Photo by David Hardman
In the last week coronavius cases have risen in parts of the North East, putting them into the government’s ‘red zone’ and causing fears over possible new local lockdowns. The areas which are affected are Gateshead, South Tyneside and Middlesbrough.
Recently released government data shows that the highest number of cases in the North East is in South Tyneside, which has a rate of 39.1 cases per 100,000 people. This is followed by Middlesbrough at 27 and Gateshead at 22.3. The rate is defined as being number of confirmed cases per 100,000 people.
This compares with 14.9 cases per 100,000 in Newcastle and 11.5 per 100, 000 in North Tyneside.
One of the worst affected areas of England is Bolton which reports 75.5 cases per 100,000. All of this data is from the last week.
It is worth noting that the figures quoted only include confirmed cases. There are people with (and without) Covid-19 symptoms who have not been tested and so are not included in the figures.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS), in its most recent report states that “the incidence rate for England remains unchanged”. It quotes the figure of 1 in 2,000 to have the virus. So in other words 50 cases in 100,000. However, this could be anything from one in 1,500 to one in 2,800.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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