Huge turnaround in Covid figures for student areas
NUMBER OF CASES IS NOW LOWER THAN ANY OTHER PART OF NOTTS
THE area of Nottingham which has recorded the most cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic now has the lowest rate of new cases in the county.
The University Park, Lenton Abbey and Jubilee Campus (ULJ) area – which has a big student population – had more than 1,500 positive Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic to November 8. It put the area way above other parts of the city and county – but its current rate of new cases is now lower than anywhere else.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there have been just seven cases in the seven days to November 11. The ONS data is recorded in Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAS), which are larger than electoral wards but smaller than districts.
ULJ previously had one of the highest rates in England, with 546 cases confirmed in the week from September 28.
That worked out as the equivalent of 4,955 cases for every 100,000 residents.
Its rate has now been recorded as 63.5 per 100,000, putting it well below the average for England (as of Tuesday). The median age for positive cases through Pillar 2 testing (at home kits and drive-through sites) was last reported to be 21 in the city.
Similar drops in cases have also been reported in the Arboretum, Forest and Trent University area which had also experienced a spike in cases.
University of Nottingham student Maggie Stankiewicz, 26, who spends a lot of time in the University Park area, was surprised to hear of the new figures. She said: “It could be because so many people have already had it? I had it a while ago and my housemates, but I think people are still taking extra care.”
Tom Power, who also studies at the University of Nottingham, said: “I think when everyone came back after the summer, it was very relaxed and then with lockdown, it has brought the message home a bit more. A lot of students have already caught the virus too so there is that. Most people I know are following the rules – it’s just some giving the rest a bad name.”
The 19-year-old said he’d had Covid19 along with eight others in his student house.
A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: ”The number of active cases of Covid-19 among our university community continues its downward trend, reducing by 96 percent since October, to leave a total of 56 active cases.
“While this demonstrates that our stringent measures to contain the coronavirus are working, we are never complacent. We continue to work closely with public health partners and are incredibly grateful to the vast majority of our 35,000 students who are obeying the rules to protect the health of themselves and others.
“We are in the process of finalising plans for the testing programme that will allow our students to return home safely at the end of term, while preventing onward transmission and to protect loved ones from the virus, especially those who may be more vulnerable.”
A spokesperson for Nottingham Trent University said: “We continue to monitor the figures of confirmed cases among staff and students at NTU and we have also seen a significant reduction in the number of reported cases.
“This reflects the robust safety measures we have in place on campus and the fact that the majority of our students are adhering to the national restrictions in place.
“We are in frequent communication with students, who have been given clear expectations and understand that they have a crucial role to play in always following the rules and limiting the spread of this virus.”
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “Thanks to everyone’s continued hard work and following tighter national restrictions, the city’s infection rates have been on a downward curve for a few weeks and we expect soon to be below the national average. This is no time to get complacent, however. Anyone who gets Covid symptoms must isolate and take a test.”