Weekly COVID-19 cases in England decline for first time since July

Some 6,115 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to August 19, down 8% on the week before and showing the first decrease since the start of July, figures from the government's test and trace operation showed on Thursday.

Some 6,115 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to August 19, down 8% on the week before and showing the first decrease since the start of July, figures from the government's test and trace operation showed on Thursday. A higher total of 7,941 people were transferred to the contact tracing system in the week, in part due to an operational delay in the prior week.

Of these, 72.6% were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts, compared to 79.0% in the previous week, the government said. Public Health England also said on Thursday the number of deaths from all causes in England in the week to August 23 - the 34th week - showed no statistically significant excess.