Covid rates in Trafford are going down after being the highest in the country weeks ago – but health bosses have urged caution following a ‘very slight increase’ in hospital admissions.
At a public engagement board meeting this morning (November 3), the borough’s director for public health Helen Gollins gave an update on the borough’s position.
Trafford has seen a 23pc decline in its covid rates in just a week – but current measures including ‘masks on the move’ for children and staff in schools and a recommended pause of care home visits for anyone under 16 are set to continue until at least November 15 when they will next be reviewed.
The borough’s current rate stands at 456.7 cases per 100,000 population for the week ending October 29, with 1102 Trafford residents testing positive for covid.
None of Trafford’s schools are currently experiencing outbreaks, but 12 primary schools and seven secondary schools have cases in them.
The infection rate for the borough’s over 60s is 226 cases per 100,000 population.
This follows an earlier peak on October 9 of an infection rate of 846 cases per 100,000 people.
Last week, the borough’s rate had declined to 598 cases per 100,000 population.
Ms Gollins said: “You’ll be really pleased to know our rates are continuing to decline. There’s been a really nice, steady decline.”
The borough stands 119th nationally in terms of highest infection rates.
Ms Gollins added: “As good and as positive as these figures are, we need to be really measured in how we look at these figures. We’re still above the England average, our hospital rates, although they’re very stable, there’s a very slight increase in admissions, so we still need to be watching things very carefully.
“Our over 60s, again it’s still an area that we are concerned about, so we are very much watching our over 60s at the moment.
“Where we are at the moment at the beginning of November, we’re coming into winter pressures. So while there is a welcomed decline in rates, we still have to be very careful.”
The acting Director for Public Health explained the borough’s positivity rate, the percentage of people going to get tested that come out positive, is still ‘reasonably high’ too – which she said tells us that there’s still a lot of infection circulating in the community.
She added: “In terms of how we sit with Greater Manchester boroughs, we do now actually look like we do belong in Greater Manchester in terms of rates. Initially we were so far ahead of our nearest borough, it was really interesting to see that difference.
“But at the moment, we can’t be complacent and we have to stay committed to everything that we’re doing around covid.”
