Yahoo Finance The 20 English areas with the highest COVID rates – as cases rise in 41% of country
Coronavirus cases are rising in 41% of English areas, the latest infection data show.
The latest figures for the seven days up to 27 March show cases are rising in 130 out of 315 local council areas.
It’s up from last Wednesday, when figures showed cases were rising in 112 of the 315 areas.
The latest data show Corby in Northamptonshire has the highest infection rate in England, at 214.6 cases per 100,000 people (a list of the 20 areas with the highest infection rates can be viewed at the bottom of this page).
North Warwickshire had the biggest week-on-week rise, 73.5 per 100,000 to 168.5.
Watch: Coronavirus in numbers: UK death toll rises by 43
It comes amid the latest easing of restrictions, with up to six people or two households now allowed to meet outdoors.
The lockdown is set to be further eased on 12 April, when the likes of shops, hairdressers, gyms and community centres will be allowed to reopen, as well as pubs and restaurants for outdoor service.
While deaths and hospital admissions remain at lower levels, there were a further 4,052 positive COVID-19 tests confirmed on Wednesday.
And, as this government graph demonstrates, the speed of the decline in cases completely slowed down in March.
On Wednesday, it prompted a reminder from Public Health England medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle that tens of thousands of people are still being infected each week.
She said: “It is encouraging that the death rate is falling, but there are still as many people in hospital now as there were at the start of the second wave, and tens of thousands of us are getting infected every week and could become seriously ill.
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“As restrictions lift and the weather improves, we cannot drop our guard. We’re not out of the woods quite yet.
“Until all of us are protected [by vaccines] it remains essential to follow the steps we know stop the virus from spreading. Kill it by washing your hands, block it by wearing your mask, and maintain a safe social distance in the open air.”
She added: “Case numbers are still high in certain places and looking forward they are certainly not predictable. So your actions are still saving lives.”
Here are the 20 areas of England with the highest infection rates
Corby: 214.6 per 100,000 people
Rotherham: 170.7
North Warwickshire: 168.5
Barnsley: 148.7
Doncaster: 144.3
North Lincolnshire: 141.0
Bradford: 136.7
Wakefield: 136.1
Boston: 129.7
Hull: 129.3
Luton: 124.9
Sheffield: 124.3
South Kesteven: 120.1
South Holland: 120.0
Leeds: 117.9
East Northamptonshire: 113.2
Oldham: 111.3
Blackburn with Darwen: 110.2
Kirklees: 109.6
Tameside: 109.1
Watch: How England is leaving lockdown
