A huge amount of coronavirus tests have come back positive in Milton Keynes today (21st December).
The latest figures take the total number of local cases to 50,057 since the start of the pandemic - of which are 2,650 people who tested positive in the past seven days.
The 7-day case rate in Milton Keynes now stands at 980.7 cases per 100,000 people, which is quite a lot higher than the national average of 777.6 cases per 100,000 people.
The data does not tell us if any of these patients have the Omicron variant, results for variant testing can take up to 5 days.
Nationally, there were 90,629 people that tested positive for coronavirus today.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed a further 15,363 cases of the Omicron variant nationally, taking the total so far to 60,508.
Omicron cases are now spreading rapidly throughout Milton Keynes, with numbers doubling every two days.
Last week, over 2,000 COVID cases were recorded in Milton Keynes for Monday to Friday, equating to more than 400 a day. These numbers are up 54.9% to the week ending 13th December.
Public health officials are not yet clear whether Omicron is more or less severe than previous variants, but even with the Government’s newly announced Plan B measures, scientists predict a large rise in cases and hospitalisations.
Today, Local cabinet members have been appealing to Milton Keynes residents in bid to limit spread of Omicron.
Leader of the Council, Labour Councillor Pete Marland, said: “As a Council we’re taking all the precautions we can to fight Omicron, as our staff keep delivering critical services for local residents.
"I know the people of Milton Keynes have made great sacrifices over the past 21 months, and we once again need to be doing everything we can to prevent an even greater spread of COVID.”
All coronavirus data is provided by the government and NHS, no further information is provided on age, gender, vaccination status or variant type.
You can read the data yourself here.
READ AGAIN: How do you know if you have the Omicron variant?
