The number off coronavirus cases in England has doubled in a week, with the Northeast, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber the worst affected areas, according to the latest data.

Three Office for National Statistics estimates that one in 240 people in England had the virus in the last week of September, with more than 17 0 people catching it every day.

Our health editor, Hugh Pym, has Bean examining the figures MAWR testing part of the drive to rein in the spread of coronavirus.

Here at Nottingham University.

It's helping students get a quick result if they have symptoms.

A sharp increase in infections in some areas is the reason why the government at Westminster is set to announce new restrictions next week.

One survey involving random testing of people in the community showed that in a week in the middle of September, there were over 116,000 people infected in England.

By the following week, that had nearly doubled to 224,000, meaning one in 240 of the population had the virus in Wales.

The figure in the middle of September was about 6.5 1000.

By the next week, it had come down a bit, with the proportion one in 500 infected in the population.

But how well is testing and contact tracing in England functioning?

There are fewer people getting results back in 24 hours on fewer of their close contacts being reached.

There are reports the system isn't working efficiently.

Thes Kent University students air isolating after three tested positive.

That's what they told the test and trace system.

But they're frustrated to be getting repeated andan necessary calls.

67 times a day, I get a phone call being like you.

We know you know someone who's tested positive, make sure you're isolated on.

Then it's just the same.

Called the same phone call every single day, like multiple times a day.

None of them seem to be in contact with one another, like telling it to remember like it doesn't seem to be a system in place to tell them that they've already got in contact with us, or that we have been tested positive because sometimes they call them.

They don't know that we've tested positive already.

There is mounting concern over rising infections in the northwest and some of these resulting in people getting seriously ill.

With hospitals coming under more pressure.

Daily hospital admissions with co vid 19 in the north west of England were fairly low and stable until the start of September.

Then they started rising steadily, with sharper increases in the most recent few days.

So what's happening here?

While this line shows the number of cases per 100,000 amongst the over sixties on, that's been rising at the same rate.

We're obviously concerned as I think everybody is around the country with the increasing numbers that we are seeing in terms off that impact on the hospital.

We are busy, but we have plans in place.

Thio cope at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

Some patients thought to be fewer than five have died in a coronavirus outbreak in a cancer ward.

Six others have tested positive.

It's now being closed to new admissions and discharges.

Another example of the potentially deadly impact of the virus on Dhue is with me.

So what have we learned today about how quickly cases air going up?

You well, Jane?

A major survey regular survey a week ago was suggesting that the rate of growth of the virus might just be leveling off.

But it's saying something very different now.

This is the Office for National Statistics saying that the virus is increasing rapidly, doubling in England over the most recent week.

It covered another survey by Imperial College London, giving a similar sort of outlook and saying that these high infection rates in the north of England might possibly be replicated soon across the whole country.

Now the thing about these surveys is that they cover a section of the population who don't have symptoms and who haven't come forward for tests, not just those who want to go and get tested.

So that is very important.

So what does it all this mean for the next few weeks?

Well, it might suggest that restrictions introduced a few weeks back haven't had the desired effect, which is why the governor's we've been hearing is planning mawr for England.

But the problem is hospital admissions, which is we've seen arriving rising rapidly in some areas.

They relate to cases going back 10 days or more, so anything introduced next week will take a while to take effect people have already got.

The virus may well become sick.

A certain number of them on that will push admissions up even further.

On that is what the NHS is concerned about you.

Thank you.

Pube him.