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One part of Kent is one of only three in England to see an increase in its rate of covid infection.
Figures updated yesterday show that the current infection rate in Medway is 414.6 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of 28.4% in the week leading up to November 22.
The other two areas reporting an increase are East Sussex, with an increase of 5.2% and an infection rate of 122.9 and Redbridge, in London, with an increase of 5% and a rate of 295.8, both significantly lower than Medway’s.
However, more than half of authorities across the country saw their numbers drop by at least 25% according to Public Health England’s weekly infection surveillance report.
The data compares Medway with the rest of Kent, which between November 15-22 saw a 7.3% decline to 260.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Swale has faced most of the blame for sending Kent to Level 3 as of next Wednesday when the national lockdown ends and several MPs from Kent will be meeting with Matt Hancock to show their concerns about the level restrictions facing the county.
However, Medway Council Leader Cllr Allan Jarrett believes the sharp increase in cases is due to an excess of patients needing treatment for the virus in the Swale and Thanet areas.
He said: “Our numbers have increased a lot in the last few weeks.
“Swale residents use our hospitals, people from the area work at Medway and travel back and forth regularly, so it was quite unavoidable, unfortunate, but unavoidable.
“Next week will be very revealing. Our cases have not stalled yet, we just have to hope to be near the top end and all we can do is keep working hard together to make things better.”
When asked about the recent news of asymptomatic tests reaching the county, Cllr Jarrett said it is the right step to help stop the spread of the virus.
He added: “I hope it happens at Medway very soon.
“It’s going to help, testing people who don’t show symptoms is definitely one of the ways to move forward.
“It will highlight people who are really contagious without showing it, which means we can isolate them, which will help stop the spread of the disease.”
Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group Accountability Officer Wilf Williams highlighted the pressure on hospitals across the county.
He said: “We have more Covid patients now than at the peak of the first wave, illustrating the extent of the pressure our hospitals are facing.
“There is a lag of a few weeks between infection and people being hospitalized, so we are probably seeing another few weeks of that kind of pressure, even if rates start to drop.
“Our hospitals are at the kind of occupancy levels they would have in the dead of winter, which has been made more complex by the fact that we have had to treat patients with Covid.
“It has been a great challenge, but they are at levels where they can cope.
“All of our hospitals are under some pressure, but those with the highest community infection rates, around Medway, Thanet and Dartford, are seeing the highest number of Covid admissions.”
After consulting with hospital heads, Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott offered guidance on why Kent has plunged into Level 3.
She said: “Medway and Swale have some of the highest Covid case rates in the entire country and as a result the NHS at Medway and Swale are implementing full ‘business continuity measures’, which basically means they have declared a major incident and may no longer accept new cases.
“As a result, Tunbridge Wells Hospital, in particular, is receiving a broader Kent case series, with a third of its critical care patients diverted from other areas.
“At times, up to 20% of ambulance admissions in Darent Valley have been diverted from elsewhere.”
“Tunbridge Wells is currently at 90% capacity and Darent Valley is full, but is trying to add additional beds to meet demand.
“The 15 intensive care beds in Darent Valley are busy and use mutual aid.”
Read more: All the latest Medway news
