THE number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has increased across Somerset's local authority districts in the last seven days.

Rises of between 33.6 per cent and 75 per cent have been recorded across the county as the number of confirmed positive tests has surged throughout the UK. 

A record 218,724 lab-confirmed Covid cases were announced in England and Scotland on Tuesday, although that figure will have been inflated by delayed reporting over the Christmas and new year period.

Between December 29 and January 4, just over 1.2 million people tested positive for Covid – an increase of 50.9 per cent from the previous seven-day period, according to the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

A total of 48 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Tuesday, and 909 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive test in the latest seven-day period.

A similar week-on-week rise in cases has been seen in Somerset West and Taunton.

Between December 29 and January 4, a total of 1,815 people had a confirmed positive test for Covid in the district, showing a rise of 52.4 per cent compared to the previous seven days.

Three people died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in the district in the latest seven-day period.

Rises in the number of Covid cases have been seen in the county’s five other districts: South Somerset (75 per cent rise), Sedgemoor (54.5 per cent), North Somerset (51.9 per cent), and Bath and North East Somerset (37.5 per cent), and Mendip (33.6 per cent).

Somerset County Gazette: POLICY: Boris Johnson, Sir Patrick Vallance and Sir Chris Whitty addressed the nation last night to discuss Plan B measures (Image: Jack Hill/The Times, PA Wire)POLICY: Boris Johnson, Sir Patrick Vallance and Sir Chris Whitty addressed the nation last night to discuss Plan B measures (Image: Jack Hill/The Times, PA Wire)

At a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday, Boris Johnson said there is a “good chance” he will not impose fresh restrictions to tackle the wave of Omicron cases as he backed sticking with the current Plan B measures.

The prime minister confirmed he would advocate to his Cabinet the need to keep work-from-home guidance, mask-wearing in certain indoor settings, and the use of Covid passes in some large or crowded venues to “ride out” the wave of infections.

The prime minister also accepted the new few weeks are going to be “challenging” and said “some services will be disrupted by staff absences”.

He said the booster vaccine rollout will offer substantial protection to the nation which, alongside the Plan B measures introduced last month, gives the country “a chance to ride out this Omicron wave without shutting down our country once again”.

The prime minister also pledged to “fortify” the NHS and protect supply chains.

This will see 100,000 “critical workers” – including those in transport, policing, and food distribution – take lateral flow tests on every working day starting on Monday.

He added: “I would say we have a good chance of getting through the Omicron wave without the need for further restrictions and without the need certainly for a lockdown.”

Discussing the vaccination programme, chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance said it would be “untenable” to continue providing booster doses every few months, and he said the programme will more closely resemble annual flu jabs in the future.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused the prime minister of “complacency” as people struggled to access Covid tests and critical incidents were declared by some UK hospitals.

He said: “There are serious pressures on the NHS. The Prime Minister has got to be honest with the country about those pressures and even more importantly set out how he plans to address them.”