Shropshire Star

How prevalent is coronavirus in the UK outside London?

Sheffield and parts of south Wales are among the hot spots away from the capital.

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A police car patrols Downhill Beach, County Londonderry under Mussenden Temple, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus (Michael Cooper/PA)

London continues to be the main coronavirus hot spot in the country. Some parts of the capital are recording more than 100 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, with the borough of Southwark top of the list (around 131 cases per 100,000).

But what are the areas outside London with the highest prevalence of the disease?

In England, Sheffield has the most confirmed cases per 100,000 population (77), followed by Cumbria (76) and Wolverhampton (70).

This is based on the number of cases reported as of March 31.

Five of the top 10 areas in England with the highest prevalence outside London are in the West Midlands: Wolverhampton (70 cases per 100,000 people), Walsall (62), Birmingham (57), Solihull (54) and Sandwell (48).

These numbers will be affected by how many people are actually being tested in each location.

But it is possible the West Midlands could be another hot spot for the disease – it currently accounts for 13% of hospital-recorded coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, the second highest proportion in the country (London is top with 33% of all deaths).

HEALTH Coronavirus
(PA graphic)

In mainland Scotland, the area covered by the Borders NHS health board has the highest prevalence of the virus with 67 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Dumfries & Galloway (62) and Tayside (51).

Shetland has 29 confirmed cases as of March 31, among a population of 23,000 – equivalent to 126 cases per 100,000 people.

Prevalence is generally lower across Northern Ireland, with Belfast recording the highest number (49 cases per 100,000), followed by Lisburn & Castlereagh (48) and Ards & North Down (38).

But one area of Wales has reached a level of prevalence that is higher than all other parts of the UK mainland outside London.

The Aneurin Bevan University health board, which covers Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen and South Powys, is recording around 100 cases per 100,000.

Another Welsh health board, Cardiff & Vale, is up to 76 cases per 100,000.

South Wales looks like it is now a localised hot spot for the virus, with prevalence at levels outranking the rest of Wales – not to mention almost the whole of the UK.

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