18 new Covid hotspots emerge – interactive map reveals if YOUR area is on the list
CASES of Covid-19 are still rising in 18 areas in England and this interactive map reveals if your local area is on the list.
Data from Public Health England (PHE) shows infection rates have fallen in 94 per cent of areas (297 local authorities).
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In signs the third national lockdown is starting to have an impact, the data shows that cases are rising in just six per cent of areas.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference last night, the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance said the country is in a position where the lockdowns have worked.
He said: "They've slowed this down, they've reached a position where it has reached a plateau and is beginning to decline - and we see that in cases, we're beginning to see that in hospital admissions and we're beginning to see that in deaths - but it is early days."
Data from PHE accounts for the seven days up to January 23 and shows that Knowsley in Merseyside continues to have the highest rate in England.
The area recorded 1,241 new cases in the seven days to January 23, the equivalent of 822.6 cases per 100,000 people.
This is down from 1,102.3 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 16.
Sandwell in the West Midlands has the second highest rate, down from 930.4 to 781.5, with 2,567 new cases.
Slough in Berkshire is in third place, down from 1,022.5 to 714.9, with 1,069 new cases.
It comes after:
- Boris hits back at EU bid to snatch 75million Covid vaccines from UK as AstraZeneca hints it won’t give in to demand
- Three-step plan ‘to lifting lockdown could see non-essential shops ‘reopen in April and pubs and restaurants in May’
- Secondary school kids could stay off school until AFTER Easter as Gove hints younger kids will return to class first
- Pfizer says its Covid vaccine DOES work against mutant UK and South African strains
- Brits warned they might not have foreign hols ‘for very long time’ as vaccinations need to be global
While cases are falling in the most infected places in the country, there are 18 local authorities where cases are still on the up.
Bolsover, North Warwickshire, Redcar and Cleveland, Chesterfield and South Derbyshire have all seen a rise in cases in the last seven days.
Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire has jumped the most going from 232.4 infections per 100,000 to 371.2.
Vaccines are being rolled out across the area and Bassetlaw's conservative MP was this week criticised after he received a dose of the vaccine.
Brendan Clarke-Smith had the jab on Friday after volunteering at Retford Hospital vaccination centre and said he only had the jab as otherwise it would have gone to waste.
In a statement he said: "At the end of a day of volunteering there were some left over vaccinations and rather than letting them go to waste they offered me a vaccination so I don't put people at risk while continuing to volunteer."
Other areas that have seen a rise in infections include Fylde and North East Derbyshire.
East Northamptonshire has also seen a rise in cases, jumping from 305.7 to 312.1.
Bradford, Rotherham, Rushcliffe, the Derbyshire Dales, Wakefield and Barnsley have also seen a rise in cases.
Boston in Lincolnshire has also seen a rise in cases jumping from 165.3 to 218 cases per 100,000.
Homes across the area have this week been left with rubbish outside their properties after staff at a waste plant in the area had to self-isolate after contracting the virus.
North Tyneside and West Devon have also seen a rise in cases.
While cases are rising in the 18 areas above, the rest of the country has seen a fall in infections.
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Boris Johnson yesterday announced there will be a "phased" route out of lockdown, beginning with a review in mid-February and schools likely to reopen after March 8 at the earliest.
The PM is busy plotting a route out of the unprecedented shutdown of society - and pledged to reveal the blueprint on February 22.
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He said schools will be the first to reopen under the new road map, which will take a "gradual" approach to lifting restrictions.
Boris has maintained lockdown would be lifted in stages - as it was last year - based on the success of the vaccine rollout, a drop in pressure on the NHS and falling Covid cases and deaths.