Coronavirus in UK: How many confirmed cases are there in your area?
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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK is on the rise, with nearly 42,000 people now testing positive across the country. A total of 4,313 people confirmed to have had the virus have died.
The actual number of people with the respiratory infection in the UK is estimated to be much higher though - as only those in hospital and some NHS staff are currently tested.
About 140,000 people in the UK have so far been tested and found not to have the virus.
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The following charts and graphics will help you understand the situation in the UK and how the authorities are responding.
1. The number of UK cases is on the rise
The new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease known as Covid-19, was first confirmed in the UK at the end of January.
While there were a number of people testing positive throughout February, figures in the UK began to increase at the beginning of March.
The number of confirmed cases is still increasing rapidly but the rate has slowed slightly. The most recent daily figure for new cases was below 4,000, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
On 23 March the government introduced a series of restrictions on people's movement in a bid to slow the virus's spread.
Professor Stephen Powis, Medical Director of NHS England, said what appeared to be a slight slowing in the rate of new cases could be seen as "green shoots", but the next week or two would be critical in the battle against the virus.
A number of temporary "Nightingale hospitals" are being set up across the country to increase the NHS's ability to deal with the crisis.
The new hospitals will treat patients in makeshift critical care units at:
- The ExCel exhibition centre in east London
- The NEC centre in Birmingham
- Manchester's Central Complex conference centre
- The SEC Centre in Glasgow
- The Belfast City Hospital
- The University of the West of England in Bristol
- The Harrogate Convention Centre
Another hospital will also be established at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff - though this is not classed as a Nightingale facility.
Work has also started to turn part of Birmingham Airport into a mortuary able to store at least 1,500 bodies, should the death toll rise significantly.
Retired NHS staff have been asked to return to work. A government appeal for volunteers to help deliver food and medicine to the vulnerable has prompted more than 750,000 responses.
Globally, authorities have confirmed more than one million cases of the coronavirus and nearly 60,000 deaths.
About half the global cases have been in Europe, though the US now has the most confirmed cases.
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2. UK deaths are also increasing
The number of people confirmed to have had coronavirus and died has risen by 708 to 4,313.
The majority of those who have died having had coronavirus in the UK have been in England, with 3,939 deaths there.
In Scotland, 218 people have died so far, while the figure in Wales is 154. Northern Ireland has seen a total of 56 deaths.
Most deaths have been among the elderly.
Figures released by NHS England show that about half of deaths have been among people aged over 80.
The UK's overall death figure, which is confirmed cases reported up to 17:00 BST the previous day, only includes people who died in hospital and tested positive for coronavirus.
It does not include deaths in the community, for example in care homes, or people who have died in their own homes.
This means that the true death toll will be higher.
3. But UK deaths are lower than other countries
At the moment, the number of confirmed cases and deaths in the UK remains lower than some other European countries.
For example, in Italy there have been nearly 120,000 confirmed cases and more than 14,000 deaths.
But while the increase in the number of deaths each day appears to be slowing in Italy, in the UK the number is still doubling every two to three days.
4. We are testing more people, but not as many as other countries
Increasing the number of people being tested for coronavirus will play a key part in analysing its spread in the UK.
The government has faced criticism over a shortage of testing, including the inability to test NHS staff who have symptoms but are unsure if they have the virus.
In recent weeks, most of the tests have been reserved for seriously ill patients in hospital.
More than 10,000 tests per day are being carried out at the moment but the government has committed to increasing that number.
On Thursday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock set a new target of 100,000 tests per day by the end of April - a big jump from the previous target of 25,000 per day by mid-April.
At the moment, the UK is some way behind other countries.
South Korea, for example, has been able to test far more widely than the UK.
Despite having a slightly smaller population than the UK, it has twice as many labs and about two-and-a-half times the weekly testing capacity.
Testing depends not just on the number of labs, but on the availability of machines, test kits and the chemicals these kits need to work. These components are in high demand globally.
South Korea acted quickly to approve the production of testing kits, allowing it to build up a stockpile.
Italy and the US have also shown improvements in their testing capacity.
5. We are in the second phase of the government's response
The government's action plan for dealing with the virus involves three phases - contain; delay; mitigate - alongside ongoing research.
After trying to contain the disease, the country moved to the "delay" phase on 12 March to stop the wider spread of the virus.
Even if you have no symptoms, the government says you should:
- Stay at home - only go out for essential shopping or medicines and to exercise once a day
- Stop all non-essential contact with others - public gatherings of more than two people are banned
- Stop all unnecessary travel - you can travel to work if absolutely necessary
- Work at home where possible
Police have been given powers to fine people deliberately flouting the restrictions, with increasing penalties for repeat offenders.
The government is now encouraging self-isolation at home for over 70s, and those more vulnerable to the virus, for 12 weeks.
British nationals should avoid all non-essential foreign travel to tackle the spread of coronavirus, the Foreign Office has advised.
6. People who think they have coronavirus are asked to self-isolate
Symptoms include a high temperature and a "new, continuous" cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
If you think you have coronavirus you are advised not to go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
Instead, you stay at home for seven days. If you live with other people, you should keep at least 2m away from them and they should also stay home for 14 days to see if they develop symptoms.
If your symptoms persist or worsen you should contact the NHS's dedicated 111 online coronavirus service or call 111.
