Coronavirus tracked: Where in the UK are infection rates spiking?

Several new hotspots appear to be emerging in areas throughout the country

Coronavirus cases are once again on the rise in the UK, climbing to their highest level since late June.

Daily new cases reached above 900 this week, having briefly fallen below 500 in July, with several areas experiencing large spikes in infections.

The outbreaks prompted the government to reintroduce restrictions in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire in late July.

The latest figures from Public Health England reveal that several other areas around the country are also seeing a surge in new cases, according to The Independent‘s analysis.

Swindon has seen 55 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last seven days – more than some areas where containment measures are currently in place.

Swindon is now the fourth worst affected area in the UK when measured as a proportion of population, having seen a 200 per cent increase in new cases over the last seven days.

It has nearly as many new cases per person as Leicester, which was the first place to see tougher local restrictions put in place after the nationwide lockdown lifted.

The UK as a whole remains a long way off its peak levels from April and May, when daily new cases frequently reached above 5,000.

Yet local spikes could see the recent upwards trend continue if not brought under control, as has been the case in other countries like France and Spain.

Having endured a big surge in cases during the early stages of the pandemic, London has since seen its number of daily cases drop at an even greater rate than the rest of the country.

However, some boroughs are still seeing significant numbers of new cases, with Hackney emerging as a hotspot.

Looking at where the number of new cases are increasing and decreasing reveals several areas have seen cases rise over the last seven days.

On a positive note, the figures also show that East Anglia and the South West appear to have largely overcome the virus, with virtually no new cases reported in recent days.