Coronavirus cases in England increase by 27% in a week
Number of people testing positive hits highest level since mid-June despite fall in tests
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Officials in the UK’s second city have called on the public to do all they can to avoid a second lockdown as the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England rose by 27% in a single week, hitting its highest level since mid-June.
Between 6 August and 12 August, 6,616 people tested positive for the virus even though testing dipped by 2% – staying broadly steady at about 1.2m, which is half the weekly capacity of almost 2.4m tests.
In an indication that the NHS may be again facing an increased demand from people with Covid-19, it was the first time there had been a notable increase (+34%) in positive tests in hospitals or at the sites of outbreaks, known as “pillar one”, since the NHS test and trace launched on 28 May.
Birmingham’s infection rate has seen a sharp jump from 30 cases per 100,000, up from 22.4 the week before. West Midlands police are openly discussing the prospect of a city-wide lockdown if the situation does not improve, and the city’s director of public health described the rise as dramatic.
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