Covid: UK among world's worst hotspots as cases and deaths soar

The latest figures come as ministers refuse to countenance another lockdown and experts call for an urgent acceleration in the booster vaccine programme.

Boris Johnson is also being told to reverse his relaxation of face mask rules in public places in England.

On Tuesday, the UK Government announced a further 223 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 138,852.

While the numbers are often higher on Tuesdays because of a lag in reporting deaths and cases over the weekend, this is the highest figure for daily reported deaths since March 9. The daily death toll is also the highest it has been since March.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average for cases is standing at 44,145 cases per day – the highest level for almost three months.

The UK now has one of the highest weekly rates of new reported cases in the world.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted his government does not want to go back into lockdown over the winter, saying: "I would rule that out."

He told Sky News that discussions of more lockdowns or restrictions on holidays were "completely unhelpful", adding: "We don't want to go back into lockdown or into further restrictions."

Challenged on the Government saying the same thing last year before further measures were introduced, he added: "This time last year, we didn't have the vaccine."

Adam Finn, who is on the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC Breakfast there is no denying there has been a "real increase" in coronavirus cases.

He said: "It feels like everyone has gone back to normal habits. I suspect – but I don't know – most people are not doing lateral flow tests and, as a result, we're seeing more infections than ever throughout the whole pandemic.

"These vaccines are extremely good at stopping you ending up in hospital but their ability to stop you getting the infection at all or passing it on are modest.

"It by no means solves the problem. If we want to see the figures go down we need to do more than that. It really is time people realise we can't just go back to normal."

Finn explained he is not sure why the UK Government is not encouraging the public in England to adhere to measures.

Speaking about masks, he commented: "If you are wearing a good quality mask or surgical mask indoors with other people around it will substantially reduce the risk if you have the virus and are not aware of it to the people around you.

"If you wear a mask we use in hospitals it will reduce the risk of you getting the infection from other people. You can actually protect yourself but, at the very least, you can contribute to stopping the virus from spreading about."

READ MORE: 'Overwhelmed' hospitals ask Scots to stay away 'unless it's life-threatening'

Finn said he has seen people not wearing masks in his local area, adding: "My observation is that we look sideways at each other and copy behaviour, and it makes people stand out if they are wearing a mask.

"If I go into a supermarket now I'm one of a few wearing masks, most people go with the flow and we're not being told not to."

The health expert warned hospital admissions and deaths "will continue to where we can't cope any more and we will be back to the bad old days of being asked to stay at home".

He added: "We can stop that if we go about our normal lives by wearing masks, taking lateral flows."

Number 10 has stated the UK Government is "not complacent" about rising coronavirus cases but added the level of hospital admissions and deaths were "an order of magnitude lower" compared to earlier in the pandemic.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said there were "no plans" to use the contingency measures set out in the autumn/winter strategy, and stressed that "the most important message for the public to understand is the vital importance of the booster programme", as well as for eligible children to come forward for a jag.

Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London, and a leading member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said there is a need to speed up boosters and the vaccination of teenagers, who he suggested should be given two doses of a jag to block infection and transmission.

Professor Neil Ferguson

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the Government is "ramping up" the vaccination programme, with children aged between 12 and 15 years old able to use the national booking service to secure their Covid-19 jags "to make the most of half-term next week".

Ferguson, whose data was instrumental to the UK going into lockdown in March 2020, said the UK had higher Covid-19 cases than other countries for a number of reasons.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this was due to a "lower functional immunity" in the UK population compared to most other Western European countries.

The professor explained this is down to waning immunity after a successful early vaccine rollout and a bigger reliance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which he said protects very well against very severe outcomes of Covid-19 but "protects slightly less well than Pfizer against infection and transmission, particularly in the face of the Delta variant".

He added that the UK is no longer in the top rank of European countries in terms of overall vaccination coverage, particularly in vaccinating teenagers.

Just over 67% of the UK population have received two doses of vaccine according to Government figures, compared with at least 75% in Denmark, 79% in Spain and 86% in Portugal.

The weekly rate of new reported cases of Covid-19 in the UK has jumped from 367 cases per 100,000 people at the start of October to its current level of 463 per 100,000.

By contrast, rates have dropped to very low levels in neighbouring countries such as Spain (24 per 100,000), France (48) and Germany (80).

Ferguson said Covid booster jags are "absolutely" the answer to waning immunity, adding that it is "critical we accelerate the booster programme".

He explained there is no reason to "panic right now" regarding the general situation, but repeated his belief that the administration of booster doses should be accelerated, as well as jags for younger teenagers.

The scientist said "people need to be aware that we have currently higher levels of infection in the community than we've almost ever had during the pandemic", amid suggestions that people have "gone back to normal".

Ferguson said it remains "prudent to be cautious in everyday interactions – certainly wearing masks helps that, it reminds people that we're not completely out of the woods yet".

While winter might see the UK Government's "Plan B" implemented and "some rolling back of measures", he feels it is unlikely "we'll ever get close" to the lockdown the country experienced in January.

Sir David King, who was the UK Government's chief scientific adviser from 2000 to 2007, said the Covid-19 booster rollout was going "extremely slowly" in England.

In Scotland, the NHS Inform website now states jags for "other eligible groups" – which includes adults over 50 and those between 16 and 49 who are adult, young or unpaid carers, living with someone who is immunosuppressed and those with underlying health conditions – will now be able to book their third dose from "mid-November".

An announcement by the Scottish Government on September 14 had suggested the intention to ensure these groups could book via an online portal from this month.

The guide, which allows Scots to choose from a list of categories which best describes their situation, also says third doses could continue into January.

The website, which was updated on October 15, said: "A booking portal will be available from mid-November.

"Vaccinations will start from mid-November and run through December and early January."