London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

UK health experts urge PM to delay lockdown easing after 8,125 new Covid-19 cases – highest rise since February

UK health experts urge PM to delay lockdown easing after 8,125 new Covid-19 cases – highest rise since February

Health experts have pleaded with the government to delay the final stage of England’s lockdown exit plan, after 8,125 new cases were reported in the UK in the past 24 hours, marking the highest daily rise since February 26.
There were a further 17 Covid deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest government data published on Friday.

The UK’s virus reproduction rate – or R number – has also increased from 1.2 to 1.4, the Department of Health has said, meaning that every 10 people with Covid-19 pass it on to between 12 and 14 others.

As of Friday, vaccination data shows that 29.1 million people in the UK have received both doses, while 41 million have received a single dose.

The latest case figures come as medical experts called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to delay the government’s planned lifting of the last remaining public health restrictions on June 21.

The chair of the British Medical Association Council, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, said that, with only 54.2% of adults fully vaccinated, lifting all restrictions would be “premature” and lead to a rise in infections.

Data shows that removing all health measures in 10 days’ time would not meet the government’s own tests, he said, adding that it was vital Johnson “honours his own commitment to the population on how to safeguard the health of the nation.”

The vice-president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, Jim McManus, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that abandoning the restrictions could lead to an increase in infections and thereby a “a rise in hospitalisations”.

The government has said it will share the new data on Monday, when it is expected to make a decision as to when it will lift the final restrictions.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously warned that the Delta variant first detected in India is fuelling the rise in cases. The strain, which is up to 60% more transmissible than the UK’s Alpha variant, now accounts for 91% of all new cases, Hancock said on Thursday.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×