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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image copyrightReuters

There have been more than 3.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK and over 100,000 people have died, government figures show.

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

Almost nine million people have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

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

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Cases now declining

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, on average, now appear to be declining - with strict lockdown measures in place across the country.

A further 21,088 confirmed cases across the UK were announced by the government on Sunday.

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.

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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During the current lockdown people have been told to stay at home, other than for limited purposes such as essential food shopping, medical appointments and work. Schools are also closed.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the government will set out a "roadmap" for easing restrictions in England on 22 February.

In Wales, lockdown measures, including the closure of licensed premises and non-essential shops, will remain in force until 19 February at the earliest.

In Scotland they have been extended until at least the middle of February and in Northern Ireland they have been extended to 5 March.

Vaccine rollout on track

Almost nine million people in the UK have now received a first dose of a vaccine, government figures show, and more than 490,000 people have had a second.

Figures show 598,389 people received their first vaccine on Saturday - that is the highest total so far in a single day.

About 380,000 doses need to be given each day if the government is to reach its target of offering vaccines to the 15 million most vulnerable people by the middle of February.

The current seven-day average is about 375,000 - a figure which has risen again after a decline.

Within the UK, there is some regional variation in the rollout - especially between the nations.

Four regions in England have now given a first dose to more than 80% of people over 80, government figures show.

Within England, the gap between the top and bottom areas has narrowed in the last week.

Suffolk and North East Essex - an area where only 36% of those 80 and over had been vaccinated - has almost doubled the number to 71%.

Gloucestershire has the highest proportion of those 80 and over to receive a vaccine - at 91%. The lowest four areas are all in London where overall 65% of those 80 and over have had the jab.

In total, nearly 7.8 million people in England have had one vaccine dose. In Scotland, 566,269 people have had their first dose, while the figure is 403,463 in Wales and 214,601 in Northern Ireland.

But a study has suggested that black people over 80 are only half as likely to have received as vaccine as their white peers - despite being more than four times at risk of death from Covid-19.

After the first four priority groups receive their jabs, the vaccine rollout programme will move onto people aged 50 and over and those with underlying health conditions.

By autumn, the rest of the adult population, another 21 million people, will be offered a vaccine.

Daily deaths remain high

The government announced a further 587 deaths within 28 days of a positive test on Sunday. The number of deaths is often lower on a Sunday due to a lag in reporting at weekends.

Of these deaths, 528 were in England, 6 were in Scotland, 34 were in Wales and 19 were in Northern Ireland.

Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has said the number of deaths will come down "relatively slowly" over the next two weeks.

More than 100,000 people have now died with coronavirus in the UK since the start of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is "deeply sorry" for all the lives lost and has promised that the nation will "come together" to honour the dead once the crisis is over.

Rules were amended last 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 more than 90,000.

Hospitals remain under pressure

There are now just under 35,000 people with coronavirus in hospital in the UK.

Numbers in January had reached almost double the highest point of the spring peak, but numbers now appear to be falling.

London, the South East and the Midlands have seen the highest numbers in recent weeks.

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

Death toll could be higher

When looking at the overall death toll from coronavirus, official figures count deaths in three different ways, each giving a slightly different number.

First, government figures count people who died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus - and that total has now passed 100,000.

Second, ONS figures include all deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate, even if the person had not been tested for the virus. This figure is nearly 104,000 deaths, to 15 January.

The third measure counts all deaths over and above the usual number at the time of year - that figure was more than 99,000 by 15 January.

In total there were 20,019 deaths registered in the week to 15 January, that's about 28% above the "normal" level for the time of year.

Of that figure, 7,776 were deaths related to coronavirus - the third highest total of the pandemic.

There have now been more deaths involving Covid than 'excess' deaths, which 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?

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 0.7 to 1.1.

The estimate for England is 0.7 to 1.0, Scotland is 0.7 to 1.0, Wales is 0.7 to 0.9 and in Northern Ireland it is 0.65 to 0.8.

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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