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Two areas of Teesside are now national hot spots for the coronavirus, the latest NHS data has shown.
Middlesbrough, which was added to the government watch list on Friday as an ‘area of concern’, now has an infection rate of 43.4 per 100,000, after registering 67 new cases in the past seven days.
That’s the twelfth highest in the country, ahead of places like Leicester, which are still subject to local lockdown restrictions.
But while Middlesbrough’s rate might not be surprising after national attention over the weekend, a sudden spike in Hartlepool is concerning.
Its infection rate of 40.8 per 100,000, out of 40 positive cases in a week, considering its smaller population, is not far behind Middlesbrough.
Across Teesside, 17 new cases were reported Monday compared to 33 on Sunday, seven in Middlesbrough and two in Hartlepool.
The current infection rate for Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland is around 20 per 100,000, the NHS data showed.
Bolton has the highest current infection rate in the country, at 114.2 cases per 100,000.
| Local authority | Homes per 100,000 | Change in the past week |
| Bolton | 114.2 | 135% |
| Bradford | 63.9 | 37% |
| Black burn | 57.7 | twenty-one% |
| Salford | 56.2 | 47% |
| Oldham | 54.7 | -7% |
| Rochdale | 54.5 | 24% |
| Manchester | 49.5 | 19% |
| Birmingham | 48.8 | 74% |
| Tameside | 48.4 | 33% |
| Gateshead | 45.4 | 241% |
| Bury | 45.2 | 76% |
| Middlesbrough | 43.3 | 91% |
| South Tyneside | 42.6 | 19% |
| Hartlepool | 40.8 | 280% |
(If you can’t see the table above, CLICK HERE)
While no local lockdown restrictions have been put in place in Teesside, a continued increase in the number of cases could cause the Government to impose tougher measures in our region.
Local leaders have urged people to follow social distancing advice, wear face masks, and adhere to guidelines on mixing households to avoid the threat of local lockdowns.
The news comes after six Teesside schools reported positive cases and asked affected students to isolate themselves for 14 days.
Pubs and restaurants in the area, including The Swan in Billingham and Al Forno in Ingleby Barwick, have also informed customers of positive cases related to their establishments.
Hospitals are silent, but there is a warning
Hospital admissions remain low, and the NHS said nine people were admitted with COVID-19 on Monday across the Northeast and Yorkshire.
Of the 97 patients at the hospital, 17 are now on ventilation, but none of them are at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, according to Dr. Richard Cree, who blogs about the hospital’s response to COVID-19. .
But while a growing number of cases have yet to translate into full hospitals or deaths, health chiefs are still concerned that older people and those vulnerable to serious illnesses could become infected.
(Image: Aaron Chown / PA Wire)
The NHS in Teesside has only reported three deaths in hospitals since the end of June, while the latest data from the Office for National Statistics showed that in the week ending August 21, no one died from covid-19 in no environment in our region.
Many of those infected during the recent surge in cases have been young.
According to the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service, Hartlepool has seen a large increase in the number of cases in the 18-35 age group.
Craig Blundred, acting director of public health at the Hartlepool Council, told its health and wellness board on Monday: “I think one of the key factors is that cases are starting to spread, people are being more outgoing and going back to work, And it’s something that we’ll probably see an increase if we don’t do something to reinforce those messages about staying home with symptoms, getting tested, and isolating yourself as well. “
| Local authority | Homes per 100,000 | Change in the past week |
| Gateshead | 45.4 | 241% |
| Middlesbrough | 43.4 | 91% |
| South Tyneside | 42.6 | 19% |
| Hartlepool | 40.8 | 280% |
| Sunderland | 36.8 | 364% |
| Newcastle | 29.6 | 123% |
| North Tyneside | 21.4 | 132% |
| Stockton | 20.8 | 86% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 20.5 | 4% |
| Northumberland | 19 | 135% |
| Durham County | 18.4 | 70% |
| Darlington | 9.4 | 67% |
(If you can’t see the table above, CLICK HERE)
‘Don’t infect your grandparents’
Blundred said that many young people do not have the pre-existing health conditions that make the elderly more vulnerable to illness.
He said: “If we look at other countries abroad, what we have seen is that younger people will start to have the cases and that will then spread to older people as well, with the consequent potential for increased death rates and hospitalizations “.
On Saturday, the Middlesbrough City Council drove a van through bars and busy areas of the city with a message to remember social distancing and hand washing, in an effort to reach young people.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested that wealthy young people have helped drive the rise in coronavirus cases, warning that they may still suffer from “really serious symptoms and consequences” of the disease.
“Long Covid – where people six months later are still sick – is prevalent among the very young,” he said.
“Also, that you can infect other people, this argument that we’ve seen some people come out saying ‘you don’t need to worry about an increase in cases because they’re younger people and they don’t die’ – they can get very, very sick in the first place.
“And secondly, it inevitably leads to older people catching them, don’t infect your grandparents.”
More tests, more cases, right?
While the increase in new cases is concerning, many readers have dismissed the recent increase as inevitable, arguing that more tests would always find more cases, especially those who are asymptomatic who would never have been offered a test at the peak of the pandemic. in April and May.
But Blundred noted that the number of positive cases in Hartlepool occurred despite a slight reduction in testing, suggesting a higher infection rate within the city.
Testing rates and testing capacity in England have also been stable in recent weeks, data from Public Health England shows, while the permanent Teesside Middlehaven test center in Middlesbrough has been open since mid-June. .
But there is some caution: A study from Oxford University has suggested that the main PCR test used to diagnose the coronavirus is so sensitive that it could detect fragments of dead virus from ancient infections.
The researchers say this could lead to an overestimation of the current scale of the pandemic, but experts say it is vital that the test is reliable enough not to risk losing cases.
Middlesbrough City Council continues to remind residents of the following urgent advice:
- If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you and everyone in your household should isolate yourself
- This means staying home for reasons other than medical, such as attending an exam: do not go to work, school or public areas, and do not use public transportation or taxis.
- You shouldn’t even go out to buy food or other essentials, and any exercise should be done inside your home.
- Anyone with symptoms, however mild, should book a free trial online or by calling 119. The testing center in Middlehaven holds about 800 tests per day and home test kits can also be ordered.
- The more people you have interactions, the more likely it is that the virus will spread. So try to limit the number of people you see, especially for short periods of time. The risk of transmission is also higher indoors, so you need to take extra care to stay as safe as possible.
- Anyone who is advised to self-isolate after a positive test MUST complete their full period of self-isolation by staying at home
- If you are informed that you have been in close contact with someone who tested positive, you MUST continue to isolate yourself for the full 14 days, even if you have had a negative test.
- Everyone should try to stay six feet from people they don’t live with, wash their hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, and cover their face in shared transportation or in public places like stores.
Where are the hot spots?
Public health data, which takes into account new infections between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3, show that Easterside in Middlesbrough had 13 new cases and the Wooler Road ward in downtown Hartlepool had 11.
And Matt Vickers, Conservative MP for Stockton South, said he was aware of recent spikes at Yarm and Thornaby.
“The recent increase in cases is certainly worrying,” said Mr. Vickers, who was scheduled to meet with the Secretary of Health.
A mobile test site will be at the Newport Community Hub from 1 pm to 5 pm on Saturday and from 9:30 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
It will remain there until Thursday, September 10; daily opening hours will be confirmed in due course.
He will also visit Hartlepool (Old Jackson’s landing site) on September 7-8.
From September 9-13, he will visit Kirkleatham Walled Garden in Redcar and from September 11-13 he will be at Dairy Car Park in Stockton.
The testing site at the Sainsbury’s site at Middlehaven in Middlesbrough is also open between 8 am and 8 pm daily.
He added: “I am very interested that we do not undo everyone’s efforts to control the virus. I have been incredibly proud of the common sense and individual responsibility demonstrated by the people of Stockton and now we have to keep it up.
“We are not on the government watch list yet and to keep it that way please stay home and seek proof if you show any symptoms, then remember a combination of hand washing, social distancing and face covering.
“It is important that we continue to support our amazing local pubs, shops and restaurants that have worked hard to comply with the guide, but it is increasingly important that we observe and abide by the rules in doing so.”
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