Virus cases jump by 220 in 24 hours

There have been 220 new cases of coronavirus reported across Somerset in the most recent 24-hour figures.

The daily statistics from Public Health England, which were published at 4pm on Tuesday, show the rise in fresh positive tests across the county.

The Government said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 20,018 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 1,073,882.

The Government said a further 397 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid19 as of Tuesday. This brings the UK total to 47,250.

Separate figures published by the UK’S statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been just under 63,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK. Somerset will join the rest of England in entering a four-week lockdown today as the Government takes measures in an attempt to quell the rise in infections in recent weeks.

The total number of people to have tested positive for Covid-19 across all six districts of Somerset, as of 9am on Tuesday, with new cases in brackets, is as follows:

■■ Bath and North East Somerset – 1,969 (+57)

■■ Mendip – 497 (+21)

■■ North Somerset – 2,183 (+61) ■■ Sedgemoor – 867 (+28)

■■ Somerset West and Taunton – 992 (+24)

■■ South Somerset – 748 (+29) England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told MPS on the Science and Technology Committee that matching the peak that was reached in April is an “entirely realistic situation”.

He said: “I think that if there is someone whose feeling is that the difference between them being supportive of these very restrictive and difficult measures is the difference between 1,000 deaths a day and 4,000 deaths a day – and remembering that if there were 1,000 deaths a day that would imply significant pressure on multiple other bits of the NHS – this I think becomes a very material question.

“I think all of us would say that the rates will probably be lower than that top peak.

“But I think reaching the peak which we reached in April strikes me as an entirely realistic situation.

“So if people wish to take a conservative view, that would be something which the short-term projections would take us to.”

He added: “I think there has been some rather overblown rhetoric on this. People can take different projections if they wish.

“But getting to the stage we got to in April – and if we do nothing carrying on up from there – is entirely realistic.”