Covid Delta variant: The top 20 hotspots in England
The Delta variant of Covid-19 now accounts for the vast majority of infections in the UK and it is continuing to spread.
There have been 50,824 more cases since last week to reach a total of 161,981, according to data from Public Health England (PHE).
Most of these cases are in England, where there have been 148,538 total cases of the Delta variant.
These are the 20 areas with the most confirmed and probable cases reported, all of which are the only parts of the country to top 1,000 infections.
Manchester 6,422
Bolton 5,801
Leeds 4,233
Birmingham 4,189
Blackburn with Darwen 3,790
Wigan 3,158
Salford 2,841
Liverpool 2,495
County Durham 2,340
Stockport 2,210
Bradford 2,176
Bury 2,000
Trafford 1,854
Newcastle upon Tyne 1,804
Kirklees 1,773
Rochdale 1,690
Cheshire East 1,642
Oldham 1,591
Tameside 1,486
While the Delta variant now accounts for around 95% of new cases sequenced in the UK, PHE said vaccines continue to have a “crucial effect on hospital admission and death”.
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Responding to the latest figures on the Delta variant, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Cases across the UK continue to rise and it is incredibly important that we do not forget to be careful.
“The best thing we can do to protect ourselves and the people we love is to get the vaccine if eligible, get tested twice a week and practise ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times.
“Although cases are rising, we are not seeing a proportional rise in the number of people who are being admitted to hospital. The data suggest this is testament to the success of the vaccination programme so far and clearly demonstrates the importance of getting both doses of the vaccine.”
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