BORIS Johnson has warned people to "continue to act cautiously" amid fears of the new Omicron variant spreading across the UK – but how do Covid figures in Berkshire now compare to 12 months ago?

This time last year, the county was in lockdown with tight restrictions on household mixing in place to try and stem the spread of Covid-19.

The first variant of the virus, found in Kent, had exploded across the country in November, plunging England into another national lockdown and the introduction of the tier system.

The vaccine rollout had only just begun, with the first vaccines given on December 8, meaning only a tiny fraction of the population had the protection of vaccines at this point.

READ MORE: PCR tests not available to book at any sites across Reading this morning

So far, over half (53 per cent) of people have received their booster jabs in Berkshire.

The vaccine has proven very effective at reducing the severity of illness when contracting Covid and also helps to reduce the spread.

But what is the situation like in Berkshire now compared to 12 months ago?

All data taken from the Government’s Coronavirus Hub.

Cases

Slough Observer: Cases in Reading. Data by Public Health England Cases in Reading. Data by Public Health England

The UK has seen a huge spike in Covid cases in the past six weeks as Omicron spreads.

Areas across Berkshire have seen cases rise drastically. After a drop in cases during November, cases have started to rise again.

The seven day average right now for Reading is 271.9 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 per day, however it does seem to be creeping up in recent days.

This time last year, thanks to lockdown, the seven day average was 140.1 new cases per day, so this shows that the number of cases is was lower in 2020.

Bracknell Forest paints a similar picture, with the seven day average right now at 252 cases of Covid-19 per day.

Last year, the seven day average was 149 new cases per day.

Windsor and Maidenhead has seen a massive jump in the number of new Covid-19 cases per day, in comparison to this time last year.

The seven day average is 330.0 new cases, however in 2020 this was 153.6.

Hospitalisations

Slough Observer: Frimley Health Foundation Trust data. Source: Public Health England Frimley Health Foundation Trust data. Source: Public Health England

Nationally, the number of patients in hospitals with Covid-19 has remained fairly constant in the past three months, but there are still more than 7,400 people in hospital with the virus, and more than 800 people admitted each day with Covid-19.

At Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust hospitals, there are currently 75 people in hospital with Covid-19, which is similar to figures in November and higher than during the summer holidays.

It is also a lot lower than in December 2020, when there were more than 300 people in hospital with Covid-19.

As of December 21 (the latest data available), there are 10 patients on mechanical ventilators, compared with more than 20 a day in December 2020.

This shows how Covid-19 vaccines in reducing the severity of illness and the need for hospitalisation; the majority of people in hospitals are unvaccinated.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust hospital also has a lower rate of patients in hospital in comparison to December 2020.

There are currently 22 people in hospital with Covid-19, whereas last year there were more than 100.

They have three patients on ventilators, four less than this time last year.

Deaths

In England, there were 18 more Covid-19 deaths recorded on Tuesday, December 28, taking the total number of Covid deaths to 148,021.

There were no Covid deaths recorded yesterday, with the total death toll in the county at 1,950.

The number of deaths in recent weeks has remained fairly level in the past few months, with seven on average each week.

Compared with 2020, this is much lower. In December there were around 64 deaths each week from the virus.

This again shows how key the Covid-19 vaccines have been in preventing death and serious illness form the virus, as deaths tailed off massively from March 2021 onwards as more and more people got their Covid-19 jabs.

Residents in Berkshire are still being urged to get their booster jabs to get better protected against Covid-19.

The Prime Minister encouraged people to book booster jabs or first and second doses as he said the vast majority of people in intensive care have not had a booster.

Bracknell