THE number of new cases of Covid-19 in the Winchester district week on week has nearly doubled, according to figures out today.
There were 90 cases reported today bringing the number since the start of the pandemic to 3,200.
In the week to January 1 the figure for Winchester district was 604, up 289, or 92 per cent on the previous week, for a rolling number of 483.7, above the UK average.
The figure for the last seven days including today is 589, up from 448 in the previous seven days. Some 18 per cent of all 3,200 cases have been reported in the last seven days, showing the recent surge.
The Winchester district's infection rate is 2,562 per 100,000 people. The national infection rate is 4,354.
Cases of the contagious new strain are still rising fast in Oliver's Battery and Hursley according to Government figures released this afternoon. Experts estimate the new strain is 50 per cent more transmissable.
In the seven days to January 1 50 cases were reported, up 32 on the previous seven days, an increase of 177 per cent. The rolling number per 100,000 people is climbing to 611.5, well above the UK average.
The latest figures from the NHS show there are currently 57 Covid patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) compared to 44 last week and 105 at Basingstoke hospital compared to 78 previously.
The highest place in the district remains Denmead and Southwick where there have been 102 new cases, up 31, with a rolling number of 994.5. Yesterday the rolling number was 877.5.
In the adjacent area of Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon there have been 34 cases, up eight, or 30.8 per cent, for a rolling number of 390.5, down from yesterday's 413.
Numbers are spiking in the Alresford area. Some 43 were reported in the seven days to January 1, a weekly increase of 21, or 95.5 per cent, for a rolling rate of 508.2, above the national average.
Stanmore had been the only area in the district where the numbers had been dropping so fast that the area was marked green on the map. It now reports 30 cases, up 27, or 900 per cent, for a rolling number of 442.3, but still relatively low.
The Winchester ‘district’ covers more than just the 'city' and covers a swathe of central Hampshire from Micheldever to Denmead, and Crawley to Ropley.
The rolling rate is above the national average explaining why several parts of the Winchester district are now purple or black on the map along with Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.
Nationally 60,000 new cases have been reported on each of the last two days. Some 1,041 deaths were reported, the first time since April they have risen above 1,000 in a day.
In the area covered by Hampshire County Council there were 1,062 new positive test results in the last 24 hours. The seven-day numbers to January 1 are 7,539, up 3,426 or 87.1 per cent, for a rolling 532.3.
A further 15 Covid-19 deaths have been reported by the NHS in Hampshire.
At Hampshire Hospitals Trust, which includes the RHCH, there has been one death, meaning a total of 253 since the start of the pandemic. At Southampton Hospital the figure is 260, up four, in the latest statistics released today at 2pm. Portsmouth Hospitals Trust recorded a further 10 to take its total to 451. Southern Health Trust remains at 25 deaths, with the figure for the Solent NHS Trust stays at four.
Across the county’s NHS some 993 people have died since March.
In Winchester City Council area the figure for deaths is 106, no change. In Portsmouth it is 157, up five, and 159 in Southampton, up two.
Breakdown of deaths for every district in Winchester
The Office for National Statistics reports that 1,149 have died in the Hampshire County Council area, with an increase of 17 reported today.
Other Covid news:
More on the latest lockdown laws
Covid deaths for every postcode
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here