COVID-19 accelerating in parts of UK, chief medic says

Outbreaks of COVID-19 are accelerating quite rapidly in the north west and north east of England and there has been a significant uptick in the number of people being admitted to intensive care, England's chief medic said on Wednesday. Presenting charts at a news conference tracking the growth of the virus, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the pattern of growth was different from the first wave in March, with younger people getting the virus.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 are accelerating quite rapidly in the north west and north east of England and there has been a significant uptick in the number of people being admitted to intensive care, England's chief medic said on Wednesday.

Presenting charts at a news conference tracking the growth of the virus, England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the pattern of growth was different from the first wave in March, with younger people getting the virus. Britain is also seeing heavy concentrations of outbreaks in particular areas.

"This increase, as you can see, is accelerating quite rapidly in some of those areas," Whitty said. In the north east, in the north west in particular but also in London to some extent, we're seeing a significant uptick in the number of people who are entering intensive care."