British health secretary Matt Hancock is due to announce any changes to tier areas in a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday. With case rates rising in all regions of England, and record patient numbers, any changes are likely to involve areas moving up a tier rather than down. Five of the seven NHS regions in England are reporting a record number of Covid-19 hospital patients: eastern England, London, the Midlands, southeast England and southwest England. The other two regions, northeast and northwest England, remain below peak levels that were set in mid-November. She said the “unprecedented levels” of Covid-19 infection across the UK was of “extreme concern”.

Source: The Irish Times December 29, 2020 19:07 UTC