ALL four governments in the UK have released a joint statement warning the Union is seeing “the start of a second wave” of coronavirus.
The UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive released the stark update as cases of Covid-19 surge.
They said: “Covid-19 threatens lives, health, prosperity and our way of life. We have taken action to protect the health of our citizens, communities, and economies. “However, the threat remains all too real.
“We are seeing the start of a second wave."
They said cases are “rising rapidly and we must take action to stop an exponential increase that could overwhelm our health services”.
The governments reaffirmed their shared commitment to suppressing the virus to the lowest possible level and keeping it there, while striving to return life to be as normal as possible.
They pledged to work to provide tests to those with symptoms and trace their contacts, and to respond quickly to any localised outbreaks.
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They said they will prepare for the pressures the winter will bring and seek to protect the most vulnerable in society from the effects of the virus, while helping the economy and society recover.
They also pledged to work towards reaching a long-term solution in the form of a treatment or vaccine as soon as possible.
The governments said they are committed to maintaining transparency and openness with the public, coordinating and cooperating as much as possible and sharing and acting on the best data, research and science.
They said: “The ongoing fight against Covid-19 will continue to require much from us all, wherever we live.
“We ask that everybody endeavours to adhere to the rules and advice designed for our safety, as this is the only way to keep the virus suppressed, and make further progress on the path back to normality.
“Failing to do so will put everyone else at risk.
“So in the weeks and months ahead we must carry on pulling together to protect and care for those most at risk, and keep the virus under control.”
The statement was released ahead of the daily release of figures showing cases of Covid-19 have reached a record high, with 558 Scots testing positive in a 24 hour period.
No new deaths were announced in Scotland from Covid-19 when the record number of new positive cases were reported yesterday.
The Scottish Government said that 89 patients are currently being treated for confirmed or suspected coronavirus in hospitals in Scotland with 11 people in intensive care.
Nicola Sturgeon said a total of 26,518 people have now tested positive in Scotland.
A total of 2510 people have died from Covid-19 in Scotland.
Meanwhile, the R number across the UK is between 1.2 and 1.5 and the Covid-19 epidemic is growing, scientists have said.
Experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) estimated the reproduction value – the number of people an infected person will pass the virus on to – was up on the 1.1 it reported in the previous week to 1.4.
Sage estimates the number of new infections is growing by between 4% and 8% every day.
All regions of England have an R that is higher than one and all have positive growth rates.
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“An increase in the UK-wide estimate of growth rate indicates that the rate of transmission is increasing across the country,” Sage said.
It said the current low numbers of deaths does not reflect how Covid-19 is currently spreading, suggesting death rates will rise in the coming weeks.
Overall, England has an R number of 1.2 to 1.5 while London and the Midlands are both on 1.2 to 1.5.
Earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the estimated number of cases of coronavirus across England had jumped 60% in one week.
There were around 9600 new coronavirus infections per day in England, up on 6000 the week before, according to its infection survey.
The survey, which tests thousands of people in English homes whether they have symptoms or not, found an estimated 103,600 people had Covid-19 from September 13 to 19, equating to around one in 500 people.
The ONS said: “In recent weeks, there has been clear evidence of an increase in the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in all age groups, with the current rates highest in the 17 to 24 age group.”
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