Daily infection still increasing but not as fast as it has been

NEW daily coronavirus cases have doubled in a fortnight but the increase is slowing, new data shows.

Sage found that the R (reproduction) rate has dropped slightly to between 1.2 and 1.4, down from between 1.3 and 1.5 last week.

Separate data from the Office for National Statistics estimated there were 35,200 new cases a day in England in the week to October 16.

This is up 26% from 27,900 new daily cases for the previous week.

It is just over double the 17,200 new cases per day counted from September 25 to October 1.

Prof James Naismith, of Oxford University, said: “The ONS figures estimate an increase but this is not as fast as before. It gives a doubling time of around 21 days.”

The monthly death rate for coronavirus increased in September for the first time since the outbreak‘s first peak.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed 12.6 deaths per 100,000 people in England caused by Covid-19.

This is up from 7.2 in August, the first increase since April.

The figure is still significantly lower than at the peak of the virus in April, when it was 623.2.

The release also suggested overall deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic may not be as high as previously thought.

It found 36,000 more deaths from all causes recorded this year, up to October 10, than the five-year average. Previous analysis estimated excess deaths at 55,000.

It suggests Covid-19 has brought forward deaths in the elderly by a few months in many cases.

VIRUS HOPE Prof Naismith