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23 December 2020
During the holiday period, the COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated every day, but the amount of data being updated will vary.
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UK cases and deaths will be updated every day throughout the holiday period, with the following service changes:
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[]England: data updated daily
[]Northern Ireland: no data on 24–28 December
[]Scotland: no deaths data on 25–28 December and 1–4 January
[]Wales: no data on 25 December and 1 January
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UK totals for each day will reflect the sum of the nations which reported data. Cases and deaths that would have been reported during these periods are likely to instead be reported on the following days. As a result, any changes to published data should be interpreted with caution during this period, as they may be a result of changes to reporting schedules.
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https://i.ibb.co/C0v1R0B/UK-Summary-20201228.png
Only Cases and Deaths have been recently updated and they, of course, are dependent on returns, which may be delayed.
41,385 Daily Cases is a new (unwelcome) record … 
Concern at ‘unprecedented’ infection level in England
England’s “very high” Covid infection level is a “growing concern” as the NHS struggles to cope with rising patient numbers, a health official has said.
On Monday, a further 41,385 Covid cases and 357 deaths were reported in the UK.
Some data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is not being released over the Christmas period.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: “Despite unprecedented levels of infection, there is hope on the horizon.”
She urged members of the public to “continue to play our part in stopping the spread of the virus” as the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine is rolled out.
“This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions,” Dr Doyle said in a statement.
Monday’s figure for new cases is the highest daily number reported by the UK government, and the first time the daily total has surpassed 40,000.
However, it is thought the infection rate was much higher during the first peak in April - but testing capacity was too limited to detect the true number.
Scotland is not releasing data around deaths between 24 and 28 December, while Northern Ireland is not providing either case or death data.
There were 21,286 people in hospital with coronavirus across the UK on 22 December - the last day for which data is available - according to government figures.
Hospitals in Wales, Scotland and the south of England have reported a rising pressure on their services as the number of Covid patients rises.
The president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said she saw “wall to wall Covid” when she worked at one London hospital on Christmas Day.
Dr Katherine Henderson told the BBC there was a “great deal of difficulty” getting patients into wards.
The situation will only get worse through January as the result of Xmas “mixing” becomes apparent … 
Bet the New Years Eve ‘mising’ will be the final straw . . .
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https://i.ibb.co/72QCzrJ/UK-Summary-20201229.png
53,135 new cases cases - another record daily figure, partly down to a Christmas lag in reporting but also reflecting the fast-spreading new variant … 
Hi
We have low covid rates locally, higher rates in other parts of the own.
The regional rise in rates is having an impact however.
Our local Hospital is taking cases from Wales and the Midlands where the hospitals cannot cope.
This is having an effect here.
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https://i.ibb.co/bXYtwXk/UK-Summary-20201230.png
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[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12)
[*]Tests are at an ABYSMAL 46% of the 738,000 capacity (as of 29/12)
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It’s still bad news … 
Good News:
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the UK, with the first doses due to be given on Monday.
There will be 530,000 doses available from next week, and vaccination centres will now start inviting patients to come and get the jab.
It is hoped that about two million patients a week could soon be vaccinated with two vaccines now approved.
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https://i.ibb.co/yhHTMSz/UK-Summary-20201231.png
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[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12) (not updated)
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 58% of the 738,000 capacity (as of 30/12)
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300,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
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https://i.ibb.co/0ytPP4V/UK-Summary-20210101.png
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[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12) (not updated)
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 58% of the 721,000 capacity (as of 31/12)
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320,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,000,000+ by January monthend … :!:
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https://i.ibb.co/tpJbNpY/UK-Summary-20210102.png
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[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12) (not updated)
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 58% of the 721,000 capacity (as of 30/12) (not updated)
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342,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,500,000+ by January monthend … :!:
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https://i.ibb.co/GMsDtTy/UK-Summary-20210103.png
[LIST]
[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12) (not updated)
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 58% of the 721,000 capacity (as of 30/12) (not updated)
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366,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,500,000+ by January monthend … :!:
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https://i.ibb.co/x3NXX12/UK-Summary-20210104.png
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[*]Cases are remaining extremely high
[*]Deaths are remaining very high
[*]Hospitalisations are remaining high (as of 22/12) (not updated)
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 58% of the 753,000 capacity (as of 30/12) (not updated)
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384,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,750,000+ by January monthend … :!:
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Scots ordered to stay at home in new lockdown
Scots are to be ordered to stay at home amid a fresh Covid-19 lockdown which will see schools remain closed to pupils until February.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said new curbs would be introduced at midnight in a bid to contain the new, faster-spreading strain of the virus.
New laws will require people to stay at home and work from home where possible.
Outdoor gatherings are also to be cut back, with people only allowed to meet one person from one other household.
Places of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning.
These rules will apply across the Scottish mainland until at least the end of January, and will be kept under review.
Island areas will remain in level three - but Ms Sturgeon said they would be monitored carefully.
Good for Nicola … 
BJ, of course, will shilly-shally … :roll:
He shillied, he shallied, he dillied, he dallied, but :
The threat to the NHS that has forced the hand of the Prime Minister.
In England there has been a 50% rise in the number of patients in hospital with Covid since Christmas day.
To put that into context, it equates to 18 hospitals being filled.
Currently around three out of 10 beds are occupied by patients with the disease.
In some hospitals it is more than six in 10.
But what is worrying ministers and NHS leaders is that the number is just going to increase.
In the spring it took nearly three weeks after lockdown for hospital cases to peak.
The last six days have seen in excess of 50,000 new infections confirmed each day across the UK - a number of these infections are next week’s hospital admissions.
It is why the UK’s chief medical officers were warning there was a “material risk” of some hospitals being overwhelmed if something did not change.
Nick Triggle
New lockdown for England
Everyone in England must stay at home except for permitted reasons during a new coronavirus lockdown expected to last until mid-February, the PM says.
Mr Johnson spoke after UK chief medical officers recommended the Covid threat level be increased to five - its highest level.
Level five means the NHS may soon be unable to handle a further sustained rise in cases, the medical officers said in a joint statement.
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https://i.ibb.co/ydpbXzS/UK-Summary-20210105.png
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[*]Cases are rising to new record levels :!:
[*]Deaths are rising to a high not seen since April :shock:
[*]Hospitalisations are rising to a high not seen since April :shock:
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 61% of the 760,000 capacity (as of 4/1)
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:shock:
392,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,750,000+ for January by monthend … :!:
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https://i.ibb.co/q1n6zBy/UK-Summary-20210106.png
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[*]Cases are rising to new record levels :!:
[*]Deaths are rising to a high not seen since April :shock:
[*]Hospitalisations are rising to a high not seen since April (as of 29/12) :shock:
[*]Tests are at an VERY POOR 64% of the 774,000 capacity (as of 5/1)
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:shock:
404,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,800,000+ for January by monthend … :!:
Health Secretary Matt Hancock reports that the number of patients in UK hospitals with Covid is now above 30,000 … :!:
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https://i.ibb.co/cyjbb4G/UK-Summary-20210107.png
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[*]Cases have fallen markedly
[*]Deaths remain high
[*]Hospitalisations have risen to a record high (as of 3/1) :shock:
[*]Tests are rising (as of 6/1)
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:shock:
400,000 new recorded cases in the last 7 days …
At this rate, there will have been 1,800,000+ for January by monthend … :!:
Covid cases ‘up almost a third in week after Christmas’
Covid-19 cases rose by almost a third between 26 December and 3 January, reaching 70,000 a day according to a major study.
This comes as an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey suggests just under half (44%) of British adults said they had formed a Christmas bubble. Up to three households were allowed to mix in much of the country on 25 December.
The ZOE Covid Symptom Study found the epidemic is growing throughout the UK. Researchers estimate the virus’s reproduction or R number is currently 1.2, which chimes with official government estimates of 1.1-1.3. It is growing fastest in Scotland and, in England, London has the most severe epidemic with the highest number of cases.
Of those responding to the ONS survey, about a fifth said they had found it difficult to follow the Christmas rules.And many gave the fact that they had already made plans as the reason.
Surprise, surprise …… not …… 
I agree Omah, no one should be surprised, we all said that would happen didn’t we.