10 hotspots where virus infections are rising
AREAS of Bolsover, Derby and Erewash have been revealed as having among the highest rates of Covid in the county, according to latest Government figures.
Some parts of these local authorities have seen more than 50 new cases of the disease in the most recent week for which data is available.
Shirebrook North, in Bolsover, has the highest infection rate in Derbyshire. It saw 57 new cases of Covid in the week leading up to August 28, giving it a rate of 722.8 cases per 100,000 people.
This was followed by Alvaston and Crewton in Derby, which saw 64 new cases in the same time period – this was the highest in Derby and Derbyshire.
Other hotspots include Bolsover North and Shuttlewood in Bolsover, Hadfield West and Gamesley in High Peak, Kirk Hallam in Erewash and Sunny Hill in Derby.
The figures come from a period less than a week before children return to school after their summer holidays, which has led to fears infection rates are set to increase again once they go back into education.
Dark purple, purple and blue areas on the map indicate the highest rates of Covid infections, with yellow and green areas having lower rates.
As a whole, though, the number of people across the county testing positive for the disease is falling, something that has been mirrored on a national level.
In the latest seven-day period 236,152 people have tested positive for the disease, a drop of around one per cent on the week before.
On the other hand, the number of deaths and people admitted to hospital has continued to rise slightly, with hospital admissions rising five per cent and deaths increasing by just under one per cent on the week before.
However, experts say that due to the high number of people who have received the Covid vaccine, these numbers are far lower than when infections were at similar levels during the first and second waves of the pandemic.