Concern as Delta variant takes hold

NINE in ten new Covid-19 cases in Stockport are due to the Delta variant, according to the borough’s director of public health.

In an open letter, Dr Jennifer Connolly said that the prevalence of the strain was ‘of concern,’ following a 278 percent week-on-week increase in the town’s infection rate.

Currently, 105.6 infections per 100,000 residents have been recorded in Stockport. The figure was as low as 24.9 last week.

Stockport, Salford, and Manchester have now been identified among the top five areas in the country which have seen the biggest week-on-week rise in infections.

“As with many places across the rest of Greater Manchester, the north west and nationally, the Delta variant is increasingly of concern having become the dominant Covid strain,” Dr Connolly said.

“It is now estimated to account for around 90 to 95 percent of all Covid cases in Stockport and can be found across all areas of the borough.

“While this rise had been anticipated, the steep pace of the rise is due in part to the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, which could be around 50 per cent more contagious, as well as the increase in mixing since we took another step out of lockdown on May 17.”

However, data shows that despite the increased number of new cases, hospital admissions have not risen in recent weeks.

On June 1, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust had two patients in its beds with Covid-19 – the same number as on May 15.