Surrey Heath continues to buck virus rate trend

CORONAVIRUS infection rates have risen in 12 and fallen in two areas of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Portsmouth has the highest infection rate in Hampshire, according to the latest data from Public Health England.

There were 273 confirmed cases in Portsmouth in the week ending June 24, which is equivalent to an infection rate of 127 cases per 100,000 people.

The lowest infection rate in the region is on the Isle of Wight where the latest rate is 15.5 cases per 100,000 population, up by 16% compared to the previous week.

The infection rate for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as a whole is now 72 cases per 100,000 people, which is down by 32% week-on-week.

There were a total of 1,435 positive tests across the county in the week ending June 24, which is 349 more cases than the previous week. The number of cases has risen by 32%. Rushmoor recorded 71 coronavirus cases in the week ending June 24, which is 12 more than the previous seven days. The latest infection rate in the borough is 75.1 cases per 100,000 people, up by 20% week-on-week.

In Hart, the number of cases was up 18%. There were 59 positive Covid-19 tests, which is nine more than the previous seven days.

Just over the border, Surrey Heath recorded 55 cases in the week ending June 24, which is two fewer than the previous week and equivalent to a fall of 4%.

The infection rate for the whole of Surrey is 83.5 cases per 100,000 people. There were a total of 999 positive tests across the county in the week ending June 24, which is 274 more than the previous week. The number of cases has risen by 38%.