Covid-19: Young people 'driving Cambridge case increase'

The Covid-19 rate in Cambridge has risen since lockdown rules were relaxed on 12 April

Rises in the Covid-19 infection rate in Cambridge are mainly down to younger people, according to the county's public health director.

On Thursday, the city was 11th in the latest table of infection rates across England.

Cambridge had 54 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 25 April, up 13% on the previous week.

Dr Liz Robin said some people were "not sticking to the rules for this stage of the roadmap".

The number of cases in Cambridge had risen from 60 to 68 over the same seven-day period.

The case rate across England as a whole was 25 per 100,000 people, according to the government's statistics website.

The figures for Cambridge were higher for the seven days to 24 April, which put the city in the top five in the national table, which Dr Robin said was "of concern".

She said "children and younger, working-age adults" were driving the increase.

"A common feature among cases when we follow them up is they have been socialising and that has gone a bit beyond the current rules," she said.

What are the current coronavirus restrictions in England?

• Only socialise indoors with people you live with or who are in your support bubble

• Up to six people or two households can meet outside

• Work from home if you can and only travel when necessary

• If you have symptoms get a test and stay at home

She warned against "complacency" as the vaccination continues to be rolled out to younger age groups.

"Covid may start spreading in a particular population, but it does then usually spread into all groups in the community... so we will still get people going to hospital and sadly dying if it gets too prevalent," she said.

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More than 150,000 adults in Cambridgeshire have been fully vaccinated against Covid, while 61% of the population had had their first vaccine by 22 April, according to official figures.

You can use this interactive map to check the latest Covid rate in your district: