Covid-19 infection rates in the Sefton area of the Liverpool City Region are falling following a sudden surge related to the India variant of the virus.
There were concerns in the area as infection rates were growing after the new variant of concern from India had been detected locally.
The outbreak had centred on the Formby area of the borough, forcing the closure of a pub and a leisure centre in the seaside town - with hundreds of school pupils also sent home to isolate.
This led to public health teams deploying surge testing in the area in a bid to clamp down on and contain the spread of the highly transmissible variant.
And one pharmacy was offering vaccines to anyone aged 20 years or over on Friday.
Looking at the very latest statistics, there is some good news when it comes to Sefton.
While the borough is still out on its own in terms of the infection rates of the different boroughs of the city region, Sefton's numbers have come down significantly.
The latest infection rate for Sefton - based on data for the seven days leading to May 13 - is 36.5 cases per 100,000 people.
At the end of last week that rate was significantly higher at 56.8 cases per 100,000 people - it has come down by around 26% on the previous week.
This fall suggests the swift action taken in the area to try and contain the outbreak is hopefully working.
When looking at the rest of the city region boroughs in the same period, some areas have experienced a rise in cases.
Below are the infection rates for each area for the week leading to May 13 - with the total number of infections recorded in brackets.
Halton - 18.6 (24)
Knowsley - 14.6 (22)
Liverpool - 10.6 (53)
St Helens - 21.0 (38)
Sefton - 36.5 (101)
Wirral - 8.6 (28)
Liverpool City Region - 17.1 (266)
And below is the percentage change in infection rates compared with the previous week:
Halton - up 41.2%
Knowsley - up 22.2%
Liverpool - down 14.5%
St Helens - up 58.3%
Sefton - down 26.3%
Wirral - up 3.7%
Liverpool City Region - down 6.7%
As you can see, while Sefton's rate has fallen, the rates in places like Halton and St Helens have risen.
However, while the percentage increases may look substantial it is important to recognise that these are based on very small numbers.
In St Helens for example, that increase of 58.3% is based on just 14 cases.
Similarly, Halton's rise represents just seven extra cases. The borough's low number of cases means a small increase in the absolute number of infections can look much worse in percentage terms.
Today marks a major milestone for the city region in terms of the roadmap out of lockdown.
Hospitality businesses will now be able to serve people indoors, while indoor entertainment venues will open up once again.
People will also be able to mix indoors for the first time in many months.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram urged caution as people start to mix more from today.
He said: “We’re all looking forward to enjoying the return of these freedoms we have missed so much over the last few months, to seeing more of friends and family and getting out and supporting more of our region’s businesses.
"“But it’s vital that we do this with care and respect for each other and remember that we still need to be cautious and do the right things to keep the virus under control and prevent another spike in infections.
“We have all been through an incredibly difficult period and we do not want to go back on the progress we have made together.
“The virus has not gone away and there is increasing concern about the presence of the new b.1.617 variant, first identified in India, across the country and in our region.
He added: “So today we are appealing to everyone to not be complacent. Please keep following the rules on social distancing, wear a face-covering where required, wash your hands regularly and take care when visiting friends and family indoors, especially to protect people who are more vulnerable.
“It’s also vital the everybody gets a Covid vaccine when invited – and gets both jabs be sure of the maximum protection for themselves and others.
“Our region is famous for its warmth, generosity and strong sense of community. Let’s keep using that, stick together and make sure we keep beating Covid so we can enjoy a summer of freedoms with no more unnecessary deaths due to this terrible pandemic.”
