THIS interactive map shows the areas where Covid cases are still rising across the UK.
Data from the government suggests that over 6,000 people are still testing positive for the virus on a daily basis.
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This is however a drop from infection rates seen earlier this year when more than 60,000 people were thought to have been testing positive for the virus daily.
Infection rates are key when it comes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s road map out of lockdown.
However the lifting of restrictions could be in jeopardy after cases of the Brazilian variant were detected in the UK this weekend.
It’s the first time the variant has been discovered in the UK and South Gloucestershire Council’s public health director Sara Blackmore reassured people that the risk of the variant was “low and contained”.
However, Professor Graham Medley, who sits on the Sage group that advises the Government said the variant could delay the lifting of lockdown and even “go backwards” by reimposing some restrictions.
He said: “There are going to be challenges on the way and there is always a risk that we might have to go backwards, and that’s what nobody wants to do is to actually open up and then have to close down again.”
Data from Public Health England (PHE) reveals the areas where infection levels are still high and rising.
In the seven days up to February 23, cases were still at high levels in areas such as Peterborough, Leicestershire and Manchester.
The interactive map above is colour coded and areas in darker shades are where infection levels are the highest.
Peterborough has 235.3 cases per 100,000, this is up from last week’s figure of 241.3.
South Holland has also seen a rise in cases from 163.1 last week to 209.4 per 100,000.
Nearby Fenland also has a high number of cases at 226.8 – this is up from 225.8 last week.
Corby was last week listed as the most infected place in England and now has 299.1 cases per 100,000 – this is a drop from last week when cases were at 333.7.
Other areas where cases remain at high levels include North Warwickshire, Sandwell and Redditch.
Further North, Preston, Bradford and Bolton also have high cases rates.
It was yesterday reported that Covid deaths in the UK plunged to their lowest level in 11 weeks with 144 more fatalities.
There has been 6,035 more infections – bringing the total number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began to 4,176,554.
This is the lowest number of daily positive cases since September 28.
Yesterday’s daily death toll has brought the total number of victims to 122,849.
It is lower than Saturday’s total of 290 as the figure continues to drop.
The number is also the lowest since December 13 when 144 deaths were recorded.
Between February 21 and 27, there were 2,341 deaths – a drop of 32.3 per cent compared to the previous seven days.
Over the weekend the UK also hit a new vaccine milestone as over 20 million Brits have now received their first dose of either the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab or the Pfizer/BioNTech offering.
Nearly 800,000 have also received a second dose.
The achievement is a huge boost in the fight against the bug as lockdown begins lifting from March 8.
Hopes of easing the national shutdown hinges on protecting the most vulnerable groups by spring to beat faster-spreading variants.
