Health secretary Matt Hancock has urged the UK to stay vigilant during the country’s third national lockdown, as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has reached its highest point since the pandemic began.

Hancock said current hospitalisation rates mean someone is being admitted to UK hospitals with Covid-19 every 30 seconds — the highest it has ever been during the pandemic — despite case numbers falling steadily over the last seven days. Deaths recorded in that period reached 7,900, a 21.8% rise on the week earlier.