Essex continues to be the worst-affected area in England for coronavirus cases, data from the seven days to 25 December shows.

Brentwood in Essex has the highest rate in England, with 969 new cases recorded in the week leading up to Christmas – the equivalent of 1,258.1 cases per 100,000 people. This is up from 1,134.8 in the seven days to December 18.

Epping Forest, also in Essex, has the second highest rate, up from 1,179.3 to 1,256.0, with 1,654 new cases.

Thurrock, again in Essex, is in third place, where the rate has fallen slightly from 1,295.2 to 1,181.6, with 2,060 new cases.

Data for the most recent four days (December 26-29) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Annie Lynch, a 79-year-old grandmother from Dublin, has become the first person in the Republic to receive a coronavirus vaccination.

Ms Lynch received the vaccine at St James’s Hospital in Dublin.

It was the first Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 jab to be administered at four hospitals across the country: St James’s and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway.

Mrs Lynch said: “I feel very privileged to be the first person in Ireland to receive the vaccine.

“Like everyone else I have been waiting for the vaccine and I really feel like there is a bit of hope there now. It’s brilliant that it’s here. Everything was explained very clearly to me beforehand.”

Mrs Lynch, who lives in Drimnagh and was born in Christchurch, grew up in The Liberties.

Lockdown measures are already in place across the other three home nations, after mainland Scotland entered Level 4 restrictions from Saturday for three weeks, and a similar stay-at-home order is in place in Wales.

Northern Ireland has also entered a new six-week lockdown, and the first-week measures are the toughest yet, with a form of curfew in operation from 8pm, shops closed from that time and all indoor and outdoor gatherings prohibited until 6am.

England will learn tomorrow what stricter measures are to come from Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson’s meeting with medics and scientists this evening.

Coronavirus patients at a hospital in Romford are having to be treated outside in ambulances before entering the building as rising numbers put “significant pressures” on health services.

Footage shared on social media of Queen’s Hospital in Romford appears to show dozens of emergency vehicles queueing outside the hospital.

A statement released by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, urged people to only contact ambulance services in the case of real emergencies.

“Along with the rest of the NHS, we are under considerable pressure as we look after a rising number of Covid-19 patients, some of whom are being cared for safely in ambulances before entering Queen’s Hospital,” it said.

“You can help us by calling NHS 111 if you need medical advice, and only coming to our emergency departments in a real emergency.”

Magda Smith, the Trust’s chief medical officer, said: “London’s NHS is under significant pressure from high Covid-19 infection rates and non-Covid winter demands, with staff in all services going the extra mile and we are opening more beds to care for the most unwell patients.”

She added: “It is more important than ever that Londoners follow Government guidance and do everything possible to reduce transmission of the virus.”

With New Year’s Eve just days away, health professionals are warning UK residents to follow rules aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus and rule out any plans to gather as Covid-19 rates continue to rise across the country.

As the NHS struggles to keep up with a surge of coronavirus cases in areas across the nation, Ellen Welch, a GP advisor at the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), a union representing frontline workers, told The Independent  that doctors and hospitals cannot cope with any additional strain brought on by a potential spike of group gatherings where Covid could be easily spread.

“Colleagues around the country are telling us on a daily basis that the NHS is on its knees,” Dr Welch said. 

My colleague Chantal Da Silva reports:

NHS staff delivering coronavirus vaccinations to thousands of vulnerable patients have been told they can get an extra dose out of the vials to help stretch supplies even further after regulators have approved a plan to try and help as many at risk patients as possible can get the vaccine.

NHS England’s chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has said he hoped all vulnerable people would be offered a vaccine by late spring. He did not set a specific timetable but a recent study suggests the UK needs to be vaccinating as many as 2 million people a week.

My colleague Shaun Lintern has the story:

The number of coronavirus patients in London hospitals is now officially higher than levels recorded at the peak of the first wave of the virus.

A total of 5,371 hospital patients were confirmed as having Covid-19 as of 8am on December 29, according to the latest figures from NHS England.

During the first wave, the number of patients in London peaked at 5,201 on 9 April.

England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty helped to treat sick coronavirus patients on wards at one of London’s top hospitals during the Christmas weekend, The Independent has learned.

Professor Whitty, a consultant physician at University College London Hospitals Trust, was spotted working on the north London hospital’s respiratory ward over the weekend and bank holiday Monday.

However, both the UCLH Trust and the Department of Health and Social Care declined to answer questions about Prof Whitty’s work in the hospital over Christmas.

Our health correspondent Shaun Lintern reports:

Susan Michie, professor in health psychology at UCL and a member of Independent Sage, told The Independent today that she believes people will be “prepared to put with a lot more in terms of rescitions” when it becomes clear just how “infectious” the new variant of coronavirus is. 

Speaking to my colleague Peter Stubley, Ms Michie said: “What we saw first time around [in March] was when people saw there was a serious crisis they were prepared to put up with a lot in terms of restrictions. Adherence has kept up pretty well since the summer so my estimation is that given this new variant is so much more infectious and the rate of transmission is escalating and hospitals are in crisis, that people will see the need for whatever the level of restrictions.”

Taking a swipe at the government, she also said that the UK needed “one voice” to explain that “these restrictions are necessary, and to explain why”. 

“We know there was frustration with the tiers as there was lack of transparency,” she said, adding: “I think the government will have to have another lockdown again, it’s just a question of when.”

Moving on to talk about schools, Ms Michie said that “due to the the evidence we do have about the contribution of schools to the R level”, keeping sites “shut for January is wise but only if the government takes that time to ensure schools are safe”. 

She said: “I think what has to happen is the government has to work with trade unions and parents … What we need is a plan so that all children have digital access so that whether schools go back or not, everyone can learn at home. Bring back as many retired schoolteachers as possible to help with online learning. Otherwise this will just go on longer and longer.”

Finishing off, Ms Michie said the new variant of coronavirus was essentially a “new pandemic we are dealing with” and that the only way to combat its now “57 per cent” transmission rate is to “prevent people being in touch with each others”. 

“To have anything less this time around [compared to March] does not seem sensible,” she added. 

The UK reported 53,135 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, making it the highest-ever number of daily cases on record since the pandemic began.

There were also 414 deaths reported within 28 days of a positive Covid test, compared with 357 on Monday.

Follow my colleague Zoe Tidman’s story below for more details as they come in: