Yorkshire is now England's COVID hotspot after overtaking the North East

Yorkshire is now the region with the highest rate of new COVID infections in England, overtaking the North East.

In the latest figures, four areas have case rates of more than 300 per 100,000 people, including Yorkshire and The Humber (357.3), North East (339), East Midlands (311.1) and South West (307.2).

The seven-day rolling infection rates for each region are:

1. Yorkshire and The Humber - 357.3

2. North East - 339

3. East Midlands - 311.1

4. South West - 307.2

5. North West - 289.9

6. West Midlands - 257.7

7. London - 266.5

8. East of England - 247.5

9. South East - 235.8

Of the 315 local areas in England, 37 (12%) have seen a week-on-week rise in rates, 275 (87%) have seen a fall and three are unchanged.

Lincoln continues to have the highest rate, with 751 new cases in the seven days to 1 August – the equivalent of 756.3 per 100,000 people.

This is up from 357.5 in the seven days to 25 July.

Exeter has the second-highest rate, up from 371.4 to 575.3, with 756 new cases.

Hull has the third-highest rate, up from 490.0 to 543.5, with 1,412 new cases.

On Thursday, there were 26,512 new COVID infections and 69 deaths recorded in England.

There continues to be a significant split between new cases in those older or younger than 60.

The rolling seven-day case rate per 100,000 for under 60s is 346.7, while for over 60s, it’s 85.1.

In England, 39,385,320 people have been given a first dose of the vaccine, while 32,444,987 have been double jabbed.

This is compared to 46,926,330 being given the first dose in the UK and 38,874,837 being fully vaccinated.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Thursday that most countries will require proof of being double jabbed for entry, with COVID changing the rules on international travel for good.

He was questioned over the changes to UK travel rules after it was announced on Wednesday that France, India and the UAE are being moved to the amber list, while countries including Germany, Slovenia and Austria have been put on the green list.

Shapps told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is a reality in this new world we are living with coronavirus…

“I think double vaccination is going to be a feature forever more and most countries, probably all countries, will require full vaccination in order for you to enter.”

Watch: How the world could be better after COVID