A NEW Covid hotspot has emerged in the Winchester district.

The number of cases in Oliver's Battery and Hursley has soared from 2 to 15 in the seven days to June 23, a rise of 650 per cent, for a rolling rate of 183.5 per 100,000 people.

Today the latest figure to June 25 revealed that the number had increased to 20, a 900 per cent rise for a rolling rate per 100,000 of 244.6.

That is the highest rolling number for any part of the Winchester district since February.

Othera of the district with rolling numbers higher than 100 are Stanmore (118.0) and Colden Common and Twyford, (105.0)

In the Winchester district to June 25 there were 104 cases, up 62, or 148 per cent for a rolling rate of 83.3. June 25 is the most recent day fort which localised figures are available.

The numbers for Olivers Battery and Hursley

The numbers for Oliver's Battery and Hursley

Covid infection rates are increasing across most of the Winchester district. There are now only two parts, Springvale and Itchen Abbas and South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever, which are marked on the Government map because there are two or fewer cases in the seven days to June 23.

The Delta, also known as the Indian variant, is also rising fast. In the week to June 23 there were 1,629 such cases, according to Public Health England. In Winchester the number of Delta cases has risen from 19 in the week to June 9, to 41 to June 16 and 67 in the week to June 23. It is more easily transmissable than previous strains.

The latest numbers for the Winchester district

The latest numbers for the Winchester district

Of the 14 local authority areas in Hampshire, Southampton has the most cases with 329 followed by Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Test Valley, Hart, East Hampshire, and Winchester.

Across the 315 local authority areas of the UK there are now 100 with a better figure than Winchester. A week ago the equivalent figure was 65 and 52 the week before that. The Delta, or Indian, variant is being blamed for the increase as it is more easily transmissable than previous strains.

But no deaths have been reported in the Winchester district for 118 days, since March 3. No deaths have been reported in the area covered by the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, that includes the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, for 66 days. The numbers of its patients who have died remains at 439. Hampshire Hospitals is currently caring for six Covid patients.

Some 82.2 per cent of adults in the district have received their first dose of vaccine, slightly below the UK average of 84.4 per cent. For second doses it’s 62.4 per cent just above the national average of 61.9 per cent.

Two Winchester schools are affected, Kings' and All Saints, the first for several days. There are three cases linked to Winchester University, the highest numbers for several months but none of the people affected have been non campus in the period before their positive result, says the university website.

Other Covid news: Five more schools affected by Covid in Winchester area

Two Winchester schools affected by Covid