UK sees highest daily COVID cases since end-January

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) - The UK on Monday saw its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since the end of this January.

The country continues to be in the grips of the now dominant and highly transmissible Delta variant, which originated in India and is responsible for over 90% of all COVID-19 cases across the UK.

On Monday, 22,868 people tested positive for the virus, and in the week of June 22, 116,287 had a confirmed positive test result. This is a staggering increase of nearly 70% from the week’s previous data.

Despite the surge in cases, however, the number of deaths remains low, with only three deaths being reported Monday. On June 22-28, the UK reported 122 deaths – a 64.9% increase compared to the previous seven days. The low death toll is result of high vaccine efficacy and intake from the population.

As well as deaths, hospital admissions also remain low, with 227 people admitted to hospital citing COVID-19-related issues on June 22, with data lagging a week behind. In the week of June 16, 1,577 people were admitted to hospital, up 10.3% from the previous week.

The number of vaccinations continues to rise, as young adults are now viable for the jab. By the end of June 27, 44.5 million people had gotten their first dose of the vaccine, and nearly 32.6 million the second, representing 66.6% and 48.8% of the population, respectively. Vaccines are currently administered in two doses 21 days apart.