London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 25, 2025

UK second highest in world for new Covid cases as pandemic spreads

UK second highest in world for new Covid cases as pandemic spreads

Britain reported more new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday than any other country in the world except for America, the Standard can reveal.

The UK has been at or near the top of the global league for new infections for several days now following a steep rise in cases as a third wave sweeps the nation.

The 44,104 fresh cases detected in Britain over the past 24 hours is greater than that witnessed by almost all countries currently battling the biggest outbreaks of cases, including Indonesia, India, Brazil, Russia and Spain, analysis shows.

It comes as debate continues to rage over Boris Johnson’s decision to relax almost all coronavirus restrictions on so-called ‘Freedom Day’ on July 19.

The government’s handling of the pandemic came under further scrutiny earlier on Wednesday as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blasted mixed messages from ministers over the need to self-isolate if someone is “pinged” by the NHS test and trace app.

Sir Keir warned the country faces a “summer of chaos” as he highlighted policy changes over isolation exemptions for people pinged by the NHS app and vaccine passports for nightclubs.

Britain’s rising Covid cases is also having a major impact on international travel with several countries imposing new restrictions on travellers from the UK.

The latest is Croatia, which announced on Wednesday that obligatory Covid-19 tests would be imposed for visitors coming from Britain, as well as Russia and Cyprus, from July 26.


Currently topping the international table of new cases is the United States, which suffered a disastrous third wave of coronavirus over the winter, with new cases peaking at more than 300,000 on January 8.

It had successfully driven cases down to as low as 3,491 on July 4 amid a relatively successful rolling of vaccines.

But the country now stands on the cusp of a deadly fourth wave with new cases jumping to 61,965 on Tuesday, with the highly-infectious Delta variant now accounting for 83 per cent of cases.

The next worst-hit country after the UK in terms of Covid cases on Wednesday was India, which posted 42,015 new infections. It also posted its highest number of Covid deaths in nearly a month - at nearly 4,000 - after Maharashtra added 3,509 previously unreported fatalities.

The sudden appearance of previously unrecorded deaths has lent weight to suspicion that India’s overall death tally is significantly more than the official figure. India’s tally of infections stands at 31.22 million, with a death toll of 418,480, according to official data.

Birds seen over deserted Jama Masjid on Eid al-Adha following restrictions due to Covid pandemic in New Delhi

But the Washington-based Center for Global Development estimated said in a report on Tuesday that India’s real death toll from COVID-19 could be as high as 4.9 million.

The third highest after the US and the UK is Indonesia, which on Wednesday posted 33,772 new cases, taking the country’s total coronavirus caseload to nearly three million. Indonesia is currently grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak in Asia and reported a record high 1,383 deaths from Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking its overall death toll to around 77,000.

It comes as the World Health Organisation announced on Wednesday that there were more than 3.4 million new global cases of the coronavirus last week, a 12 per cent increase from the previous week.

However the UN health agency says the number of deaths is continuing to decline, with about 57,000 in the last week.

“At this rate, it is expected that the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next three weeks,” WHO says.

It noted the highest increases in Covid-19 cases were in the Western Pacific and European regions. In the past week, WHO said the highest coronavirus infections were in Indonesia, Britain, Brazil, India and the U.S.

Ten countries with the highest new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, July 21
United States - 61,965
United Kingdom - 44,104
India - 42,015
Indonesia - 33,772
Brazil - 27,592
Iran - 27,444
Spain - 27,288
Russia - 23,704
Argentina - 15,077
Colombia 12,829

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×