Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Virus cases down - but expert warns of second wave
New coronavirus cases in Kent have dropped by more than 40% in a week as Covid19 deaths across the county continue to fall. Figures show there were 136 positive tests in the week leading up to June 12 - down from 233 in the seven days before.
The number of people dying week-on-week also fell from 79 to 64 on June 5 - a drop of 19%.
Almost a quarter of the new deaths were recorded among residents of Folkestone and Hythe, with 15 people losing their life to the virus. It brings the total death toll across Kent to at least 1,358, from 6,151 confirmed cases. But new analysis reveals there are small pockets of the county with no recorded deaths at all. As of May 31 - the latest date for which ultra-localised figures are available - four of 218 areas in Kent had not lost a single resident to the virus. The regions - varying in geographical size but of roughly equal population - are created by the Office for National Statistic and known as middle layer super output areas. Cliftonville West in Thanet has recorded the most deaths, at 27, but just two of those have been registered since April 30.
At the other end of the scale, four areas have recorded no deaths. They are: St Stephen’s in Canterbury; Lydd and Dungeness in Romney Marsh; Ellington in Ramsgate; and Settington, between Luton and Walderslade in Medway. But despite a 42% decline in cases and fewer deaths, a Government adviser says it would be “highly surprising” if Britain avoids a second wave of the coronavirus.
Immunologist Sir John Bell says the “real question” is how widespread the flare-up of infections will be, rather than if they will occur. Speaking to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, he said: “I think it is possible that we might not have a second wave.
“But I think given the fact that the lockdown has now been largely released, we’re now back in action, and we have still, pretty rapidly declining, but a pretty reasonable level of infections in the community, I would be very surprised if we avoided the second wave.
“I think the real question is, are we going to have a number of single outbursts around the country and then a second wave, or are we going to just get a second wave and when will that be?”