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The UK has set another new record for coronavirus cases after reporting 57,725 in the past 24 hours.
The latest daily case figures are the highest since the start of the pandemic and mark an increase from the previous record, set on New Year’s Eve, of 55,892.
Of the new cases, 49,248 were reported in England, 3,576 in Northern Ireland, 2,137 in Scotland and 2,764 in Wales.
The figures were released as the government came under increasing pressure to keep all schools in England closed amid fears over the spread of the most infectious new strain of Covid.
The National Association of Principals called for all schools to move to home learning for a “short and set period” as it announced legal action against the Department of Education, while the National Union of Education said it would inform its members of their legal right not to return to classrooms in “unsafe conditions.”
Experts from the government advisory group Sage said it was “highly unlikely” that the transmission rate R would drop below 1 while schools remained open, as was the case during the second national shutdown in November.
The scientists said: “R would be less with schools closed, and closing secondary schools would likely have a greater effect than closing elementary schools. It remains difficult to distinguish where transmission takes place between children and it is important to take into account contacts made outside of schools. “
After a change in strategy, the second dose of the Oxford and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines will be given 12 weeks after the first injection instead of 3 weeks as initially planned, in an attempt to ensure that there are as many people as possible in risk groups. are vaccinated.
