NEW cases of Covid are rising in five areas of the Winchester district.

Two more schools have been affected by Covid since reopening last week with cases at The Westgate secondary and St John the Baptist in Waltham Chase.

They join Kings' last week and Micheldever primary, which closed because of the numbers affected.

Figures for the past few days show that the decline in Covid cases has stopped and now look to be edging up slightly, although those increases are very small.

No deaths have been reported in the Winchester district for 16 days and none today across the whole of the NHS in Hampshire.

Two new mini-hotspots are emerging in the Winchester district, the area covered by the city council.

The most recent is in the South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever area which has forced the temporary closure of Micheldever Primary School after a number of Covid cases were reported.

Until Tuesday the area of South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever had seen fewer than three cases for more than three weeks.

But the numbers have started to rise again. Today it was reported that in the seven days to Saturday March 13 there were eight new cases, an increase of six, or 300 per cent, from the previous seven days, giving a rolling number per 100,000 people of 136.1, well above the national average.

The latest Covid numbers for South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever

The latest Covid numbers for South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever

The area of Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham has seen a 167 per cent increase, week on week, in new Covid cases. The number has risen from three to eight, for the week ending Saturday March 13, the most recent day for which localised figures are available. The rolling number per 100,000 people is 68.3, the second highest in the Winchester district and on the national average.

There have been small increases in three other areas: Colden Common and Twyford, three cases, up one, for a rolling 31.5 per 100,000; Winchester East (Winnall and Highcliffe), three cases, up one, rolling 36.8; and Alresford, four, up one, 47.3.

Winchester West, (Weeke and Fulflood) and Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase are both now back under three cases and so marked on white on the Government map.

Latest available Covid numbers for Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham

Latest available Covid numbers for Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham

It is unclear whether these increases are just a short-term glitch or the beginning of a wider problem.

Other statistics shows that the decline in Winchester has slowed and the district has been overtaken by dozens of other places.

But for the 16th day running no Covid deaths have been reported in the Winchester district, the first time this has happened since the autumn.

Meanwhile new figures out today show that 85.7 per cent of over-55s in Winchester district have received the first vaccine, a higher percentage than Southampton (81.6 per cent) and Test Valley (83 per cent). Portsmouth (87.7) and Fareham (89.5). The figures go up to Sunday March 14.

Today (Thursday) five new cases were reported across the district. The district covers more than just the city but includes countryside from Micheldever to Denmead.

The eight areas, where there have been fewer than three cases in the last seven days to Saturday March 13, are:

Winchester West;

Winchester Central and South;

Winchester North and Sparsholt;

Stanmore;

Oliver’s Battery and Hursley;

Springvale and Itchen Abbas;

Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase;

Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon.

These areas are now marked white on the Government's Covid interactive online map.

The Winchester Covid numbers

The Winchester Covid numbers

In the Winchester district as a whole official figures in the week to Saturday March 13 there were 41 cases, up 15 or 58 per cent, for a rolling rate per 100,000 people of 32.8, up on recent days, showing the recent decline has stopped and may be reversing.

In the seven days to today (Thursday) there have been 50 new cases, up from previous week’s 33.

Across Hampshire the numbers are still dropping with 478 cases, down 20 (4 per cent) for a rolling 34.6.

The Press Association national news agency reported that the figures to Friday March 12 show 78 places out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester. Two weeks ago Winchester was 22nd best.

The number of Winchester district cases since the start of the pandemic is now 4,827, for a rate per 100,000 people of 3,866. No new deaths have been reported keeping the number at 183, a rate of 146.6 per 100,000 people.

As repoirted, the Covid burden at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has continued to ease. On Monday there were only 25 patients across the HHFT; 15 in Basingstoke and nine in the RHCH and one in Andover. The previous Monday, March 8, there were 30 patients – 20 at Basingstoke, 10 at RHCH.

Across the NHS trusts in Hampshire (Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth, Southern and Solent) no Covid patients have died, keeping the overall figure at 1,866. The numbers of Covid patients who have died in the HHFT hospitals remains at 437. There is no breakdown on where the deaths occurred.

It is the first time this year that no deaths have been reported in the NHS in Hampshire.

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