Plus two ... me and the missus just tested positive. Just shit cold symptoms fortunately.
Sorry to hear that - but hopefully it will stay this way. The vast majority dying now or very ill in hospital are over 70 again. That is why the new boosters are very important if you qualify. There has been a marked drift in cases in the over 65s in the past week or two.
Today's England hospital deaths are the highest on a Tuesday (always the biggest catch up day of the week) during the Omicron wave since Christmas.
There are 314 today with 21 from the North West. It was 204 with 23 NW last week - though there is usually a lot of catch up at the start of the month and that is part of why today's number is so far above last week.
But the rise is definitey real. After NO three figure death totals for any date between Feb 8 and Mar 22 - four of the last seven days have been and all the next three days look cettain to top 100 after 5 days too.
In age ranges just 2 under 40, 11 aged 40 - 59, 98 aged 60 - 79 and 205 over 80.
Care home outbreaks again are a problem here.
The NW is actually the lowest of the 7 England regions on 21 - down from 23 and 30 the last two Tuesdays - BUt it is topped by 75 in NE & Yorkshire and 72 in the MIdlands - where 234 of yesterdays 477 influx of patients in hospital also came as I posted last night here.
Yorkshire is also clocking up the highest cases on Zoe at the moment - a position it moved into over the weekend.
North West is second and the southern regions are all falling. Though so is the North West still.JUst about.