Infection rates down but there are still hotspots

COVID cases in some parts of Derbyshire have continued to rise but the general picture shows infection rates falling across the county.

Parts of the county have seen rising numbers of cases, with some areas recording more than 50 new infections, according to the latest figures.

The data, which covers the week leading up to September 17, shows that Kirk Hallam is the county’s biggest Covid hotspot relative to its population.

The town saw 51 new cases in that time frame, giving it a rate of 829.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Four parts of Derby – Chaddesden North, Chaddesden West, Alvaston and Crewton, and Allestree North – were also among the top 10 Covid hotspots in the county.

Alvaston and Crewton saw the highest number of cases in the county, with 52 people testing positive for the disease.

It should be noted though that across the county cases seem to be dropping, with the number of infections dropping by 25 per cent in Derby and by 16.8 per cent in the wider county.

Swadlincote East saw the lowest rate of infections, with just eight new cases during the week leading up to September 17, giving it a rate of 91.8 cases per 100,000 people.

The number of people in hospital with Covid nationwide in the week up to September 18 also dropped by nearly 14 per cent, while the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test has remained level.

This has been put down to the effectiveness of vaccinations that have been rolled out over the last nine months.

It comes after one local health official claimed that 70 per cent of people hospitalised with the disease in Derbyshire are not vaccinated.

This week, Mike James, the clinical director at the Midland House vaccination centre in Derby city centre, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Everyone in the health system is talking about how many of the Covid patients being admitted to hospital are unvaccinated. Some 70 per cent of the people being admitted are unvaccinated.”

The areas with the highest rates of infections per 100,000 people are:

Kirk Hallam - 829.8 (51 cases in the week up to September 17) Chaddesden North - 663.1 (49) Buxton South and East - 647.2 (46) Dronfield South and Gosforth

Lane - 621.5 (46)

Darley Dale and Stanton - 595.2 (30)

Matlock North - 574.7 (54) Alvaston and Crewton - 542.0 (52) Chaddesden West - 522.2 (41) Allestree North - 552.1 (33) New Whittington, Hollingwood and Barrow Hill - 545.3 (43).