England's COVID-19 Cases Spike

The latest weekly surveillance report from Public Health England (PHE) shows that COVID-19 infection rates in north-west England increased over the last seven days to June 6, 2021.

This is the highest total for the region since late February 2021 and is also the highest of any region in England.

Furthermore, the latest figures show 906 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England as of June 10th, up from 779 a week earlier.

PHE also said that case rates have risen among almost all age groups in England, with a spike in rates amongst 20 to 29-year-olds, going from 54.0 in the week ending May 30th to 121.0 in the seven days to June 6th.

Additionally, PHE estimates to May 30, 2021, based on the direct effect of vaccination and vaccine coverage rates, are that around 42,000 hospitalizations have been prevented in those aged 65 years and over in England due to the vaccination program. And, there is increasing evidence that vaccines prevent infection and transmission.

Three COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech, COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, and COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, are currently being used in the UK. All have been authorized for supply by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) following a thorough review of safety, quality, and efficacy information from clinical trials.

As of June 2, 2021, for the UK, 67,998 Yellow Cards have been reported for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 195,641 have been reported for the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, 3,278 for the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, and 754 have been reported where the brand of the vaccine was not specified.

The MHRA has received 406 Yellow Card reports of suspected adverse reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in which the patient died shortly after vaccination, 863 reports for the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, 4 for the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, and 22 where the brand of the vaccine was unspecified. The majority of these reports were in older adults or people with underlying illnesses.

It is important to note that Yellow Card data cannot derive side effect rates or compare the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccinations, says PHE.