Infection rates see another significant drop - but still a long way to go, says top medic
Infection rates have seen another significant drop in the county but a senior medic has warned there is still a long way to go, with hospital admissions considerably higher than last summer.
The latest figures show declining infection rates in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Powys, with a combination of vaccinations and the ongoing lockdown appearing to take effect.
The rate in Shropshire has fallen by 35 to 99 cases per 100,000 people, by 24 to 160 in Telford & Wrekin, and by 34 to 64 in Powys.
His warning came as police revealed a group of six walkers at Carding Mill Valley were fined £1,200 at the weekend.
Four of the walkers had travelled in the same car despite not being from the same household. All six were fined £200.
Officers are also investigating reports of a ‘car cruise’ at Clee Hill at the same time.
Dr Rose added that the trust’s hospitals still have about 70 coronavirus patients being treated for the illness – considerably higher than last summer, when it was about 10.
It comes as the number of people to have died from Covid at the trust now stands at 521.
He said: “The better weather, such as the glorious sunshine we experienced over the weekend, certainly helps.
"Being able to be outside more makes us all feel better, but we must remain cautious. We must not be tempted to start bending the rules.”
Downturn in cases brings hope
Across the region Covid rates have fallen sharply and in some areas are now down to their lowest levels since early December.
Like the majority of the rest of the country, the region has seen continued falls in infection rates in recent weeks.
And while some of the highest case numbers in the country have been recorded in our area, over the past seven days the decline in infection rates has started to accelerate.
The Black Country borough of Sandwell remains in the top 10 worst infected areas, with a rate of 195.2 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to February 25 after 641 new cases were recorded.
However, the infection rate was 26 per cent lower than in the previous week.
Of the rest of the region only Telford & Wrekin remains in the top 40 with an infection rate of 160.7 after 289 new cases.
Walsall is just inside the top 50, with a rate of 148.5, down by a quarter from the week before.
Corby in Northamptonshire continues to have the highest rate in England, with 191 new cases recorded – the equivalent of 264.5 cases per 100,000 people.
This is down from 330.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to February 18.
Leicester has the second highest rate, down from 254.9 to 217.1, with 769 new cases. Fenland in Cambridgeshire is in third place, up slightly from 197.3 to 214.0, with 218 new cases. Just 35 areas of the country recorded a week on week rise in cases according to the latest figures, including Worthing in West Sussex, which saw a 48 per cent increase to 110.3.
Separate figures released by the Office for National Statistics reveal the number of deaths involving Covid registered each week in England and Wales has dropped by about a quarter for the second successive week.
According to the latest figures there were 4,447 Covid deaths registered in the UK in the week of February 19 – down by just over a quarter on the previous week’s total of 6,113.
In total, 15,577 deaths were registered from all causes in that week, about 18 per cent above expected levels for this time of year.