THE recent one-day spike in new Covid cases appears to have gone as quickly as it arose in the Winchester district.
Monday saw 38 new cases, the highest daily number since January 22. Since then the two daily figures have been eight yesterday, and 18 today.
But the reason for the spike remains unclear. It could just be a freak one-off but that is unlikely. There will be no information on the geographical location of the cases for several days because of a week's time lag in the localised figures being made available.
One possibility is Winchester Prison where there has been a high number of cases but the Ministry of Justice says it does not comment on cases at individual jails.
The number of Winchester district cases since the start of the pandemic is now 4,666 for a rate per 100,000 people of 3,737. The district covers more than just the city but includes countryside from Micheldever to Denmead.
Almost all parts of the district are still seeing falls in cases although the recent steady decline appears to have shallowed. In the seven days to Friday February 12, the most recent day for which figures are available, there were 102 cases, down 64 on the previous seven days, a drop of 39 per cent, the smallest decline for four days. But there are only 53 local authority areas out of 315 with better numbers.
The most recent figures for Winchester district
Five areas of Winchester have seen fewer than three cases in a week - Stanmore, Alresford, Springvale and Itchen Abbas, Winchester North and Sparsholt and Winchester Central and South. These areas are now marked white on the Government map.
Covid rates are rising in just two areas of the Winchester district - Colden Common and Twyford and Oliver’s Battery and Hursley.
In the seven days to Friday February 12, the most recent day for which such localised figures are available, there were 11 cases in Colden Common and Twyford, up one, or a rise of 10 per cent. Oliver’s Battery and Hursley reported five cases, up three, or 150 per cent.
Across the district in the seven days to today 118 new cases have been reported, down from 146 on the previous seven days.
The last Covid hotspot in Winchester has seen numbers increase again. The Winchester West area of Weeke and Fulflood, including hotspot focus of Winchester Prison, had 35 new cases in the seven days to February 12. That is a decrease of 16 on the previous seven days, or 31 per cent. But it is double the 18 reported on Tuesday. The rolling rate doubled to is 351.2 per 100,000 people, far above the national average.
One person is reported today to have died of Covid in the Winchester district, with the number now at 172, a rate of 137.8 per 100,000 people. They died within 28 days of having a positive test.
There are fewer patients at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, but only slightly on the previous week. As of Monday across the Hampshire Hospitals trust area it stands at 124, down one from 125. There are 68 at the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and 56 at the RHCH.
The number of cases in the Winchester district since the start of the pandemic is 4,648, an infection rate of 3,722 per 100,000, well below the England average of 6,317.
Ten 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 406. There is no available breakdown on regarding at which hospital the deaths occur.
NHS England statistics published today show that five deaths were recorded at University Hospital Southampton, taking the total at 444 since the start of the pandemic.
A further two deaths were recorded at Portsmouth Hospitals Trust, bringing its total to 832. No deaths were recorded at Solent trust (8) but there were two at Southern (56).
The county’s hospital coronavirus death toll now stands at 1,746.
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.
Across the Hampshire County Council area 19 deaths were reported today, according to the Office for National Statistics. These are when deaths are reported not when they happened. It brings to 2,210 the death toll in the HCC area since last March, a rate of 159.9 per 100,000 people.
Across the county council area today 171 cases were reported bringing the total to 59,490, for a rate of 4,302 per 100,000.
Deaths reported in Southampton are now 301, up one, or 119.2 per 100,000. In Portsmouth the figure is 336, up four, for 156.3 per 100,000.
Meanwhile, three local primary schools have reported Covid cases in the last 10 days. They are: Otterbourne, Twyford and St John’s in Waltham Chase.
Other Covid news:
Monday's Chronicle story on the Covid spike
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