London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

UK coronavirus cases rise sharply by 2,988

UK coronavirus cases rise sharply by 2,988

A further 2,988 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the UK in the past 24 hours, government data showed.


It is the highest number reported on a single day since 22 May and a rise of 1,175 on Saturday, according to the UK government's coronavirus dashboard.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "concerned" about a rise in cases "predominantly among young people".

Two further deaths within 28 days of a positive test were recorded, taking the total number of UK deaths to 41,551.

Mr Hancock added: "It's so important that everybody does their bit and follows the social distancing because it doesn't matter how old you are, how affected you might be by this disease, you can pass the disease on to others."

"So don't pass the disease on to your grandparents if you're a young person, everybody needs to follow the social distancing."

Despite the sharp rise in cases, Mr Hancock said the government was right to reopen schools "because of the impact on children of not getting an education", adding that workplaces which have reopened are "Covid-secure".



Scotland recorded 208 new cases on Sunday, its highest daily increase for more than 17 weeks.

Wales recorded a further 98 cases, its highest daily rise since 30 June, and Northern Ireland recorded 106 new cases, its highest rise since 25 April.

Overall, since the start of the pandemic, 347,152 cases have been confirmed in the UK.

'A significant new spike'


The number of daily reported cases has been rising steadily and some of that has been put down to an increase in the number of people being tested.

Put simply, the more you test the more new cases you will find. But the jump of more than one thousand in a day is a significant new spike.

The health secretary says the government is concerned and has renewed official calls for more vigilance on social distancing.

What Matt Hancock and health officials are worried about is that the UK might follow the same path as France and Spain, where increases in infections amongst younger adults led after a few weeks to higher numbers of admissions to hospitals for older and more vulnerable patients.

The number of people seriously ill in hospital with Covid-19 has fallen and there were just two new daily reported deaths.

Medical leaders and ministers can only hope that the spread of the virus amongst younger people does not get passed on to the elderly and those with underlying health problems.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said ministers needed to "set out what is being done to get testing back on track and bring case numbers down".

He said the increase in cases came on top of "the ongoing testing fiasco where ill people are told to drive for miles for tests, and the poor performance of the contact tracing system".

Increased demand led bosses in charge of the coronavirus testing system to apologise after it emerged UK labs were struggling to keep up.

Screening capacity was described last week as being "maxed out" - 170,000 tests a day are being processed, up from 100,000 in mid June.

Prof Paul Hunter, an expert in outbreak response at the University of East Anglia, said some of the rise may be due to the system catching up after delays when it struggled to keep up with demand, but added it was still a "marked increase".

"Sadly it is beginning to look like we are moving into a period of exponential growth in the UK epidemic, and if so we can expect further increases over coming weeks," he said.

Birmingham had the single largest increase in cases overnight, and the majority of new cases were in the north of England, said Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England's medical director.

But she said no single area accounted for the overnight change, with broad increases in Covid-19 cases across England.

The rise in positive tests came as tougher measures limiting household contacts were introduced in Bolton in an effort to stop coronavirus cases rising and prevent a full local lockdown.

The infection rate in the area has risen to 99 cases per 100,000 people per week - the highest in England.

Commenting on Scotland's increase, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "While this reflects the substantial opening up of the economy, it reminds us of the need to deploy counter measures."

She added that the "first line of defence" is to "take greater care on face coverings, hygiene and distance".

Meanwhile, speaking earlier on Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the economy "needs to have people back at work".

Mr Raab acknowledged there was likely to be a "bit more" remote working in future.

However, he added: "It is important to send a message that we need to get Britain back up and running, the economy motoring on all cylinders."

Mr Raab also played down suggestions that coronavirus testing at airports would help travellers avoid mandatory quarantine.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×