Covid-19 in the UK: How many coronavirus cases are there in your area?

By The Visual and Data Journalism Team
BBC News

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There have been more than three million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and nearly 90,000 people have died, government figures show.

However, these figures include only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus and other measures suggest the number of deaths is higher.

Find out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average:

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Daily cases may be starting to fall

The number of daily cases has been at record levels recently, driven by a new variant of the virus thought to be much more easily transmissible than other strains.

A further 41,346 confirmed cases across the UK were announced by the government on Saturday.

There are some early signs that the number of infections may be coming down, but Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said it was "much too early" to be sure.

It is thought the infection rate was much higher than was evident from the reported number of cases during the first peak in spring last year. Testing capacity was too limited to detect the true number of daily cases.

Although the new variant is now spreading more rapidly than the original version, it is not believed to be more deadly.

Where are cases high?

Cases have risen steeply across the UK in recent weeks, but there are now signs that the rate of infection has slowed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as in some English regions.

The darker orange and red areas on the map below show the areas currently seeing the highest number of cases per 100,000 people.

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Daily deaths rising quickly

The average number of daily deaths began to rise again in September, following the first peak in spring.

On Saturday, the government announced a further 1,295 deaths.

Of those, 1,140 were in England, 78 in Scotland, 55 in Wales and 22 in Northern Ireland.

Rules were amended over the summer to include deaths in the coronavirus total only if they occurred within 28 days of a positive test. Previously in England, all deaths after a positive test were included.

England has seen the majority of UK deaths from Covid-19. Using the 28-day cut-off, there have been nearly 78,000.

Hospitals under increasing pressure

There are now more than 37,000 people with coronavirus in hospital - around 50% more than at the peak of the virus in spring.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "The pressures on the NHS are extraordinary."

London, the South East, the East of England and Midlands have seen the biggest increases in recent weeks.

But all nations and regions now have more patients in hospital than during the first wave in spring.

It is hoped the rollout of vaccines to the most vulnerable in the UK will help reduce the number of people requiring hospital treatment.

Latest government figures show more than 3.5 million people have now received a first dose, and about 450,000 people have had a second.

The latest weekly statistics show that nearly 46% of over-80s in the North East and Yorkshire region have been given a first dose of vaccine - more than any other area in England.

More than three million people in England have had one vaccine dose. In Scotland, 225,000 people have had their first dose, while the figure is 126,000 in Wales and 118,000 in Northern Ireland.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says everyone in the UK's top four priority groups should have been offered a first dose by mid-February.

UK nations under lockdown

Lockdowns are in place across the UK, with schools closed to most pupils.

People have been told to stay at home, other than for limited purposes such as essential food shopping, medical appointments and work which cannot be performed in the home.

The lockdown in England will be reviewed on 15 February.

In Wales, the lockdown is expected to last until the end of January at least, while Northern Ireland's restrictions are due to continue into February.

In Scotland, restrictions were further tightened on Saturday.

Death toll could be about 90,000

When looking at the overall death toll from coronavirus, official figures count deaths in three different ways.

Government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.

But there are two other measures.

The first includes all deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, even if the person had not been tested for the virus. The most recent figures suggest there had been more than 89,000 deaths by 1 January.

The second measure counts all deaths over and above the usual number at the time of year - that figure was more than 88,000 by the same date.

The pandemic has caused excess deaths to rise to their highest level since World War Two, according to the ONS.

There were close to 697,000 deaths in the UK in 2020 - nearly 85,000 more than would be expected based on the average in the previous five years.

What is the R number in the UK?

The "R number" is the average number of people an infected person will pass the disease on to.

If R is below one, then the number of people contracting the disease will fall; if it is above one, the number will grow.

The government's current estimate for the R number across the whole of the UK is 1.2 to 1.3.

The estimate for England is 1.1 to 1.3, Scotland is 1.0 to 1.4, Wales is 0.8 to 1.1 and in Northern Ireland it is 0.7 to 0.9.

The government has said in the past that the R number is one of the most important factors in making policy decisions.

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