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Manchester now has the highest coronavirus infection rate in the UK, with positive tests doubling in the space of just one week.
The city is now the UK’s COVID-19 hotspot, as Public Health England data released Monday afternoon shows that the weekly rate of new cases has exceeded 500 cases per 100,000 people.
A total of 2,927 new cases were recorded in Manchester in the seven days to October 2, the equivalent of 529.4 cases per 100,000, up from 246.4 the previous week.
Manchester has the highest weekly rate of any local authority area in England. Knowsley has the second highest rate, which has gone from 324.1 to 498.5, with 752 new cases, and Liverpool is in third place, from 306.4 to 487.1, with 2,426 new cases.
On Monday, the UK recorded 12,594 new coronavirus cases and 19 deaths.
It comes after a technical glitch meant the government’s test-and-trace system missed nearly 16,000 cases, leading to an increase of 23,000 reported cases Sunday.
Public Health England (PHE) said that cases between September 25 and October 2 were mistakenly skipped, causing delays in finding contacts for those who tested positive for the virus, in some cases for a week.
Boris Johnson could not say how many coronavirus positive case contacts had been lost.
The flaw, supposedly caused by an Excel sheet that had reached its maximum file size, also means that local authorities do not know the actual level of infections during the last ten days.
Other areas that saw big jumps in their seven-day rates include Newcastle upon Tyne (from 268.1 to 434.9, with 1,317 new cases); Nottingham (from 59.5 to 382.4, with 1,273 new cases); Leeds (from 144.9 to 316.8, with 2,513 new cases); and Sheffield (from 100.9 to 286.6, with 1,676 new cases).
A walk-in coronavirus testing center on Southgate Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester. (PENNSYLVANIA)
Test and Trace and Public Health England joint medical advisor Susan Hopkins told the Manchester Evening News that the failure did not affect decision-making in local areas.
“Our analysis now shows that this problem affected a total of 15,841 cases in the period from September 25 to October 2, with the majority occurring in the last few days. This means that the total number of positive cases during this period was higher than previously reported, ”he said.
“Of these, more than 75% (11,968) refer to cases that should have been reported between September 30 and October 2.
“This issue did not affect people who received COVID-19 test results and all people who tested positive have received COVID-19 test results in the normal way. It also doesn’t affect the basis on which local action decisions were made last week. “
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, disinfects his hands before a memorial service for the victims of the coronavirus at Manchester Cathedral. (PENNSYLVANIA)
On Sunday, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham warned that the north of England will face a “winter of discontent” if the Track and Trace system does not improve.
He said that if there are to be local restrictions, “they should come with local test and trace control, a local licensing scheme and support for our city councils and businesses,” according to the BBC.
“Put it under local control because the government is using call centers to try to reach people, but we will put our boots on the ground and I am absolutely sure that approach will be more successful.”
