County ‘four weeks behind England’ but increase is slowing

Canterbury’s Covid-19 infection rate has topped 100 for the first time since the pandemic struck – but the speed of its rise has slowed dramatically.

Latest figures show there were 166 positive tests recorded in the district in the week up to November 5 – the first day of the second lockdown.

But although the rate now stands at 100.4 weekly cases per 100,000 people, numbers suggest the recent spike is coming to an end.

On October 15 the rate was 45.3, rising to 99.8 by October 25 – a jump of 106% in 10 days. In the 10 days since, the rate has increased by just 0.6%.

It is hoped the new lockdown measures will see new cases start to fall by the time restrictions are lifted on December 2.

The rate on that day is likely to determine which tier

Canterbury emerges into. Kent – which has rate of 148.9 – was in Tier 1 before lockdown was imposed, but is understood to have been poised to enter Tier 2 before Boris Johnson’s shock announcement.

Its cases are still well below the national average – with England having a rate of 245.2 – so it is hoped the county will escape the toughest restrictions.

The county’s public health director, Andrew Scott-clark, says Kent is “four weeks behind where England is”, adding that the second national lockdown “could not have come soon enough”.

Although infection rates are at record levels, huge increases in testing – for which localised data is not available – mean little can be drawn from direct comparisons with the first wave in March and April.

New cases broken down by individual areas across the district, each of roughly equal size in terms of population