Cases down – but over-80s hit hard

NEW Government data shows that those in the 85-89 age bracket are being hit the hardest by Covid-19 in Newcastle.

According to figures from April 24, that age group saw a rate of more than 500 cases per 100,000 people over seven days. That’s almost double the equivalent number seen on March 20, when the figure was just 272.1.

Most age groups have seen sharp falls in Covid positivity though – with those aged between 40 and 44 now seeing a case rate of close to a third what it was in late March. Covid-19 cases in the under-10s are also now extremely low. Those aged between five and nine have a rate of just 28.8.

The BA.2 strain of Covid-19 continues to inflict the illness on thousands of people around the UK – though many are not now able to take tests to confirm that they’ve got the virus. There were 652 confirmed cases in the week to April 24. That works out at a case rate of 212.5. This is around 25.4% lower than a week earlier.

However, the Covid-19 Zoe symptom-tracking study estimates more than 22,000 people in Newcastle could currently have the virus.

There also remains more than 400 patients in our NHS hospitals with Covid-19 – though this figure has begun to fall.

In the Government data, the city’s population is split into five year agebands. The figures show that the very young are by far the least likely to have tested positive. Though the rate for those between 85 and 89 is higher than a month ago, those aged over 90 have seen a sharp fall. On March 20, that oldest age group had a rate of 900.9. The latest figure is exactly a third of that at 300.3.

That fall could be down to the fact that many of the oldest people in the city will have now had their spring booster jab.

The demographics of places where Covid-19 testing is still happening – in NHS settings and care homes, for example – is also potentially an explanation for why those in their 80s have a high rate of positives.