The UK's 9 Covid hotspots as daily infections reach four-week high
The UK has recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus infections in more than four weeks.
A further 37,314 cases were reported on Friday, the highest in a day since 22 July.
Some 219,350 cases have now been reported over the past week, up 19,252 (9.6%) on the previous seven days.
Covid-19 deaths are also increasing, with 688 recorded over the past seven days, up 65 (10.4%) week-on-week.
Meanwhile, there are nine areas with case rates of more than 500 infections per 100,000 people. In the week up to 15 August, the latest date for which localised figures are available, those areas were:
Fermanagh and Omagh: 864.2 per 100,000
Derry City and Strabane: 710.1
Kingston upon Hull, City of: 637.1
Sedgemoor: 608.4
Mansfield: 591.7
Torbay: 568.9
Belfast: 550
Peterborough: 507.3
Mid Ulster: 505.5
Four of the nine hotspots are in Northern Ireland, where the highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day since the pandemic began were recorded on Friday.
The Department of Health reported 2,397 further cases and nine further deaths in Northern Ireland, as doctors warned lives could be lost to other conditions such as cancer due to staff being diverted to treat Covid patients.
A critical care consultant said dealing with the virus was as difficult now as at any time during the pandemic.
Dr George Gardiner told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that continuing to carry out surgery while admitting Covid patients to intensive care was a "huge ask" for staff.
"What's different this time is that we haven't switched off all the other essential services that hospitals in Northern Ireland provide," he said.
Meanwhile, in Peterborough, which is eighth on the list of hotspots, the city council has said rates "are now as high as they were in January during the winter peak".
It comes as England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned "very sick" young adults "regret delaying" their coronavirus vaccines.
Prof Whitty has been working in a Covid ward for the past four weeks and on Friday he wrote on Twitter: "The great majority of adults have been vaccinated.
"Four weeks working on a Covid ward makes stark the reality that the majority of our hospitalised Covid patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying.
"Some are very sick including young adults. Please don't delay your vaccine."
Data published by the UK’s four health agencies on Thursday estimated 2.9 million 18 to 29-year-olds are unvaccinated.
