England is under a national lockdown following sharp rises in Covid-19 positive testsEngland is under a national lockdown following sharp rises in Covid-19 positive tests
England is under a national lockdown following sharp rises in Covid-19 positive tests

Covid case rates now over 800 in more than a dozen areas of Northamptonshire

Northampton, Corby and Brackley are all among the worst-affected towns

This is how the number of positive Covid-19 tests multiplied across Northamptonshire in the week between Christmas and New Year.

More than a dozen areas are now among the worst affected places in England with weekly rates of new positive tests over 800.

Most are in and around Northampton, but Corby and Brackley also feature prominently:

■ Wootton and Collingtree now has the highest weekly infection rate in the county at 971.1 positive tests per 100,000 people.

■ Long Buckby West and Weedon saw an increase of 343 per cent in the number of positive swabs.

■ Rowlett, Gretton & Cottingham saw an increase of 261 per cent as Corby recorded the highest number of positive swabs in the whole country.

■ Other rural areas are also seeing spikes, led by Walgrave and Moulton which saw 91 new cases in seven days to January 1.

■ The list includes areas which have not seen high rates before, such as Brackley North where the number of positive tests doubled.

Local health chiefs admitted earlier this week that easing of restrictions on Christmas Day may have played its part in the increases as it allowed more families and friends to get together despite risks of those without symptoms passing on the virus.

Those who pick up the bug usually know about three-to-five days after exposure.

Northamptonshire's Director of Public Health, Lucy Wightman, wrote in her weekly column for this newspaper: "Northamptonshire’s current Covid-19 statistics are frightening.

"We have just passed 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the county, positivity rates are at an all-time high — higher than we saw in March last year and amongst the highest regionally — and it is was with a heavy heart that I received the news that the mutant strain of the virus had arrived in our county.

"A new year often presents new challenges but this year is like no other. The vaccine is a ray of light in this darkness but we must be be braced for some difficult weeks ahead.

"I know that we are all exhausted, those at the front line and otherwise, but we must all play our part and stay at home unless absolutely necessary."

Government analysts divide the country into small areas with roughly equal populations — around 7,200 to make comparisons. They then take the weekly number of positive tests, divide that by the population and multiply to find the rolling rate per 100,000 people.

Across the East Midlands, which includes Northamptonshire, the weekly rate per 100,000 people on January 1 was 389.2. The national figure for all of England was 579.8.

You can check how your own area has fared by clicking HERE to view the Government's interactive map.

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