West leading the way in bringing down virus rates

CORONAVIRUS cases in the South West of England are at their lowest level since December 12, new figures reveal.

And at 95.9 per 100,000 they are also the lowest for any region in England.

The figures, calculated by the PA news agency from the latest health agency data, show that case rates are falling across the country with the overall rate for England down to its lowest level since the start of October.

Case rates are one of a range of measures the Government has said it will use to inform its plans for a “road map” out of the current system of lockdowns, along with the number of hospital admissions and patients, estimates of virus transmission rate, the latest data on deaths and the effect of vaccine rollout.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to announce details of the road map on Monday. The positive news comes as Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw praises the way Devon has tackled the pandemic, saying the county has rates of disease on a par with some of Europe’s best performers.

The Labour MP, a regular critic of the government’s handling of the pandemic, Tweeted: “Covid-19 rates in Devon now down to 54 per 100,000 and in Exeter 51 between Finland and Greece – two of Europe’s best performers. Even lower among over 60s. Number of Covid patients in Devon’s hospitals has halved since the January peak.”