By Rachael Grealish

Cases of Coronavirus have gone up by 4,322 in the UK – increasing yesterday’s figure by almost 1,000 making it the biggest single-day jump since early May.

This figures still comes after thousands across the country are unable to access a test for the virus as the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, admitted to ‘rationing’ the tests during a shortage.

Along with the increase in cases the R number is said to have increased to between 1.1 and 1.4 in the UK.

An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people.

Estimates suggest the growth rate between +2 percent and +7 percent means the number of new infections is growing by 2 percent to 7 percent every day.

Local lockdown and tighter restrictions have been implemented in various parts of the country – including for people living in the Barrow Borough Council area who are now being strongly advised that groups of 6 should be limited to people from no more than two households at any one time.

Hancock told Sky News, today, Friday September 18, that he refuses to rule out a second lockdown saying: “We’ll do what is necessary to keep people safe.”

He added: “The last line of defence is full national action and I don’t want to see that but we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic.

“It isn’t something that we ever take off the table but it isn’t something that we want to see either, it is the last line of defence.”

A further 27 deaths have been confirmed in the last 24 hours, in all settings, and a further 134 patients have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19.