Locked-down Leicester tops a list of the 10 areas of England where cumulative coronavirus infection rates are the highest.
The city, which was plunged into a local lockdown late last month as cases of Covid-19 soared, has a lab-confirmed cases rate of 1,249.7 since the start of the outbreak, according to the latest Public Health England data.
Leicester's rate increased by 70.4 from the previous week. However, its rolling seven-day rate of new cases has dropped and the lockdown has been partially lifted.
In a list of places that have the highest rates and have seen a week-on-week rise, it is followed by Ashford, Kent (1,010.2); Bradford, West Yorkshire (835.5); Preston, Lancashire (821.5); and Oldham, Greater Manchester (802.1).
Barnsley in South Yorkshire, Rochdale in Greater Manchester, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, South Holland in Lincolnshire, and Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire round out the top 10.
Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, has England's third-highest cumulative rate (890.7). Its rate was unchanged from a week ago, according to Government data.
The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 population.
The figures are based on tests that have been carried out both in laboratories (pillar one of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).
The figures should be treated with caution. Just because areas have seen an increase it does not mean infections are soaring, and it does not mean those in the top 10 have the highest number of existing cases.
Rolling seven-day figures offer a clearer picture of the current situation.
Rates can rise for a number of reasons, including wider testing. The actual number of current cases in most, if not all, of these areas could be very small.
This list shows the cumulative lab-confirmed cases rate to July 15, followed by the equivalent figure for the previous seven days to July 8. The figures are from a spreadsheet published on the Government's coronavirus website.
- Leicester - 1,249.7, 1,179.3
- Ashford - 1,010.2, 998.6
- Barrow-in-Furness - 890.7, 890.7
- Bradford - 835.5, 804.2
- Preston - 821.5, 814.4
- Oldham - 802.1, 794.5
- Barnsley - 785.1, 780.2
- Rochdale - 760.5, 735.9
- Oadby and Wigston - 758.9, 736.1
- South Holland - 752.3, 748.0
- Blackburn with Darwen - 742.6, 735.1
On Thursday, a table of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority in England was published.
In Leicester, the rate has dropped from 126.7 in the seven days to July 6 to 99.7 in the seven days to July 13.
It was 141.0 in the seven days to June 29.
Second on the list is Pendle, where the rate has gone up from 28.4 to 65.6, and where 60 new cases have been recorded in the seven days to July 13.
Other areas reporting notable week-on-week jumps include:
- Blackburn with Darwen (up from 36.3 to 48.3, with 72 new cases in the seven days to July 13)
- Herefordshire (up from 3.1 to 43.2, with 83 new cases recorded in the seven days to July 13, linked to an outbreak on a farm near Worcester)
- Luton (up from 14.9 to 27.6, where 59 new cases have been recorded in the seven days to July 13)
The list is based on Public Health England figures updated on July 16 on the Government's coronavirus online dashboard.
Data for the most recent three days (July 14 to 16) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.
Here is the top 10 list in full, showing the rate of new cases in the seven days to July 13, followed by the equivalent figure for the previous seven days to July 6.
- Leicester 99.7, 126.7
- Pendle 65.6, 28.4
- Blackburn with Darwen 48.3, 36.3
- Herefordshire 43.2, 3.1
- Bradford 35.4, 36.7
- Oadby and Wigston 31.5, 36.8
- Rochdale 30.0, 35.9
- Peterborough 29.3, 21.4
- East Staffordshire 28.7, 7.6
- Luton 27.6, 14.9
