Torridge still worst in country for Covid rates

TORRIDGE has the UK’s highest rate of Covid infections in proportion to its population – and every part of Devon is well above the national average.

In the week to Thursday 18 November, new Covid infections in Torridge increased 42% on the previous week – to more than a thousand cases per 100,000 people.

It means Torridge continues to be the most infectious area of the country for the virus. Gwynedd in Wales (882) and Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland (871) are second and third in the table.

In Devon, cases increased by over 20% in Plymouth and Torbay, with a rise of just over 15% in the Devon County Council area.

At a district level, North Devon – which borders Torridge – recorded a 9% rise to a rate of 735, the second highest in the county. Case rates also went up significantly in South Hams, Teignbridge and Mid Devon, by around a fifth.

For the second week running, West Devon was the only council area in Devon to record a fall, its infection total falling narrowly to 486 per 100,000 – the lowest figure in the county. By comparison, the UK average is now 428.

Last week, Devon’s director of public Steve Brown said there were a “few reasons” why Torridge and North Devon may be experiencing such high rates. “Both district areas have, until recently, maintained steady and comparatively low case levels, and with that, therefore relatively lower levels of infection-induced immunity within communities.

“Secondly, testing for coronavirus here in Devon is a lot higher that the national average, so it may be that we are seeing higher levels than elsewhere because we’re identifying them.

“We know that the dominant strain across the UK, and in Devon, is the highly transmissible Delta variant, and that too is driving case levels.”

The NHS in Devon says 168 patients are currently in hospital with Covid, up from 111 in early November. It has not specified the numbers in each hospital, however available figures to last November 16 show 40% were in Plymouth, 34% at Exeter, 15% in Torbay and just over a tenth in North Devon.

Ten more people died in the county within 28 days of testing positive for Covid in the latest complete weekly period (to Wednesday 17 November). Eight were in the Devon County Council area, one in Torbay and one in Plymouth.

A total of 1,338 people in Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) have died within 28 days of a positive test since the pandemic began.

The number of people aged 12 and over who have had at least one vaccine dose is 86% in the Devon County Council area, 84% in Torbay and 83% in Plymouth. The proportion having had two jabs is 80% Devon, 78% Torbay and 76% Plymouth.