Covid - almost gone from Winchester district

Twelve of the 14 areas of the district are virtually Covid-free with fewer than three cases reported in the seven days to March 29, according to figures released this afternoon.

This is the first time that 12 of the 14 areas of the Winchester district have reached this level.

And numbers in the two mini-hotspots of South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever and Wickham, Knowle and Whiteley have fallen, meaning there are now no parts of the districts where the numbers are rising, also a first.

For the 33rd day no Covid deaths have been reported in the district.

Covid numbers for South wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever, released today, Sunday April 4

In South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever there have been only three cases, down 10, or 77 per cent, for a rolling 51.0 per 100,000 people. A week ago the rolling number was 221.2.

In Wickham, Knowle and Whiteley there were only four cases, down one, for a rolling 34.2.

March 29 is the most recent day for which localised figures are available.

Across the district only two new cases were reported and only 16 in the last seven days to today.

Across the Winchester district as a whole, which covers the city council area and stretches from Micheldever to Denmead, the numbers of new Covid cases week-on-week has again dropped after rising for 15 days. To March 29 some 24 cases were reported, down 24, or 50 per cent, for a rolling number per 100,000 of 19.2. See map below.

Winchester's most recent numbers, for March 29

But numbers across Hampshire as a whole are still creeping up. The recent increase across Hampshire, the first since January 14, has continued with 430 cases, up 7, 2 per cent, for a rolling 31.1.

The two new cases reported across the district today brings the number of people affected since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 to 4,901, a rate of 3,925 per 100,000.

The 12 areas, where there have been fewer than three cases in the last seven days to March 29, are:

Winchester West;

Winchester East;

Winchester Central and South;

Winchester North and Sparsholt;

Winchester Stanmore;

Oliver's Battery and Hursley;

Springvale and Itchen Abbas;

Colden Common and Twyford;

Alresford;

Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon;

Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase;

Denmead and Southwick.

In the seven days to today (Sunday) there have been 16 new cases, down from previous week’s 35.

The Hampshjire numbers released today

The Press Association national news agency reported that the figures to March 26 show 109 places out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester. A month ago weeks ago Winchester was 22nd best but last week it dropped to 134th.

Across the NHS trusts in Hampshire (Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth, Southern and Solent) no Covid patients are today reported to have died, keeping the overall figure to 1,892. The numbers of Covid patients who have died in the HHFT hospitals remains at 438 with only 11 deaths last month and none this month. There is no breakdown publicly available at which hospitals the deaths occurred.

There are very few Covid patients in local hospitals. Last Monday there were just 12 in the three HHFT hospitals - 10 in Basingstoke, one at the RHCH and one in Andover. On Monday March 22 there had been 16 (14, one and one), a decline this week of 25 per cent.