UK hospitals record 250 more Covid fatalities in highest Sunday death toll since beginning of May 

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Britain has recorded a further 18,662 coronavirus cases today, marking a 25 per cent drop on last week’s total.

While Sunday’s case figure is the lowest daily total in more than a month, the number of deaths recorded today skyrocketed by 137 per cent compared to this time last week.

But the Government has blamed today’s surge in deaths on a data processing error which saw 141 fatalities go unreported yesterday.

The deaths excluded from Saturday’s data were added on today’s, meaning the figure for Sunday alone is 257.

This signals a much smaller rise in the number of Covid deaths compared to last week – with the actual increase standing at 53 per cent.

Furthermore, the 18,662 new Covid cases reported today mark a 25 per cent drop on the 24,962 positive tests seen last week. 

A Government statement read: ‘Due to a processing update, 141 previously published deaths within 28 days in England were excluded from the published data on November 21.

‘This issue has now been corrected for data published on November 22, which includes deaths omitted yesterday in today’s total and daily number of newly reported deaths.’

Today’s case figures came as:

• There was a 25% decline on the number of cases as compared with last Sunday, with another 18,662 cases recorded, while there were 398 deaths, an increase of 137% on last week’s figure
• US pharmaceutical firm Novavax raised hopes that a vaccine that it is developing could stop people infecting each other following successful trials in monkeys;
• At least 22 people were arrested as anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police at rallies in Bournemouth, London and Liverpool;
• Mr Johnson enjoyed a boost in the opinion polls, with the Tories on 41 per cent and Labour down to 38 per cent, according to Optimum; lIt was reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will this week unveil a £3 billion plan to tackle the backlog of surgeries cancelled as a result of the pandemic as part of a Spending Review that will also aim to boost mental health support and revitalise the high street;
• Church leaders appealed to the Government to re-open places of worship for Christmas services.

Scotland reported a further 844 Covid cases and seven new deaths, while Wales has seen 808 new cases and 11 deaths.

The figures come as Boris Johnson is set to outline a return to the three-level system but with more areas potentially placed into the top Tier 3 than before the November lockdown, ahead of a planned relaxation at Christmas.

Mr Johnson is also planning to relax the much-criticised 10pm pub curfew, easing restrictions to allow drinking holes to call last orders at 10pm and give punters an hour to drink up and finish meals. 

But Mr Johnson’s plans, which have to be approved in a Commons vote to become law, are facing strident opposition from a hardcore block of his own party, who argue that the restrictions cause more damage than they prevent.   

MPs in the Covid Recovery Group wrote to the Prime Minister last night demanding he give Parliament a full ‘cost-benefit analysis’ of the new system amid concerns over the ongoing effect on the economy and also people with existing long-term health problems.

In the letter to the PM, the group led by former chief whip Mark Harper and High Wycombe MP Steve Baker, said: ‘There is no doubt that Covid is a deadly disease to many and it is vital that we control its spread effectively. But we must give equal regard to other lethal killers like cancer, dementia and heart disease, to people’s mental health, and all the health implications of poverty and falling GDP.

‘The tiered restrictions approach in principle attempts to link virus prevalence with measures to tackle it, but it’s vital we remember always that even the tiered system of restrictions infringes deeply upon people’s lives with huge health and economic costs…

‘We cannot support this approach further unless the Government demonstrates the restrictions proposed for after December 3 will have an impact on slowing the transmission of Covid, and will save more lives than they cost.’      

Meanwhile a Sage scientist today said trying to ban Christmas will lead to people breaching coronavirus restrictions, so rules could be relaxed if the new Tier system proves effective.

Calum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at Liverpool University, says that while some restrictions might be needed after the festive period, these might not need to be ‘draconian’.

Prof Semple added that regulations could be relaxed over Christmas if the new tier system proves successful following the current lockdown.

Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Prof Semple, who is a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said: ‘In reality we can’t ban Christmas and to do so would simply lead to breaches, and what are you going to do about that?’

When asked whether every day of relaxation would require five days of tighter restrictions, he said: ‘Yeah, I think in the round it’s right, but it shouldn’t be seen that it is going to be draconian restrictions, it’s just going to prolong restrictions and higher-level restriction for some areas.’

It came as sources in No 10 said they believed that a wave of vaccines due to be rolled out within moths will allow the country to be ‘something close to normal’ by Easter. 

However Mr Johnson may face a battle to get the new tiers past MPs. 

If all 70 rebels vote against the new tiers it would wipe out the Government’s working majority if Labour also opposed them. However Sir Keir Starmer’s party has so far backed Covid legislation.

The Christmas news is likely to bring joy to many hard-pressed families, although critics have warned there is a high price to pay, with a potential lockdown in January to make up for the extra festive freedom

In a statement, the Cabinet Office said ‘good progress’ had been made in recent days on a Christmas deal across the UK. 

‘Ministers endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days, but also emphasised that the public will be advised to remain cautious, and that wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact,’ it said.

‘In respect of Northern Ireland, ministers also recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish government.’

In response to the rebels Chancellor Rishi Sunak this morning said it was important to look at ‘the impact of coronavirus in the round’ including the economy. He stopped short of agreeing to the CRG’s demands, saying: ‘It’s very hard to be precise in estimating the particular impact of a one-week restriction.

‘What you will see next week when we have the spending review, alongside that will be a set of forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility … which will show the enormous strain and stress our economy is experiencing, the job losses that you mention, the forecasts of what will happen, and it’s right that we consider those in the round as we consider the best way to fight the virus.’

Mr Sunak added: ‘It’s a tragedy that three-quarters of a million people have already lost their jobs. That’s millions of families and people who are impacted by that, and it’s a difficult time for everyone.’ 

Mr Johnson will on Monday tell the House of Commons and the nation in a televised address that lockdown will end, as promised, on December 2.

He will also set out details of a new winter plan to tackle Covid, including a revised three-tier structure for restrictions. 

The new framework will run until the spring in a move designed to give businesses and the public more confidence and clarity while work continues on approving vaccines and a mass immunisation project.

Mr Sunak today warned that ‘Christmas is not going to be normal’. He said the localised tiered system is a ‘far better way’ to tackle Covid-19 as he confirmed the Prime Minister’s plans, which were expected to be approved by the Cabinet on Sunday.

‘I think, frustrating as it is for all of us, Christmas is not going to be normal this year,’ he told Ridge On Sunday.

‘But that said, the Prime Minister and everyone else, we’re looking at ways to see how families can spend some time with each other over (the) Christmas period.

‘Obviously that’s something that we would like to do and it’s been a difficult year for all of us, but as I said it’s not going to be a normal Christmas this year.’