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COVID-19 cases rise in all but one region of England

COVID-19 case rates are rising in all but one region of England, according to the latest weekly surveillance report.

Public Health England statistics show the highest rate is in London, which stood at 319.3 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 13 December, up from 199.9 in the previous week.

In eastern England, the rate has risen from 152.9 to 249.1, while in south-east England the rate has increased from 167.6 to 238.7.

The only region that recorded a week-on-week fall was Yorkshire and the Humber, where the rate dropped slightly from 153.6 to 148.5.

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Overall, cases increased in the majority of age groups but the biggest rise is among 30 to 39 year-olds, where the rate stood at 266.0 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 13 December, up from 196.4.

For 40 to 49 year-olds, the rate rose from 201.8 to 268.3 - the highest rate among all age groups.

Rates rose from 178.9 to 245.2 among 20-29 year-olds, and from 199.8 to 256.8 among 10-19 year-olds.

The news came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced large swathes of southern England will be placed under Tier 3 restrictions from Saturday due to the rising levels.

The changes mean a total of 38 million people will be living in Tier 3 from Saturday - 68% of the population of England.