England and Wales have recorded the highest number of weekly coronavirus deaths since mid-May, government figures show.
A total of 1,937 people died from Covid-19 in the week leading up to 6 November, a 40 per cent increase from 1,937 deaths recorded in the week to 30 October.
It comes as Robert Jenrick, the communities minister, said the government is reviewing its coronavirus tier system for England and could revise the plan when it returns after the second lockdown.
Mr Jenrick said the government would like to see “greater consistency” in the system and said a revised system, if necessary, would be decided “within the next week or so”, allowing people time to plan for December.
– Mouthwash found to reduce Covid-19 viral load
Mouthwash has been found to reduce Covid-19’s viral load, studies have found.
Cardiff University found mouthwashes containing at least 0.07 per cent cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showed “promising signs” of being able to combat the virus in a laboratory.
The preliminary result comes ahead of a clinical trial into whether using over-the-counter mouthwash has the potential to reduce the levels of Covid-19 in a patient’s saliva.
The report is yet to be peer reviewed but supports another study published last week that found CPC-based mouthwashes are effective in reducing Covid’s viral load.
