WINCHESTER has seen the sharpest rise in Covid cases since the start of the pandemic.

Some 75 cases were reported yesterday with another 39 today, bringing the number of cases to 1,533, or 1,227.8 per 100,000 people since the spring.

On Saturday there was 619 new cases reported in Hampshire County Council area.

The spike in new cases is being reflected in the increase in people admitted to hospital.

But for the second time in recent days the death toll for the Winchester district has been reduced by one, to 84. No explanation has been given.

‘Winchester district’ comprises more than the city and is the city council area which stretches from Micheldever in the north to Southwick in the south, from Sparsholt in the west to Bramdean in the east.

The number of Covid deaths in Hampshire County Council area has risen by two over the weekend to 797 people.

And figures published by NHS England show that two people have died over the weekend, one in Portsmouth and one in the area covered by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that includes the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

So far, 220 people have died with Covid at University Hospital Southampton. At Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust the toll stands at 255, and at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the RHCH in Winchester, there have been 184 recorded deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, there have been a total of 680 deaths across Hampshire, up 21 from 659 last Friday, November 6.

Data shows that the infection rate in the Winchester district in the seven days to November 9 is 166.6 in every 100,000 up from 155.4 people, the previous day. It is the fourth highest in Hampshire after Portsmouth, Havant and Southampton.

Today there were 313 new cases reported in the Hampshire County Council areas taking the total to 14,807, an infection rate since March of 1,073.2 per 100,000 people. On Saturday there were 619 cases, the highest since the peak in the spring.

The number of deaths in the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation hospitals, which includes the RHCH, is now 184. For the other local trusts: Portsmouth, 255, up one; Solent, 3, same; Southern Health, 18, same; Southampton, 220, same.

Deaths in local authority areas are Winchester: 84; Portsmouth: 88; Southampton: 131 and Hampshire 797 (including Winchester).

Nationally, 24,962 new cases were reported today, down on the 26,860 yesterday. This brings the total to 1,369,318. Today in the UK, 168 people who had tested positive for the virus within the last 28 days, have died. The total is now 51,934.

The numbers of Covid sufferers being admitted to hospital has risen sharply. There were 181 taken in on Thursday up from 149 on Wednesday in hospitals across the south-east region. Today there are 991 patients in south-east hospitals on Saturday, up on 943 on Friday. Eighty-four are on ventilators, down on the 86 on Friday.

The latest available figure for Covid patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital was 63 on Wednesday, up from 50 last week.