RISE IN COVID CASES WEEK BEFORE PUPILS GO BACK TO SCHOOLS
Health chief warns that coronavirus cases still too high
CORONAVIRUS cases in Stokeon-trent have risen by 6.4 per cent in the past week.
Latest Public Health England data - published last night - reveals that the city has a seven-day Covid-19 infection rate of 149.4 cases per 100,000 population.
It follows 88 new cases over the weekend. It means there have now been 18,701 positive coronavirus cases in the city since the start of the global pandemic. And there have now been a total of 383 cases in the past week.
Now Dr Paul Edmondson-jones - Stoke-on-trent’s director of public health - has warned that the coronavirus figures in the city are ‘still far too high’.
It comes as households have flocked to the city’s beauty spots this weekend to enjoy the sunshine.
Current coronavirus rules mean people can take exercise with members of their own household, or support bubble. Exercise is also permitted with one other person as long as they stay two-metres apart.
He said: “We are still up 6.4 per cent in a week. Hopefully we will move down a bit this week as schools start from March 8 and we are still far too high.”
Mr Edmondson-jones also urged those most making the most of the sunny weather to try to keep their distance and also to get tested for covid.
Confirmed Covid-19 cases by area as of February 28:
Stoke-on-trent: 18,701 (up 88 from Friday)
Newcastle borough: 7,973 (up 32 from Friday)
Staffordshire Moorlands: 5,000 (up 18 from Friday)
Stafford borough: 8,298 (up 35 from Friday)
Staffordshire county (all boroughs/districts - excluding Stoke-on-trent): 56,719 (up 244 from Friday)
Cheshire East: 19,749 (up 77 from Friday)
SERIOUS flu cases have all but disappeared in North Staffordshire this winter – thanks to social distancing and mask-wearing.
University Hospitals of North Midlands usually expects to have up to 80 seasonal flu patients at any one time over the winter period.
But the trust, which runs the Royal Stoke and County Hospital, currently has no flu in-patients at all, while admissions for other non-covid respiratory illnesses are also well below average.
UHNM chief executive Tracy Bullock, above, says this is the result of the restrictions brought in to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which have prevented the flu virus from spreading as it normally would during winter.
And she believes that it would be a good idea to retain some measures – such as mask-wearing in supermarkets – in future, due to their effectiveness.
Ms Bullock said: “As far as I’m aware we don’t have any patients with flu at the moment, which has been due to measures such as the wearing of masks.
“We’re also seeing smaller numbers of other respiratory conditions as well. I was looking at paediatrics and there were a lot fewer young children and babies there with respiratory illnesses.
“They haven’t disappeared completely, but it’s less than we would expect. This is something that we’re very grateful for.
“We were worried that we would see the normal flu season on top of the pandemic, which would have been extremely difficult to cope with. “I think it’s clear from this just how effective social distancing measures have been in preventing infections. “So I would like to see some things kept after the pandemic is over, such as wearing masks in supermarkets during the winter.
“Personally, that is what I’m going to be doing from now on.”
While this year’s flu season has been a no-show in North Staffordshire, the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital has more than made up for this.
UHNM saw a peak of 382 Covidpositive patients in early January – nearly five times the number of daily flu patients expected during a normal winter. The number of coronavirus patients has since fallen to 153.
Ms Bullock said it was possible that some of those currently in hospital with Covid-19 may have been admitted for flu instead if the pandemic had not happened, although it is impossible to know for sure.