THE number of Covid-19 cases in Worcestershire has reached the highest point since the start of the pandemic.
County-wide, the infection rate stands at 317 per 100,000 people, with 1,888 positive cases recorded over the last seven days.
That’s more cases than during May, June, July, August and September last year combined.
Bromsgrove remains the district with the highest infection rate at 400 per 100,000, although every area has seen a significant increase since Christmas.
The latest figures have come directly from Worcestershire County Council this afternoon.
Dr. Kathryn Cobain, the director for Public Health in Worcestershire said: “The rising figures are concerning and we are seeing a deteriorating picture across our county.
“The surge in cases is a direct result of our behaviours over Christmas: people mixing and seeing others.
“We are seeing our local NHS experiencing significant impacts with more people in hospital now than at any point in the pandemic.
“We need to act immediately to stop this transmission by stopping mixing with others and following all the rules.
“It is down to every one of us to prevent the spread of this virus and to reduce the cases in Worcestershire.”
County Councillor for health and wellbeing, John Smith, added that the new year brings ‘fresh hope’ with vaccines being rolled out to residents.
“While we wait for the vaccines to be given, let’s work together to get our Covid-19 cases down,” he said.
A new dashboard has been created to help residents understand the current situation, although the latest figures are yet to be updated.
Visit http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20769/coronavirus_covid-19 to view it.
