There have so far been more than 25,000 confirmed coronavirus infections from COVID-19, with nearly 3,000 more announced on both Monday and Tuesday over a 24-hour period. This has spiked sharply over the past week, and has more than trebled – on March 24, there were 8,077 confirmed cases to date. Daily cases were at their highest last Friday with 2,885, and although this rate dipped slightly over the weekend, it increased again to 2,619 on Monday.

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This trend has also been similar with the number of deaths from coronavirus, of which there have been 1,808 so far.

The daily death rate spiked on Saturday with 260 fatalities in a 24-hour period, before falling slightly on Sunday and again yesterday, when 180 new deaths were reported.

But it has surged significantly today, with 393 new deaths from COVID-19 confirmed.

A terrifying new chart has shown how the coronavirus outbreak is spreading at an alarming rate across some of the UK’s biggest cities.

Since the outbreak began, London has led the way with coronavirus cases, regularly accounting for almost a third of total infections.

A graph from the Centre for Cities shows that over the past week this trend has continued, with the daily rate growing quicker.

Yesterday there were 64 cases per 100,000 population in the capital.

This has more than doubled from 28 a week ago, with the daily rate steadily increasing most days. Sheffield is close behind on 59.

The daily rate in the UK’s fourth biggest city has almost trebled from a week ago, when the figure stood at 23.

READ MORE: Coronavirus map LIVE: UK’s terrifying REAL death toll released

The Centre for Cities said: “The ratio of cases confirmed in Sheffield has rapidly increased over the last few days, more rapidly than other cities of similar size.”

On Monday, Birmingham became the UK city with the third most cumulative cases per 100,000 people with 50.

Like London and Sheffield, this has grown steadily over the past week – by two-and-half times from 20 on March 25.

But perhaps surprisingly, Birmingham overtook Slough, with the relatively small Berkshire city recording 49 cumulative cases per 100,000 people.

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Slough has shown a slightly different trend from London, Sheffield and Birmingham, with daily cases leveling off at 49 so far this week, suggesting the peak may have been hit.

But the Centre for Cities explained: “Slough’s rapid increase is likely to be caused by an input of all cases from the 20th to the 26th of March on the same day.”

Derby follows in fifth position, and had cumulative cases per 100,000 people on Monday.

But unlike Slough and much like the three other cities above it in the chart, the daily rate has increased steadily, trebling from 15 cases on March 25.

Newcastle (40), Liverpool (36), Milton Keynes (35), Barnsley (32) and Sunderland (31) complete the top 10 list of cases on Monday.

Hull has the lowest number of cases per population, with around three confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The UK is preparing for a peak in coronavirus cases to hit over the next two weeks – likely before the end of Boris Johnson’s proposed lockdown measures on April 13.

A temporary hospital has opened in London, with more to follow in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Combined they will house more that 10,000 beds.

At the weekend, England’s chief medical officer Jenny Harries said there was evidence the country was getting better at social distancing.

She told a daily press conference at Downing Street: “The issue of the three weeks is for us to review where we are and see if we’ve had an impact jointly on the slope of that curve.

But Dr Harries warned it could be six months or longer before the country gets back to normal following the coronavirus pandemic, with reviews of lockdown measures every three weeks.Last week, Boris Johnson enforced strict new lockdown laws in a desperate attempt to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus across the country.

He again repeated an earlier call for people to stay indoors and not travel to work if at all possible.

The Prime Minister said the public should also avoid meeting friends and visiting loved ones.

He also repeated his earlier social distancing advice, reminding people to remain two metres away from each other.