Sheffield news LIVE: UK records over 5,000 coronavirus cases - highest figure since March

Professor Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There’s vulnerability across the country. The idea that somehow the job is done, is wrong.

“We’ve still got a lot of people out there who’ve neither had this virus… nor yet been immunized, and that’s why we’re in a vulnerable position right now.”

Discussing his warning over the June 21 unlocking, Prof Finn added: “There are a lot of people who are very fed up about the idea of us even worrying about this.

“Since I’ve been saying in the last 24 hours that we should be cautious I’ve been getting lots of messages from people telling me to shut up basically.

“But the truth is that a more infectious virus, which is what it looks like we’ve got, will reach people who are vulnerable – those who did not make a good response to the vaccine, those who have not yet had their doses – and that will be a problem for everyone because in the end it will be worse economically as well as for public health if we end up having to shut down again.”

Professor Ravi Gupta, a member of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), said the increased socialisation which has followed last month’s phase of restriction lifting could be expected to lead to “quite a lot” of hospital admissions.

He said while the nation had performed “amazingly well” in its vaccination programme, it was still too early “to put the vaccine straight up against the virus”.

Prof Gupta said a delay of a few weeks to the June 21 target could have a significant impact on Britain’s battle against the pandemic, and recommended it should be made clear to the public that it would be a temporary measure based on recent events, chiefly the emergence of the Indian or B.1.617.2 strain of the virus.

“Even a month delay could have a big impact on the eventual outcome of this,” Prof Gupta told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

The UK could see record temperatures for the second day in a row on Tuesday after the mercury hit 25C for the warmest day of the year so far on bank holiday Monday.

Monday’s maximum temperature of 25.1C was recorded in Kinlochewe, Scotland, as Britons enjoyed the long weekend and newly restored freedoms following the lifting of many lockdown restrictions.

But the 2021 record is unlikely to last long, with highs of 27C predicted for the first day of meteorological summer today.

In Sheffield, temperatures are expected to be a little cooler, with highs of 24C.

Here’s the full Met Office forecast for Sheffield:

7am - sunshine - 10C

8am - sunshine - 12C

9am - sunshine - 14C

10am - sunshine - 15C

11am - sunshine - 18C

noon - sunshine - 20C

1pm - sunshine - 22C

2pm - sunshine - 23C

3pm - sunny intervals - 24C

4pm - sunshine - 24C

5pm - sunshine - 23C

6pm - sunshine - 22C

7pm - sunshine - 21C

8pm - sunshine - 20C

9pm - sunshine - 19C

A leading scientific adviser to the Government has urged caution over the approach to the June 21 easing of Covid-19 restrictions, saying authorities ought to have a clear picture of the pandemic before such moves are made.

Professor Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said while the country’s vaccination programme “will ultimately give us … protection” against the Indian coronavirus variant, key markers in the community should be taken into account before the next phase of reopening.

“I think it’s unfortunate that everyone’s got this particular date in their head, because really what we need to do is understand how things are going and adjust accordingly,” Prof Finn told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“What we’ve done wrong in the past is left it too late and delayed making decisions, ultimately pushed them back and then ended up with large waves of infection.

“This time around, we should be cautious, wait to see what’s happening, and then let everyone free, if you like, once we know for sure that that’s safe and that we can do that without having another round of lockdowns and so on.”

While encouraging data has emerged in recent weeks over Covid hospital admissions in Britain, Prof Finn said any impact on admissions brought by the easing of restrictions in May would not be known for many days yet – “around about June 21 or just before that”.

A further six people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, according to Public Health England, bringing the UK total to 127,781.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 153,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The Government also said that, as of 9am on Sunday, there had been a further 3,240 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

Government data up to May 29 shows that of the 64,592,019 jabs given in the UK so far, 39,259,168 were first doses – a rise of 190,822 on the previous day.

Some 25,332,851 were second doses, an increase of 440,435.

Britons flocked to parks, beaches and pub gardens to enjoy the sunshine over the long weekend after weeks stuck indoors due to a combination of heavy downpours and Covid-19 restrictions.

Forecasters at the Met Office warned people to slap on plenty of sun cream as UV light levels will be high or very high.

Becky Mitchell, a meteorologist from the Met Office, said: “We could potentially get to the hottest day of the year but definitely by tomorrow.”

The previous high of 24.5C (76.1F) was recorded on March 30 at Kew Gardens.

“We will see highs of 24C (75.2F), most likely in parts of Wales and the Midlands and in north-west England as well on Sunday, it’s likely we could get to 24.5C (76.1F).

“We are expecting highs of 25C (77F) tomorrow, so the warmest day of the year so far, and both today and tomorrow we will see temperatures in the low 20s in most parts of the UK, even in northern Scotland.”

She continued: “The only exception is along the east coast – there is quite a lot of low cloud, mist and fog in east coastal areas and that will stay for the next few days , so highs of between 12C (53.6F) and 16C (60.8F) there – quite a lot lower than elsewhere.”

Although a fine bank holiday is a rarity, in themselves the temperatures are not unusual for the time of year, with the mercury usually sitting in the high teens and low 20s by late May.

Ms Mitchell said: “That could go up to 27C (80.6F) in one or two spots by Wednesday, that is pretty warm for the time of year but not record breaking and not exceptional.”

“It is just because of the weather we have been having that it will feel pretty warm,” she said.

May was the fourth wettest on record for the UK, and the wettest ever for Wales.

Despite some bookies offering 2/1 odds on next month being the hottest June ever, Ms Mitchell said there is nothing in the long-range forecast at the moment that would indicate that will be the case.

“There are no strong signals for it to be the warmest June on record. Temperatures will come down a little by the end of next week, and it won’t be as warm from Thursday onwards, so there are no strong signals, although it is a bit early to tell.”

Full Sheffield Met Office weather forecast for Monday:

Another fine and dry day, with plenty of strong sunshine.

Early low cloud retreating back to some North Sea coastal areas.

Widely warm, but cooler along the east coast.

Maximum temperature 23C.

The sun will begin to come out at aoround 10am and stay until 9pm.

Temperatures are expected to reach their peak at about 4pm at 22C.

Emergency services responded at around 3pm after calls that a boy had got in to difficulty in the water.

Sam, 16, visited the reservoir with friends on Friday afternoon. Emergency services responded at around 3pm after calls that a boy.

had got in to difficulty in the water. Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, Sam’s body was recovered a few hours later.