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 3.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and nearly 95,000 people have died, government figures show.

However, these figures include only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.

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

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Daily cases starting to fall

The number of cases reached record levels in early January, partly driven by a new variant of the virus thought to be much more easily transmissible than other strains.

However daily reported cases now appear to be declining.

A further 37,892 confirmed cases across the UK were announced by the government on Thursday, continuing the downward trend seen in recent days.

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 has spread more rapidly than the original version, it is not believed to be more deadly.

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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Over-70s next in line for vaccine

Latest government figures show that nearly five million people in the UK have now received a first dose of a vaccine, and more than 460,000 people have had a second.

People in England aged 70 and over, as well as those listed as clinically extremely vulnerable, are expected to begin receiving offers of a vaccine this week.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the government is aiming to offer all UK adults a vaccine by September.

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.

In total, more than 4.3 million people in England have had one vaccine dose. In Scotland, 335,000 people have had their first dose, while the figure is 190,000 in Wales and 144,000 in Northern Ireland.

Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi has said the UK remains on course to meet its target of of vaccinating 15 million of the most vulnerable people by mid-February.

Daily deaths rising quickly

More people have now died from coronavirus in the second wave than the first.

On Thursday, the government announced a further 1,290 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Of these deaths, 1,134 were in England, 89 in Scotland, 46 in Wales and 21 in Northern Ireland.

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

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 about 83,000.

Hospitals under severe pressure

There are now just under 40,000 people with coronavirus in hospital in the UK - almost double the number in the spring peak.

On Sunday, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "The facts are very clear and I'm not going to sugar-coat them, hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure."

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

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

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.

The restrictions in Wales are due to be reviewed on 29 January.

In Scotland, restrictions have been extended until at least the middle of February.

In Northern Ireland, the lockdown has been extended through to 5 March.

Death toll could be about 95,000

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 95,000 deaths by 8 January.

The second measure counts all deaths over and above the usual number at the time of year - that figure was also more than 95,000 by the same date.

More deaths involving Covid (the second bar in the chart above) than 'excess' deaths (the third bar) means non-Covid deaths must be below usual levels.

This could be because of a milder flu season - resulting from less travel and more social distancing - and because some people who might have died for other reasons had there been no pandemic, died of Covid.

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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