Coronavirus UK news live: Highest daily case figure in 6 months after nearly 50,000 new infections – The Independent

The UK has recorded the highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the height of the countrys second wave in January.

A total of 48,553 cases were reported on 15 July, the highest tally since 15 January. A further 63 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were also recorded - the largest since 26 March.

The growing number of cases come ahead of Englands so-called freedom day on 19 July, when most of the remaining coronavirus will be lifted.

Boris Johnson has urged the public to continue to show caution ahead of the unlocking, warning against throwing caution to the wind and insisting the government still expected shoppers to wear masks.

The prime minster was careful to warn the public that the arrival of Freedom Day next week is only possible because of the success of the vaccine rollout and by begging individuals to get their jab and to exercise caution to prevent the reinstatement of lockdown measures becoming necessary.

Despite the governments strong emphasis on the vaccine rollout as the catalyst for removing almost all the restrictions, other countries had gone down this path before the UK and failed, writes Ahmed Aboudouh.

Here is what happened to other countries after their decision to do the same:

Liam James15 July 2021 17:56

Northern Ireland will move the Balearic Islands from the green list to the amber list for travellers, the department of health has said after the other nations of the UK announced changes yesterday.

Among the changes which come into effect from 4am on 19 July, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Croatia and Taiwan have been added to the green list, while the Balearic Islands and British Virgin Islands will be moved to the amber list.

Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone will be added to the red list.

Check which countries are on the green list here:

Liam James15 July 2021 17:42

More than one-third of young adults in England have not had a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, new figures suggest.

Some 64 per cent of people aged 18 to 29 had received a first dose as of 11 July, according to estimates from NHS England - meaning 36 per cent are still likely to be unjabbed.

A breakdown of this age group by gender shows vaccine take-up continues to be lower among males than females.

Liam James15 July 2021 17:27

There have been 81,438,892 Covid jabs given in the UK so far, according to the latest government data.

46,097,464 were first doses, a rise of 60,374 on the previous day. Some 35,341,428 were second doses, an increase of 185,661.

The NHS has plans to speed up the vaccination process ahead of reopening. Text messages will be sent to 650,000 people this week encouraging them to bring forward their second dose.

Liam James15 July 2021 17:09

Robin Swann, Northern Irelands health minister, said the increase in cases in the region was among younger age groups, and urged all to take up the coronavirus vaccine.

We have seen the numbers climb in recent weeks but todays spike in cases is cause for concern, he said.

This is the first time since January that were reporting a daily change of over 1,000 positive cases, and while we are in a more fortunate position with a large proportion of the population now vaccinated we must remain cautious.

He added: Our advice remains the same, stick to guidelines and regulations, all adults aged 18 and over should get vaccinated, and ensure you and your close contacts self-isolate if you test positive.

Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in cases in the younger age group so I would make a particular appeal to this group to get vaccinated.

Liam James15 July 2021 16:51

The number of new coronavirus infections in Northern Ireland has almost doubled in one day.

Some 1,083 cases were reported by the department of health on Thursday, up from 636 on Wednesday.

This is the first time the daily case number has been higher than 1,000 since the peak of the third wave of the pandemic in mid-January.

The average seven-day incident rate per 100,000 people across the province was 234 on Thursday.

Jon Sharman15 July 2021 16:37

UK sees highest daily Covid case numbers in six months

The UK has seen the highest number of daily positive coronavirus test results since the height of the second wave in January.

In total, 48,553 cases were reported on 15 July, the highest tally since 15 January. A further 63 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test were also recorded - the largest since 26 March.

Tom Barnes15 July 2021 16:28

PM denies accusations of ambiguity over mask wearing

Jon Sharman15 July 2021 16:27

University and college students are less positive than ever about their educational experience following the Covid-19 crisis, figures suggest.

The latest National Student Survey (NSS) found less than half of students in the UK believed their university or college had taken steps to support their mental health during the pandemic.

Three-quarters of 332,500 respondents said they were satisfied with the quality of their course down from 83 per cent the previous year.

That suggests overall student satisfaction has dropped to the lowest ever level recorded by the survey, though there have been changes to the questionnaire since it was introduced.

The previous low was 80 per cent in 2006.

Pollsters found the pandemic had revealed issues with the availability of learning resources, with about three-quarters of students (74 per cent) agreeing they were able to access course-specific resources, down from 87 per cent in 2020.

Additional reporting by PA

Jon Sharman15 July 2021 16:17

The main question on all would-be married couples lips who have faced cancellations and disruptions to their big day at the moment is "should celebrants be given the power to legally marry couples to help with the backlog of weddings", which was discusssed at The Independents virtual event on how the pandemic has changed weddings, held on 14 July.

For our panel, made up of head storyteller from wedding planners, The Stars Inside, Sarah Allard, Editor of Hitched.co.uk and wedding photographer, Lucie Watson, it was a unanimous yes, writes Emma Henderson.

Valentina even said that some registrars are currently doing up to a staggering 25 weddings a day at the moment, in a bid to help get through the huge backlog of postponed nuptials, which has mounted up over the past 15 months during the pandemic.

Jon Sharman15 July 2021 15:58

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Coronavirus UK news live: Highest daily case figure in 6 months after nearly 50,000 new infections - The Independent