you can find the number of cases per 100,000 in your area, both in the last week and since the beginning of the pandemic.
About this data
These data come from public health in England, working with decentralized bodies in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Differences in data collection and publication schedules may lead to temporary discrepancies.
Government data on deaths used in this tracker include all deaths that occurred within 28 days of a positive test. This means that they are able to quickly capture deaths occurring in hospitals and nursing homes, both places where testing is widespread.
ONS, together with its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland, captures deaths differently. They report all deaths where Covid is in the death row. About 90% of these deaths are directly due to Covid, while it is a contributing factor to other deaths.
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Due to the unprecedented and continuing nature of the coronavirus epidemic, this article is updated regularly to ensure that it reflects the current situation as best as possible. Any significant adjustments made to this or previous versions of the article will continue to be noted below the line in accordance with the Guardian’s editorial policy.
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