Just two areas of Winchester district buck the trend for decline in Covid

The weekly number of new cases of Covid-19 in Winchester district has tumbled to its lowest figure in nearly two months - except in Colden Common and Twyford and Oliver's Battery and Hursley.

In the seven days to Tuesday February 9, the most recent day for which figures are available there were 11 cases in Colden Common and Twyford, up five, or a rise of 83 per cent. The rolling number per 100,000 people has risen to 115.5, still below the England average.

Colden Common and Twyford

Oliver's Battery and Hursley reported an increase of two cases. But all other areas reported decreases including South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever where had been a brief increase.

Across the district in the last seven days only 88 new cases have been reported, down from 171 on the previous seven days.

The last time the weekly figure was below 90 was on December 15.

Meanwhile, the last Covid hotspot in Winchester has carried on cooling, according to new figures released today.

The Winchester West area, including hotspot focus of Winchester Prison, had just 22 new cases in the seven days to Tuesday February 9, the most recent day for which figures are available. That is new a decrease of 44 on the previous seven days, or 67 per cent. The rolling rate is 220.7 per 100,000 people, still above the national average.

Winchester Stanmore has had fewer than three cases in the seven days to February 9 and is pictured as white on the Government Covid map, below.

Across the rest of the Winchester district the numbers have carried on dropping steadily. The Winchester ‘district’ covers more than just the ‘city’ and includes a chunk of Hampshire from Micheldever to Denmead, and Crawley to Ropley.

Only in Winchester West (220.7 per 100,000) are infection rates above the England average. Whiteley Knowle and Wickham (119.6 per 100,000) is now below the average.

Overall, the rates in the Winchester district have been dropping so sharply that there are only 54 areas with a better record out of 315 areas, as of February 8.

Winchester

The Winchester district rate was 104 cases reported, down 102, or 49 per cent, for a rolling rate of 83.3 per 100,000 people, the lowest this year. (See map above)

Across Hampshire there were 2,714 cases, down 969 or 36 per cent for a rolling 124.0. See map below:

Hampshire figures for Tuesday February 9, released on Sunday February 14

Seven people with coronavirus have died in hospitals across Hampshire, according to the latest NHS figures.

One person died at the Hampshire Hospitals trust (HHFT) that runs the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, moving the number of deaths there to 404. There is no available breakdown on regarding at which hospital the deaths occur.

NHS England statistics published today show that one death was recorded at University Hospital Southampton, bringing the total to 432 since the start of the pandemic.

A further five deaths were recorded at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, bringing its total to 818. No deaths were recorded at Solent trust (8) or Southern (54).

The county’s hospital coronavirus death toll now stands at 1,716.

HHFT says its figures only include those who have a positive test for Covid-19 and not other viruses. Patients with a positive test may also being treated for other ailments.

The latest available figures from last Monday show HHFT was caring for 151 Covid patients: 89 in Basingstoke, 62 at the RHCH and none in Andover. Last Monday the figures were 215, with 125 in Basingstoke, 89 at RHCH and one in Andover. The Winchester fall is 30 per cent.

No-one was reported to have died of Covid in Winchester district today. The number of deaths from the pandemic in the district is 171, or 137.0 per 100,000.

Across the Hampshire County Council area only five deaths were reported today, according to the Office for National Statistics. These are when deaths are reported not when they happened. It brings to 2,167 the death toll in the HCC area since last March, a rate of 156.7 per 100,000 people.

Across the county council area today 147 cases were reported bringing the total to 58,941, for a rate of 4,263 per 100,000.

The number of cases in the Winchester district since the start of the pandemic is 4,602, an infection rate of 3,685 per 100,000, well below the England average of 6,286.

Deaths reported in Southampton are now 298, up one on yesterday, or 118.0 per 100,000. In Portsmouth the figure is 327, no change, for 152.2 per 100,000.

Meanwhile, four local primary schools have reported Covid cases in the last 10 days. They are: All Saints in Highcliffe, Otterbourne, Twyford and St John's in Waltham Chase.

Other Covid news:

On Saturday, a positive case of the South African variant of Covid-19 was detected in the Bramley area, north of Basingstoke. Hampshire County Council has quickly introduced rapid local testing, known as surge testing, in areas where cases of new Covid-19 variants have been detected. The test will be delivered in an envelope to people residing near the positive case of mutant variant.

Aged over 65? You can now book your vaccine. On Friday, it was announced that people over the age of 65 who have not yet been offered a Covid jab are being encouraged to contact the NHS to arrange an appointment.

The health service in England has changed its messaging from “we will contact you” to “contact us” for those over the age of 65.

Breaking travel rules could land you a £10,000 fine. Holiday makers breaking Covid restrictions could be slapped with a £10,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison in new legislation designed to stop new variants entering the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that new fines and prison sentences for travel rule breakers will be introduced, alongside a cost of £1,750 for all arrivals who are required to quarantine in hotels.

New £10,000 fines will be dished out to international arrivals who fail to take Covid-19 tests and those who lie on their passenger locator forms now face up to 10 years in jail.

Nearly 400,000 Covid vaccine doses have been administered in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, statistics revealed on Thursday.

Healthcare professionals across the two counties have administered 397,827 doses since December. The number increased by 94,624 in the last week, and are correct as of February 7, 2021.

The region has seen the fifth highest number of doses given, sitting behind Cumbria and North East, Cheshire and Merseyside, Great Manchester, and West Yorkshire and Harrogate.

Figures reported on Thursday show that 88 per cent of people transferred to the NHS Test and Trace system were reached in Hampshire in the space of eight months. Between May 28, 2020, and February 03 this year, 54,419 people were transferred to the contact tracing system. Of these, 47,705 were reached by the Test and Trace system, equating to 88 per cent.