Coronavirus: UK reports highest ever number of new daily cases

<p>A further 40 people are reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/covid-19-8518" target="_blank"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a>, official figures show. The last time the daily death toll was higher than 40 was on 14 July, when 44 deaths were recorded.</p><p>All of the deaths happened in England, apart from two in Scotland and one in Wales.</p><p>England recorded the vast majority of Thursday's <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/coronavirus-8483" target="_blank"><strong>coronavirus</strong></a> cases - 5,632 - followed by Scotland with 465 infections, Wales with 348 and Northern Ireland with 189.</p><p>The numbers take the seven-day rolling average for cases to 4,964 - up from 3,354 last Thursday.</p><p><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-live-latest-uk-news-updates-as-covid-19-cases-spike-12071480" target="_blank"><strong>Live updates on coronavirus from UK and around the world</strong></a></p><p>Despite the record amount of cases, the UK is still nowhere near a realistic comparison to the peak of April and May, when Imperial College researchers have suggested there were more than 100,000 new infections a day.</p><p>Many of these cases would have been missed at the time as more consistent community testing began in May.</p><p>The latest numbers come as Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a new <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-chancellors-winter-plan-will-support-wages-of-people-in-work-from-november-12080039" target="_blank">scheme to support wages</a></strong> and avoid a winter jobs crisis.</p><p>Although he admitted some will still face an uncertain future, the plan will top up wages for staff working as little as a third of their normal hours.</p><p>Designed to save roles that will be "viable" in the long-term, the scheme will start in November.</p> <p><strong>Things aren't as bad as they seem, but next week we'll know if we've done enough to reverse the surge</strong><br /><em>Analysis by Thomas Moore, science correspondent</em></p><p>Although this is a new record for new confirmed COVID cases, things aren't as bad as they seem.</p><p>The previous high was 6,201 cases reported on 1 May. But far fewer people were being tested then. The true number of new cases at the peak of the first wave is likely to be well in excess of 100,000 a day.</p><p>Even now it's estimated that only around a third of cases are being picked up by the testing system.</p><p>Research by Imperial College London suggest two-thirds of cases may be asymptomatic. That would mean the true number of daily infections could well be as high as 18,000.</p> <p><strong>:: Subscribe to the Daily podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sky-news-daily/id951048357?mt=2" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvMzI4NzI0Ni9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3RdXZrbbG3NydLsPYmRSJy" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/sky-news-daily" target="_blank">Spreaker</a></strong></p><p>We will get a better handle on the overall infection rate on Friday when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases the latest results from their infection survey.</p><p>They test people randomly whether or not they have symptoms and it is widely thought to be the most accurate indicator of the size of the epidemic.</p><p>The key question now is whether the government has done enough to reverse the surge with its rule of six, early closing of pubs and restaurants, and so on.</p><p>The incubation period of COVID-19 is on average five to six days so it won't show up in the figures until well into next week.</p><p>Many scientists believe much tougher measures will be needed to make a difference.</p>