Health

Just NINE local authorities saw Covid cases rise in the last week


JUST nine local authorities in England saw Covid cases rise in the last week.

All locations with accelerating cases were in the south of England, with five in London.

The official data from Public Health England (PHE) adds more evidence that the second wave is starting to fizzle out.

England moved back into the tiered system yesterday after a month of lockdown.

Ministers hope it will continue to drive cases down over December before families celebrate together over Christmas – which scientists say is bound to cause cases to rise, potentially by double.

The weekly PHE report gives cases in each authority in relation to population size.

Today, the data showed nine spots saw cases per 100,000 residents rise in the seven days between 23 and 29 November.

But this is subject to change slightly as more data comes in.

Bracknell Forest, in Berkshire, saw cases increase the most, by 39 per cent. But its infection rate, at 88 cases per 100,000 people, is still relatively low when looking at England as a whole.

Medway, in Kent, was second, with a 22 per cent growth in cases week-on-week.

Its infection rate is now 537, the highest in England.

Kent as a whole saw cases jump up by almost seven per cent, and its infection rate of 289.7 places it fourth in England.

The county was plunged into the highest Tier 3 restrictions yesterday as England came out of the national lockdown, and back into the tiered system.

The five places in London where cases have increased were Bromley (up 12 per cent), Kingston upon Thames (up eight per cent), Lewisham (up 6.5 per cent), Haringey (up six per cent) and Camden (up 1.7 per cent).

London is in Tier 2, but like every other place in England, could be bumped up to Tier 3 if cases spiral out of control.

The borough of Redbridge had the third most highest case rate in England last week, at 299 new cases per 100,000. But this was the same as the week prior.

South-end-on-Sea, in Essex, recorded a jump in cases of 3.5 per cent. Its case rate hovers at the 128 mark.

Where did cases increase?

The weekly PHE reported new cases per 100,000 residents in the week between 23 and 29 November.

Compared to the week before, 16 to 22 November, the places below saw infection rates rise.

They are listed with the percent change, followed by the infection rate now.

  1. Bracknell Forest: 38.46%, 88.13
  2. Medway: 22.1%, 537.41
  3. Bromley: 11.77%, 142.93
  4. Kingston upon Thames: 7.78%, 163.94
  5. Kent: 6.73%, 289.71
  6. Lewisham: 6.56%, 106.26
  7. Haringey: 5.99%, 138.47
  8. Southend-on-Sea: 3.53%, 128.33
  9. Camden: 1.68%, 89.62

The rest of England saw infection rates either stay the same or drop, with the county of Cumbria seeing the most improvement.

New cases in Cumbria dropped from 154.8 per 100,000 to 67.2 – a change of almost 57 per cent.

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and Isle of Wight were among the top five places where cases have fallen the most, by around 50 per cent each.

The two authorities are the only parts of England that are in Tier 1, which still allows for indoor mixing of households.

The data turns the Covid-19 epidemic on its head, after months of misery for the north of England.

The North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and North East have been subject to the toughest Covid restrictions since late summer, while the south of England remained unscathed.

But since the autumn, parts of the south, predominantly Kent and Essex, have seen new cases rise rapidly.

Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle have seen staggering improvements in their infection rate compared to the start of the second wave.

Liverpool’s infection rate is now below 100, at 98.99, seven weeks after it reached 733.67.

Its success can be partially be put down to a pilot study of mass rapid testing in the city to detect “silent carriers” of the coronavirus.

In Manchester, which has not received the mass rapid testing that Liverpool has, the infection rate has slipped from 771.26 to 173.82 in the same period.

Nottingham in the Midlands has also shown a sheer drop in cases after being a “hotspot” for weeks.

Some 153 cases per 100,000 were diagnosed last week compared to 1,215.68 just seven weeks ago.

The data has not gone unnoticed by health officials who are desperate to come out of tough Covid-19 restrictions.

Large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3.

Tier 3 measures mean a ban on households mixing, except in limited circumstances such as in parks.

Bars and restaurants will be limited to takeaway or delivery services and people will be advised to avoid travelling outside their area.

Liverpool and the rest of Merseyside has managed to escape the Tier 3 restrictions.

But Greater Manchester, Lancashire, West and South Yorkshire and the Humber, among many other areas that have struggled to be released from the worst measures, are still in Tier 3.

A total of 99 per cent of England’s population are either in Tier 3 or Tier 2.

Those in Tier 2, which will cover 57 per cent of England’s population, will only be able to serve alcohol alongside a “substantial meal” and must obey rules restricting household mixing indoors.

The tier allocations will be reviewed on December 16, with weekly revisions thereafter.

The Prime Minister has reassured that “your tier is not your destiny”, and there will be opportunity to drop down a level if the data supports it.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the Commons on Tuesday: “We will look at the country where the tiers apply according to the epidemiology, according to the human geographies of where people live and work because that is how the virus gets passed on.”

But there are doubts over whether it will be likely any area will be able to loosen restrictions, as this did not tend to occur the last time the tiered system was in place.

Sir Keir said Mr Johnson was not being “level” with Tory MPs or Britons.

He said: “In my view that’s highly unlikely and we might as well face that now.

The PM spent Tuesday trying to persuade MPs to back his plan.

Despite the bruising revolt, the Commons backed the Prime Minister’s new measures with a vote on December 2.

Some 53 Tory MPs voted against the plan — the biggest rebellion of this parliament.





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