Number of virus cases falling in most parts of region

CORONAVIRUS RATES are falling in almost every area of Yorkshire and the Humber in a turnaround from last week, when most areas were recording a rise.

In the latest figures, just three out of 21 areas showed an increase: Craven, North Lincolnshire and Selby.

North Lincolnshire recorded the biggest week- on- week jump in rates – but this was only a small rise, from 412.1 cases per 100,000 people to 448.1. Scarborough saw the biggest fall, down from 614.2 to 349.4.

Hull continues to have the highest rate in the region, and the second highest in the whole of England: 615.1, down from 785.3. York has the lowest rate: 142.9, down from 185.6

Covid- 19 case rates have started to fall in most local areas across England. In only two of the nine regions are a majority of areas recording a week- on- week rise: London and south- east England.

It is still too soon to judge the full impact on case rates of the England- wide lockdown, however. The nationwide restrictions began on November 5, and the most recent figures are for the week ending November 18 – just 14 days into the lockdown.

Given it can take up to two weeks for Covid- 19 symptoms to appear, and further time for somebody to be tested and the result to be processed, more data is needed to be certain about how and where case rates are falling.

But the latest figures suggest the numbers are heading in the right direction. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I am very glad to see in the data that the number of cases across the UK is clearly starting to fall. That is good news.”