Covid: Rates falling in Winchester district except for one new area: Friday January 29

The district is now in the 'top' ten per cent of districts for infection rates with only 26 out of 315 in the UK doing better, and none in Hampshire.

The Chronicle has reported the daily figures since last summer and was first to report the trend for declining infection rates around three weeks ago.

All parts of the Winchester district are now below the England average as rates improve in Winchester East, Whiteley Knowle and Wickham, and Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase.

But infection rates are climbing in Winchester North and Sparsholt. In the seven days to January 24 there were 27 cases, up 15, or 125 per cent, with a rolling number per 100,000 of 278.2 rising close to the England average.

Winchester North and Sparsholt

Today only 34 new cases were reported, amongst the lowest daily numbers since December 15.

The Winchester ‘district’ covers more than just the ‘city’ and covers a chunk of Hampshire from Micheldever to Denmead, and Crawley to Ropley.

Across the whole district in the seven days to January 24 there were 241 cases, down 123, or 34 per cent for a rolling rate of 193.0 per 100,000 people.

Winchester

The number of cases reported in Winchester district in the last seven days to today, Friday January 29, remains lower than in the previous week. Today there were only 34 new cases, taking to 195 the number for the last seven days. The previous week had 325 cases.

However, the clean slate of no schools affected by Covid was short-lived with four now reporting cases within the last ten days. They are All Saints primary in Highcliffe, Shepherds Down special in Compton, Osborne special in Winchester and Denmead junior.

Although new cases are falling across most of the district the number of patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital remains high. On Monday, the most recent day for figures, there were currently 100 at the RHCH, up from 82 last week. At North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke there were 148, down from 152 and one at Andover War Memorial, down from three.

Fifteen more patients with coronavirus have died in hospitals across Hampshire, according to the latest NHS figures.

Five deaths were recorded at Hampshire Hospitals trust that runs the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. Deaths at Hampshire Hospitals trust are now at 360.

NHS England statistics published today show that no new deaths were recorded at University Hospital Southampton, keeping the total to 374 since the start of the pandemic.

But a further nine people's deaths were recorded at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, bringing its total to 722.

One person's death was recorded at Southern Heath NHS Trust, taking the number to 44 people. Solent NHS Trust remains at eight.

In the county’s hospitals 1,508 people have died of coronavirus, up 15.

No deaths for local authority areas were available today.

Across the county council area today 522 cases were reported bringing the total to 54,355, for a rate of 3,931 per 100,000. Some 4,077 have been reported in the seven days to January 24, down 1,565 or 28 per cent, for a rolling number of 294.9, which is still above the England average, but falling.

The number of cases in the Winchester district since the start of the pandemic is now 4,293, an infection rate of 3,438 per 100,000, well below the England average of 5,864.