New data sees coronavirus case total rise

The total number of coronavirus cases recorded in West Sussex has shot up after new data was added to the tally.

The daily total increased by 1,299 between Wednesday and Thursday last week, due to a change in the reporting of figures.

Public Health England publishes the total number of coronavirus cases in each area everyday on the Government website, which can be viewed at coronavirus. data.gov.uk

However until Thursday (July 2), this had only included the data from positive tests carried out in NHS settings, such as labs and hospitals, known as pillar 1.

The results of positive tests carried out at home or at drive-through centres, known as pillar 2, had not been included in the total.

This changed on Thursday, giving a more accurate picture of the local situation.

It means the total number of cases in some areas of West Sussex is much higher than previously thought.

As of Monday (July 6), the latest figures for coronavirus cases in each area of West Sussex were as follow: – Adur, 184 – Arun, 319 – Chichester, 268 – Crawley, 425 – Horsham, 507 – Mid Sussex, 591 – Worthing, 395 Public Health England also calculates the rate of infection per 100,000 people.

When compared in this way, Mid Sussex has seen the overall highest rate of infection at 395 (per 100,000), followed by Crawley at 378, Worthing at 359 and Horsham at 357.

The three areas with the lowest rate of infection were Arun with 200 (per 100,000), Chichester with 222 and Adur with 288.

Overall in West Sussex, the new data shows that a total of 2,689 people have tested positive for the virus, with a rate of 313 – which is far lower than the England average of 439.

To compare with neighbouring counties, in East Sussex the total stands at 1,491 with a rate of 269, while Brighton and Hove has seen 768 cases, putting the rate at 265.

Monitoring the number of cases at a local level will be increasingly important as lockdown further eases.

Any areas where increases in the number of cases are detected could face local lockdowns. Leicester became subject to the UK’s first local lockdown last week following a spike in Covid-19 cases.

Since the new way of publishing the figures came into play on Thursday, Crawley has seen the biggest increase in cases – with the total rising by seven, from 418 on Thursday to 425 on Monday. Horsham, Mid Sussex and Worthing all saw one new case over the four day period – while the total in Adur, Arun and Chichester remained the same. Meanwhile, the latest figures from NHS England shows that no one has died from the virus at hospitals run by Western Sussex Hospitals trust in recent weeks. The most recent death was recorded at the trust on June 7, according to the figures.

Overall, the trust has seen a total of 113 coronavirus deaths.

Elsewhere in the county, the East Sussex Healthcare Trust has seen 90 deaths, while Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust has seen 146 deaths.

The Surrey and Sussex Healthcare have recorded 257 deaths, while the Sussex Community NHS trust has recorded 18.

Overall in the UK, 285,768 people have tested positive for the virus, while 44,236 people have died.