OUR COVID RATE NOW AS HIGH AS LEICESTER’S

AUTHORITIES CONCERNED OVER JUMP IN CASE RATE ACROSS THE REGION

THE number of covid infection rates in North East Lincolnshire has surged well above the figure which sent Leicester into a second lockdown back in June.

In the seven days to October 15, based on tests carried out in laboratories as well as from testing centres, North East Lincolnshire’s new cases per 100,000 people now stands at 216.2.

The current rate in North East Lincolnshire is significantly higher than when Leicester went into the first local lockdown at a rate of 135.

The region just sits behind Leicester whose infection rate per 100,000 people in the seven days up to October 15 was 216.8

Over the same time period North Lincolnshire saw a much smaller rise of just 10 cases meaning the case rate there is at 152.6 cases per 100,000 people.

The jump in the case rate across the region will be of some concern as the rate when Wakefield moved into Tier 2 restrictions last week was 259 cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (October 16-19) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

During the seven days leading up to October 8 the number of new cases detected in North East Lincolnshire was 221 and this has spiked in the week leading up to October 15 which has seen 345 new cases.

North Lincolnshire recorded 253 new cases during the week up until October 8 with a small rise to 263 during the seven days leading up to October 15.

The rise in figures comes as Covid cases have been linked to workplaces and schools.

A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said: “Our area has seen a significant increase in case numbers over the last few weeks.

“We are aware that some of these cases are linked via work or education settings, and this just demonstrates how easily the virus is transmitted from person to person.

“We must all continue to social distance when around other outside of our bubble, wear masks in enclosed public spaces, and wash our hands frequently. These are really easy steps that can help to stop the spread.” Elsewhere in England the places with the highest case rates have seen a fall in the number of new cases. In Nottingham, 2,368 new cases were recorded in the seven days to October 15 at a rate of 711.3 cases per 100,000 people – this is down from 1,001.2 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to October 8.

Knowsley has the second highest rate, but this is down from 729.1 to 673.5, with 1,016 new cases. Liverpool has the third highest, where the rate has dropped from 684.7 to 606.6, with 3,021 new cases.