51,900 testing positive for COVID every day in England as infections ‘continue to rise’

The coronavirus infection rate is continuing to increase in England, with around 51,900 new cases per day, latest figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey, released on Friday, suggested there were an estimated 568,100 people in England with COVID-19 between October 17 and 23 - the latest dates for which data is available - equating to around one in 100 people.

The ONS bulletin said the incidence rate in England “continues to increase”, saying between October 17 and 23 the were around 9.52 new COVID-19 infections for every 10,000 people per day - equating to around 51,900 new cases per day.

The figures are in line with suggestions by Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, last month that the UK could see 50,000 new coronavirus cases a day by mid-October.

Watch: Coronavirus in numbers: UK death toll rises to 45,675

Speaking in September, Sir Patrick said that would be expected to lead to about “200-plus deaths per day” a month after that.

During a Downing Street briefing at the time alongside chief medical adviser Professsor Chris Whitty, Sir Patrick stressed the figures were not a prediction, but added: “At the moment we think the epidemic is doubling roughly every seven days.

“If, and that's quite a big if, but if that continues unabated, and this grows, doubling every seven days... if that continued you would end up with something like 50,000 cases in the middle of October per day.

“Fifty-thousand cases per day would be expected to lead a month later, so the middle of November say, to 200-plus deaths per day.”

Watch: What is long COVID?

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