Covid rising in new hotspot near Winchester: numbers Saturday March 20

Government figures show that Covid is increasing across the Winchester district.

In the Winchester district as a whole official figures in the week to Monday March 15 show there were 45 cases, up 18 on the previous week, a rise of 67 per cent, for a rolling rate per 100,000 people of 36.0.

The rise in numbers in South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever has seen the closure of Micheldever primary school, due to reopen on Tuesday March 23.

Figures released this afternoon show that in the seven days to Monday March 15 there were 11 cases in the area, up from two the previous week, an increase of 450 per cent. The rolling rate per 100,000 people is 187.1, well above the current national average. Monday March 15 is the most recent day for which such localised figures are available,

Until last Wednesday's figures were released Covid has virtually disappeared from the area. There have been more cases (11) in the three villages north of Winchester than in the whole of the city of Winchester (3).

The new numbers in South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever

New cases of Covid are rising in four areas of the Winchester district and across the area as a whole, according to figures released today and shown on the maps below.

Figures for the past few days show that the decline in Covid cases has stopped and numbers are now increasing, although those increases are currently very small.

But no deaths have been reported in the Winchester district for 18 days and none across the whole of the NHS in Hampshire.

The other area where numbers were increasing was Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham. Today's figures for the week to March 15 show the numbers are dropping with five cases, down two, 29 per cent, for a rolling 42.7.

There have been small increases in four other areas: Winchester East (Winnall and Highcliffe), three cases, up one, rolling 36.8; Alresford, four, up two, 100 per cent, 47.3; Denmead and Southwick, six, up two, 50 per cent, 58.5; and Springvale and Itchen Abbas, four, up one, 33 per cent, 58.2.

The latest number for the Winchester district

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

But for the 18th day running no Covid deaths have been reported in the Winchester district, the first time this has happened since the summer.

Meanwhile new figures out on Thursday 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 (Saturday) ten new cases were reported across the district which 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 Monday March 15, are:

Winchester West;

Winchester Central and South;

Winchester North and Sparsholt;

Stanmore;

Oliver’s Battery and Hursley;

Colden Common and Twyford;

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.

In the Winchester district as a whole official figures in the week to Monday March 15 there were 45 cases, up 18 or 67 per cent, for a rolling rate per 100,000 people of 36.0, showing the recent decline is reversing.

In the seven days to today there have been 47 new cases, now the same as the previous week’s 40.

Across Hampshire the numbers are still dropping with 467 cases, down 12 (2 per cent) for a rolling 33.8.

The Press Association national news agency reported that the figures to Friday March 12 show 125 places out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester. On March 1 there were only 15 better.

The number of Winchester district cases since the start of the pandemic is now 4,841, for a rate per 100,000 people of 3,877. No new deaths have been reported keeping the number at 183, a rate of 146.6 per 100,000 people.

As reported, 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, maintaining the overall figure at 1,869. The numbers of Covid patients who have died in the HHFT hospitals is 438. There is no breakdown on where the deaths occurred.

Other Covid news:

Micheldever school to be closed until at least Tuesday