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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Liam Thorp

More Covid care home outbreaks in Liverpool as rates keep rising

There have been more outbreaks of Covid-19 in Liverpool as the city continues to deal with soaring rates of the virus.

Public Health Director Matt Ashton urged people to continue to be cautious and get vaccinated as he said 'there is a lot of the virus about in the city.'

Liverpool's infection rate has now risen above 500 cases per 100,000 and while the majority of these cases are in younger people, Mr Ashton said it is moving through different - and older - groups as well.

Read more: Animals found underfed and covered in faeces at Liverpool children's attraction where meerkats escaped

He said: "Our rate is around 510 cases per 100,000, predominantly in younger people, particularly 13-17 year olds, 18-24 year olds, 25 to 34 year olds.

"But there are infections across the city in all age groups, its not confined to one particular group or area.

"Although the rate is very high, it isn't as high as the peak in January, but it is very high.

"The Delta variant has done this, it makes up for 99.6% of the cases we have sequenced.

"We are starting to see outbreaks in care homes, I think we have seven outbreaks in care homes at the moment, which shows that it doesn't just stick in younger age groups."

Mr Ashton also said there are around 47 covid patients being cared for in the city's hospitals, with 11 of those in critical care.

He added: "We don't want people to be in hospital, because that means they are very ill.

"Covid also causes disruption to the system and impacts on staff and planned care and routine appointments.

"We've been looking at the data from hospitals and those being admitted with covid tend to fall into two groups - younger unvaccinated people and older people who are either partly or fully vaccinated.

"That's not about the failure of the vaccine, they are very good, they work, but they don't give you it 100% effective and when there is more virus around, there is more risk."

Speaking about the current situation in the city, he added: "Around 11% of all of our people who get tested have got Covid-19 - there's a lot of virus about in the city right now."

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