Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
CITY SPIKE
New Covid cases highest since May
The number of confirmed Covid19 cases in the Canterbury district is at its highest level for four months.
Latest figures show there were more positive tests in the city, Herne Bay and Whitstable last week than any other since the end of May.
Among the 33 confirmed cases is a staff member at the Thomas Ingoldsby Wetherspoon pub, where seven other employees have been forced to isolate. The spike - which has seen the city’s infection rate double in a week - follows the reopening of schools and the return of students to Canterbury.
It also comes amid a huge increase in testing since the peak of the pandemic, when there were 112 new cases in a single week.
Public health chiefs put the rise down to a number of factors. A Kent County Council spokesperson said: “It is expected that we will see more cases with children at school, students at university and some people returning to workplaces but we are continuing to work with our partners across Kent, including Public Health England local health protection teams and the NHS, to monitor where cases are occurring and whether there are larger widespread community outbreaks.
“We are seeing a rise in cases locally and nationally and although Kent is below the England average, it is really important that residents play
their part to help protect themselves and others, particularly the most vulnerable members of the community who are most at risk from severe symptoms. “There is also more testing across the county and anyone experiencing Covid symptoms should self-isolate immediately and get a test.”
As of Sunday, the infection rate in the Canterbury district was 20 weekly cases per 100,000 people.
On the same day, the UK rate was 55.7 - almost three times higher.
While cases are rising in Canterbury, and nationally, the number of people actually infected is estimated to be much lower than at the height of the pandemic in April.
On Tuesday, there were 7,143 new coronavirus cases reported across the UK - the highest ever daily total.
On the same day 231,923 tests were carried out.
This compares to 5,907 new cases on April 5, when just 15,699 tests were conducted. What do you think? Have you been affected? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.uk.