LONDON (Reuters) – The average daily number of COVID-19 cases in England has doubled in a week, an infection survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday, feeding concern that the epidemic is once again growing exponentially.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to tackle a second wave of COVID-19 with local measures in an effort to avoid another national lockdown.
But the ONS estimate said new cases of COVID-19 in England were around 17,200 per day in the latest week to Oct. 1, compared to 8,400 per day in the previous week.
The daily breakdown of the ONS figures showed that on Oct. 1, estimated daily cases had risen to 21,300.
The ONS looks to estimate infection numbers in the community beyond those who have been tested, giving an estimate of prevalence that is unaffected by testing capacity.
An estimated 224,400 people in England had COVID-19 in the latest week, or 1 in 240 people, a 92% increase in infections compared to the previous week.
It highlighted areas such as the North East, North West and Yorkshire as suffering the highest rates of infections.
Finance minister Rishi Sunak later on Friday will outline extra job support measures for sectors that might have to close in coming weeks as a result of local lockdowns.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce, Alistair Smout and Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison)
