Northern Ireland has overtaken England to become the UK nation with the highest rate of new coronavirus cases. This is up sharply from 253.4 one week earlier and is the highest rate for Northern Ireland since January 9, according to analysis by the Press Association. By contrast, England now has the second highest rate of the four UK nations and is sitting just behind Northern Ireland on 499.1 cases per 100,000 people. But the ongoing rise in rates in Northern Ireland is a reminder that the UK-wide figures can conceal variations between different nations. Every local authority area in Northern Ireland is now recording a week-on-week rise in rates.

Source: Daily Nation July 26, 2021 20:15 UTC