Daily cases drop 14% for the first time in three weeks –

Daily Covid cases in the UK fell today for the first time in three weeks, but both hospitalizations and deaths continued to rise.

Government dashboard data shows 94,524 infections registered in the last 24 hours, down 14% from a week ago.

But “technical problems” on Tuesday forced Scotland to report four days’ cases, artificially inflating the UK’s daily total.

The number of Covid deaths is a quarter higher than a week ago, with 250 registered today.

In addition, hospital admissions increased by 17% in one week, after 1,879 applications were registered on 18 March, the latest date for which data are available in the UK.

With cases increasing since early March, the current recovery is driven by a more contagious version of Omicron’s scientifically named BA.2. While ministers have said the blame may be the relaxation of the UK’s latest Covid rules, including the legal requirement for infected persons to self-isolate.

But some experts predict that the current wave of infections will peak before the end of this month.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency showed that the number of Covid cases in all UK countries increased today compared to the same period last week, with the exception of Scotland, which reported an extra day’s data.

England saw the strongest increase (16% in a week), followed by Wales (up 11%) and Northern Ireland (again, up 11%). In Scotland it fell over 200%.

The latest figures show that around 795,000 Covid swab tests were conducted across the country yesterday, up from 810,000 a week ago.

The PCR positivity rate in the UK – the percentage of swabs that picked up the virus – is still up, but only until 15 March.

MORE THAN ONE BILLION visors purchased from No10 are still in storage

MailOnline reveals that the government’s stock of wasted personal protective equipment still includes more than a billion visors found in warehouses and containers.

Only 123 million were distributed, which means there are enough spares in the UK for $15 each.

Activists today criticized No10 for “unnecessarily plugging” hundreds of millions of views, saying an “effective and speedy” investigation could not come soon enough.

A member of the Downing Street science advisory group said audiences lacked “evidence” that it stopped the spread of Covid.

Another expert said it was “clear” that the shields were barely effective a few months after the pandemic, despite agreements signed for most of the summer.

Officials announced on 15 March that a “glitch” meant Scotland reported four days of data.

Daily Covid cases in the UK started to rise in early March, about a week after BA.2 became the dominant Covid variant.

About 84,000 infections are recorded each day, based on an average of seven days.

That’s about half the peak of the Omicron wave, where the number of cases rose to an average of 183,000 per day.

Other surveillance systems, including the Office for National Statistics’ weekly infection survey, have also seen an increase over the past few weeks.

The number of hospital admissions has been steadily increasing since the beginning of March.

However, according to official data, currently about half of all hospitalizations are “accidental” cases, in which someone is hospitalized for another illness, such as a fall, but later tests positive for the virus.

It comes after MailOnline announced that there are still a billion visors in warehouses and shipping containers across the country today.

Only 123 million were distributed, which means there are enough spares in the UK for $15 each.

Activists today criticized No10 for “unnecessarily plugging” hundreds of millions of views, saying an “effective and speedy” investigation could not come soon enough.

A member of the Downing Street science advisory group said audiences lacked “evidence” that it stopped the spread of Covid.

Another expert said it was “clear” that the shields were barely effective a few months after the pandemic, despite agreements signed for most of the summer.

Ministers spent £14.8 billion on maintaining personal protective equipment in the first year of the pandemic, according to annual accounts by the Ministry of Health.

But around £8.7bn had to be wiped out, a striking example of No10’s waste.

Most of the mask, gowns and gowns set were defective or not used before the expiration date. The ministers also paid a lot of money and were left with equipment that later depreciated in value.

Dr. Ben Killingley, an infection control specialist at University College London Hospitals, said there is no evidence that face shields actually slow the spread of the virus.

A member of NERVTAG, a subcommittee of SAGE, said: “I am not aware of any evidence to suggest that the use of face shields has an effect in reducing infection transmission.

“It must be admitted that this evidence has been difficult to establish, but as a face shield is always worn alongside other personal protective equipment, I suspect it does not play a significant role.”

“The visor has no role in use outside of health or social care facilities, so there is no room for use by the general public.” Dr. Killingley added that face shields should not be used outside of hospitals.

In the second year of the epidemic, a total of 625,008 babies were born, an increase of 1.5 percent compared to 2020, when there were 615,557 babies.

Today it has also been revealed that Covid has triggered a “baby boom”, and official statistics show the birth rate has increased for the first time in more than a decade in the first full year of the pandemic.

According to National Statistics (ONS), 10.4 babies were born per 1,000 people in England and Wales in 2021, a slight increase from 10.3 in 2020.

In the second year of the epidemic, a total of 625,008 babies were born, an increase of 1.5 percent compared to 615,557 in 2020.

It goes against the long-term trend of falling birth rates attributed to an aging population and women leaving it to have children to pursue a career later on.

The biggest increases occurred in babies born in the second half of the year, most of whom will conceive during the quarantine period from November 2020 to March 2021.

Many experts predict that locked-in couples working from home will lead to more births.

The biggest increase in 2021 was in women in their thirties, with 62.5 births per 1000 women aged 30-35, 5.2% more than in the previous year. 107.1 children were born per 1000 women aged 30-35, an increase of 4.6%.

Despite the increase in the birth rate, the ONS said the number of babies born in 2021 is still “well below” pre-pandemic levels. There were 725,248 births in 2011 and it fell to 640,635 in 2019.

He suggested that most of the increase in live births occurred in the second half of 2021, with most children born in the second or third national bloc.

The UK went nationally silent for a second time on 5 November to stop the escalating cases, and the firefighters’ response lasted until 2 December.

The rise of the alpha variant in the southeast in December forced the entire country to stay home again from January to March 2021.

Today’s ONS report showed the largest increases in birth rate were in November (4.6%) and December (7.4%) compared to the same months in 2020.

“Births occurring in the second half of 2021 will mainly include children conceived during the coronavirus restrictions from November 2020 to March 2021,” the ONS said.