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The coronavirus is “seeping into” the oldest and most vulnerable age groups, England’s deputy chief medical officer said, presenting heat maps showing how the virus is spreading in different parts of the country.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said that the increase in COVID-19 cases are being seen “across the country” and “virtually all areas of the UK are now experiencing an increase in infection rate”.
He told a news conference that other regions are following the pattern of North West England, where the virus have it moved through the age bands, having started to increase among the young at first.
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Referring to regional heat maps, he said: “You will see that the infection rate was initially higher in 16 to 29 year olds and that as you move to the right, it becomes increasingly hot.
“But as you do, you can see the infection progressing into the next age bracket, 30 to 44 years old, followed two to three weeks later by an escalation again at 45 to 59 years old, and now you can see the 60 plus is heating up on that chart too.
“The Northwest experienced all of this first, and as I understand it, the pattern is likely to follow – you can see it in the Northeast and in the Yorkshire and the Humber just starting out, but at an earlier stage.”
Professor Van-Tam said that the spread of the virus in the age group over 60 was “of great concern”.
“The elderly suffer a much worse course with COVID-19, are admitted to the hospital for longer periods and are more difficult to save,” he added.
Professor Van-Tam also addressed a slide shown at the briefing on the rising rates of coronavirus cases in southern England.
He said he was concerned that he presented a “bipolar picture that COVID-19 is a problem in the North and not in the South.”
“On the contrary, the epidemic this time clearly accelerated in the north of England earlier than it did in the first wave and that almost certainly relates to the fact that disease levels in the north, and certainly in the northwest never fell as much in the summer as it did in the south, “he added.
‘But virtually every area in the UK is now experiencing growth rates of infection and that extended brown map that I showed you, which comes from the Joint Center for Biosafety, absolutely proves it.
“This is a national phenomenon now that rates are shifting up across the UK.”
Professor Van-Tam was speaking at a press conference before an announcement about new restrictions from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
