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There has been a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in the East Midlands over the past two weeks, according to the latest Public Health England (PHE) weekly surveillance report.
The rate of new COVID-19 Infections in the region have increased from 48.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 164.1 in the space of two weeks.
Follow the warnings of Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance that cases are increasing across England, and not just in the North West and North East.
PHE said there have been “notable increases in incidence and positivity” in the East Midlands in the two weeks from September 28 to October 11.
During this period, the percentage of people who received a positive result after taking a COVID-19 test increased from 2.8% to 8.9%.
Nottingham continues to have the highest rate of new cases in England, reporting around 3,070 new cases in the seven days to October 11, which is equivalent to 922.2 cases per 100,000 people.
The increase in cases is believed to be related, at least partially, to a large outbreak at the University of Nottingham.
There are currently more than 1,000 active cases of coronavirus in the university, according to the latest data.
The city has moved to Tier 2 restrictions, which means that different households cannot meet indoors, although it has thus far avoided the more stringent restrictions.
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A meeting between Nottingham MPs and government ministers, which some believed was to discuss the move to Level 3, was canceled on Friday, Nottinghamshire Live reported.
The PHE report also suggests that London faces a major problem.
While infections in the capital appear relatively low compared to northern regions, the highest hospital admission rates have been seen in London and the North West.
This could be due to a drop in testing in the capital, meaning that infections are likely much higher than the available data suggests.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has repeatedly criticized the testing system, saying: “We need an immediate increase in testing capacity so that London testing rates can rise to the national average.”
Meanwhile, schools and universities continue to account for the highest proportion of reported coronavirus outbreaks in the UK.
In the week to October 11, UK education settings notified PHE of 336 suspected outbreaks.
In 279 cases, at least one person tested positive for COVID-19.
Nursing homes accounted for the second highest number of suspected outbreaks, with 321 reports. At least one person tested positive for COVID-19 in 214 cases.
