NEW cases of coronavirus are continue to accelerate in both Winchester and Hampshire, according to figures published this afternoon.
There have been 84 new cases in the Winchester district in the last seven days, up from yesterday's rolling seven-day total of 68.
In the previous week, ending on Thursday October 1, the number was 20, so an increase week on week of more than 300 per cent.
The figure for new cases reported in the last 24 hours in the Hampshire County Council area has risen by 161 from 6,516 to 6,667 and in Winchester district from 624 to 645, up 21. The current infection rate in the city council district is 516.6 people in every 100,000.
The sharp rise clearly started at the beginning of this month. In September the daily increases in Winchester were in single figures. So far this month they have been 5, 7, 14, 13, 8,10,11 and 21.
There have been three reported cases at Winchester University.
Several local schools are now affected but all remain open: Kings' secondary, Bishop's Waltham Junior, The Westgate secondary and St Bede primary. But Stockbridge primary has closed after three cases were reported.
No new deaths have been reported in Winchester district, Portsmouth, Southampton or the Hampshire County Council area in the last 24 hours.
Nationally, 77 deaths have been reported in the UK today, bringing the number of confirmed reported deaths to 42,592, according to the ONS website.
Today the rate of infection in Hampshire stands at 482.2 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average, 853.9. The Winchester rate is higher than the county but much lower than nationally.
There have been 561,815 cases of the virus across the UK. This is an increase of 17,540 in the last 24 hours, up on the 14,162 in the previous 24 hours.
The number of deaths in Hampshire hospitals is now 617. The figure for fatalities at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, is 162. For the other local county trusts, Portsmouth Hospital, 236; Solent, 2; Southern Health, 17; University Southampton, 200.
The R number in the south-east has stayed steady at between 1.1 and 1.4 meaning that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people.
The growth rate in the south east region is now between +2% and +6%, meaning the number of new infections is growing by up to 6% every day.
Regarding Covid patients admitted to hospital the numbers continue to rise steadily.
The latest figure is 25, up four, reported on Tuesday in the south-east region, that includes Hampshire. There are 140 with the condition in hospital today, up 11 on yesterday (Wednesday), with 12 on ventilators today, the same, according to the ONS. The numbers are not broken down for hospitals in Hampshire.
Total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic of people who had had a positive test result for Covid-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test, remains: Hampshire, 728 (52.7 per 100,000 people), Portsmouth, 79 (36.8) and Southampton, 123 (48.7). The Winchester district figure, the city council area, is 77, a rate of 61.7, higher than the other three areas mentioned.
Other coronavirus news:
A primary school in a village near Winchester has had to close after three cases of coronavirus affected different 'bubbles'.
A member of staff has tested positive at a Winchester primary school.
Reaction to the cancellation of Christmas Market at Winchester Cathedral.
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