The 10 areas suffering worst coronavirus rates as Oldham overtakes locked-down Leicester and Blackburn most infected
OLDHAM has overtaken locked-down Leicester for its rate of coronavirus cases and Blackburn is the most infected.
An updated list of towns and cities with the highest rates of Covid-19 infections has been published by Public Health England.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
Leicester had the top spot for weeks since it was plunged into the UK's first local lockdown until Blackburn overtook it last week.
Now Oldham has knocked Leicester down into third place after suffering 109 new cases in a week, just days after being taken off the government's watch list.
NHS statistics today showed Oldham recorded 54.3 coronavirus cases for every 100,000 people between July 20 and 26 - a staggering 191 percent weekly rise.
Town officials are now introducing door-to-door testing in the worst hit areas.
And since the PHE figures were compiled it emerged that Rochdale faces tighter lockdown measures as cases in the town remain nearly as high as in Spain.
Blackburn with Darwen has retained the top spot with 85.9 cases per 100,000, while Leicester fell to 53.2 cases - down from 77.7 in the seven days up to July 17.
It is followed by Bradford (45.1), Trafford (36.8), Rochdale (32.7), Sandwell (30.9), Calderdale(28.6), and Manchester (22.1).
Taking the tenth spot with 19.8 cases per 100,000 is Kirklees, West Yorkshire.
SECOND WAVE WOES
It comes amid warnings of a second wave which could could be more deadly than the first.
But the government has been urged against a second lockdown.
A top expert has even warned that younger people could be more at risk as the second wave may be "very different" to the first.
In Oldham councillors confirmed that there had been a significant rise in cases amongst those aged 20-40.
They added there have been rises in areas of social deprivation, and which demographically have a higher population of people from BAME backgrounds.
But it is determined to avoid being forced into a local lockdown like Leicester.
Oldham's Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Covid-19 recovery today told BBC Breakfast: "Obviously there is a concern in the rise.
"If you think about the week before we had around 25 cases but the following week we had up to 109 cases.
"It shows how the pattern can change so quickly. We are obviously
"What I have to stress is that all we are doing now is acting really to avoid a local lockdown or further restrictions."
She added that the residents had been "absolutely amazing" during the national lockdown and she is sure that the "same spirit of coming together and helping to save lives will continue."
ONCOMING LOCKDOWN
But Blackburn could soon be joining Leicester in lockdown as its rising number of cases has put it as an 'area of intervention' along with Luton.
The government splits areas with alarming rates of cases into three categories: 'area of concern,' 'area of enhanced support' and 'area of intervention.'
Public health chiefs plan to impose lockdown restrictions in Blackburn from July 31 after failing to reduce the population’s stubbornly high infection rate.
The high infection rate is due to Blackburn's large proportion of South Asian residents, according to the local public health director Professor Dominic Harrison.
Most read in News
Almost three in ten of the town’s population are Indian or Pakistani.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Professor Harrison said the virus has spread more widely in Blackburn because cases are “clustering” in the South Asian community, who are more likely to live in large, multi-generational households that are also more likely to be smaller terraced houses.
Leicester has been in local lockdown since June 30 and it is to be reviewed on July 30.
