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Dudley and Wolverhampton Covid-19 ‘hotspots’

DUDLEY and Wolverhampton may join Leicester in local lockdowns, according to data tracking the virus.

And Birmingham, Bradford, Barnsley, Rochdale, Oldham and Blackburn have been named hotspots by Public Health England.

But London had just 84 new infections a day in the two weeks to June 27– the lowest in the UK – although the R rate has crept above 1.

The grim news for Dudley and Wolverhampton, both in the West Midlands, follows analysis from the team which predicted this week’s lockdown in Leicester. King’s College London experts used data up to July 1 from their Covid tracker app with 3.7 million users.

App figures, based on 10,393 swab tests, shows about 1,445 new daily cases across the country.

Wolverhampton’s cases grew by 1.2 per cent in the ten days to July 1, with Dudley’s up 1.1 per cent. These rates are higher than

Leicester which saw a 0.9 growth in the same period. Official stats show there have been 289 Covid-related deaths in Dudley and 297 in Wolverhampton. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College, said: “The new model picked up Leicester as a consistent hotspot back on June 17. With our data now flagging up potential new hotspots, it will allow for greater surveillance

NEW figures show the R rate has risen above 1 in London, meaning cases of the deadly virus could be

growing again.

The rise has come as lockdown restrictions are eased in England, with pubs allowed to open from yesterday. Experts say the level is also above 1 in the South East and

the West. and focussed testing that could detect problems like Leicester earlier and reduce major lockdowns.”

Residents in Leicester breaking the rules face fines of up to £3,200. There had been an “unusually high” incidence of coronavirus in the city’s kids, prompting their mass testing.

Other local outbreaks included one contained in a hospital in Weston-super-mare, Somerset, and others at food factories in Merthyr Tydfil, near Cardiff, and Wrexham, Denbighshire and Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire.