Town sees reverse in Covid decline as cases rise again

A NATIONAL spike in Covid-19 infections is being reflected in the Ashbourne area’s latest infection rates, despite a more positive outlook emerging over the last few weeks.

Most of the wards neighbouring Ashbourne have seen increases in the number of new infections in the last seven-day period up to Monday, and this comes after many areas saw declines last week.

Ashbourne itself is split into two wards, the more urban Ashbourne South ward, and the much larger, rural Ashbourne North ward. Both wards have seen their rolling rates - measured per 100,000 population - nearly doubling in the last week, following double-figure rises in new cases.

While there have been no significant spikes among our immediately neighbouring wards, there are some nearby hotspots, including Uttoxeter Town ward and Hiton and Etwall. These, along with a small ward on the outskirts of Belper, each have current rolling rates above 100.

By comparison, the rolling rate for Ashbourne South is 386.3 and for Ashbourne North it is now 404.7. To illustrate the recent spike, Ashbourne South’s rolling rate had dipped below 200 this time last week, for the first time since mid-august.

The recent uptick is reflected in the wider picture. Looking at the districts and boroughs, Derbyshire Dales has seen a small increase of 89 cases over the last seven days, putting the number of current infections at 294 and its rolling rate at 406. All our neighbouring districts and boroughs have seen similar small increases.

And Derbyshire’s overall number of infections now stands at 3,238 after 835 new infections were detected in the county. It takes the rolling rate above 400, to 401.1. Staffordshire has seen a slightly higher rise overall.

Although it now appears to have paused, the recent downward trend did start to see a drop in the number of Covid-19 patients at the Royal Derby Hospital, Queen’s Hospital in Burton and Chesterfield Royal Hospital. According to the latest public figures, the combined number across the three centres stood at 62.

While this remains lower than in previous waves, and when community infections were at a similar level, it maintains pressure on our health system as staff continue to wade through a waiting list backlog.

There are currently 32 Covid-19 patients at Royal Derby Hospital, five of whom are in the intensive care unit.

There are 11 patients with the virus at Queen’s, two of which are in the ICU.

At Chesterfield Royal Hospital there are 19 patients in with a positive diagnosis of Covid, four of whom are in critical care.

The key message from hospital and public health officials across Derbyshire and Derby remains the same, get vaccinated against Covid-19 and choose wisely when considering where you go for health services.

To this end, 91 per cent of all adults in Derbyshire have received one vaccine dose, while 86.77 per cent have received both jab doses.

This comes as Covid booster jabs begin to be administered to health and social care staff from throughout the county and and children aged 12-15 begin receiving their jabs in school halls across Derbyshire.

The Derbyshire Dales is the district which has fully vaccinated the largest proportion of its adult population (91.06 per cent), while Derby has fully vaccinated the smallest proportion (82.34 per cent), though this is also higher than most other cities.

A spokesperson from Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: “Covid-19 remains a risk to health and we continue to treat a number of patients with the virus.

“It is extremely important that anyone entering our hospital follows the safety guidelines we have in place, which includes wearing a face covering, sanitising hands and socially distancing.

“We also ask that you respect all of our staff, who are doing an incredible job under challenging circumstances.

“You can also help by accessing the most appropriate NHS service for your health needs.

“If you are unsure of what service to use, call NHS111 or visit NHS111 online for advice about where to go or even make an appointment where appropriate.

“By following these simple but important steps, you can help to relieve the pressure on our services, keep our patients, staff and visitors safe and ensure we’re here for you when you need us.”

Covid-19 remains a risk to health and we continue to treat a number of patients with the virus.

Hospital spokesperson