The Covid infection rate where you live after Indian variant found in North East

Covid infection rates are still falling across most of the North East, despite cases of the fast-spreading Indian variant being found.

This week it emerged that the variant of concern had been discovered in Newcastle and North Tyneside, with at least 19 cases across the region to date.

Despite urging caution, some of the region's top public health officials insist levels of the strain are much lower here than the rest of the country.

And Government data shows infection rates are still falling in all but two of the LA7 council areas.

Only South and North Tyneside have experienced increased cases this week. The latter was recently hit with an outbreak linked to a Tynemouth bar, Allard's Lounge, with customers there still being urged to take a test.

Elsewhere cases were down by as 48.9%. That decline, in Sunderland, means the city currently has one of the lowest infection rates in the country.

However despite relatively low levels of the Indian variant, there are still concerns that it could delay Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown or spark local lockdowns.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson won't rule out local lockdowns due to the spread of the Indian Covid-19 variant (PA)

Officials are carefully monitoring the strain, especially in hotspots in the North West, amid studies from SAGE that suggest it may have the potential to not only scupper the roadmap but cause more hospital admissions than Britain experienced in either of the past two waves.

However, there is still no evidence that it can evade current vaccines. And while there are concerns it can spread quicker, officials also say there's no evidence that it is more lethal than other strains.

These are the region's Covid infection rates for the week ending May 8.

(Infection rates are in brackets and are the number of cases for every 100,000 residents, with the data extracted from the UK Government's interactive data map)

Northumberland (15.5) - 50 cases in total, a decline of 10.7% on the previous week

Newcastle (38) - 115 cases in total, a decline of 12.2% on the previous week

North Tyneside (24) - 50 cases in total, an increase of 35.1% on the previous week

Gateshead (13.9) - 28 cases in total, no change on the previous week

South Tyneside (16.6) - 25 cases in total, an increase of 31.6% on the previous week

Sunderland (8.6) - 24 cases in total, a decrease of 48.9% on the previous week

County Durham (17.5) - 93 cases in total, a decrease of 37.6% on the previous week