Euro 2020 led to more young men in Essex getting Covid, says health boss

Dr Mike Gogarty said the difference between the rate of positive Covid tests among young men and women could be down to Euro 2020

More young men have tested positive for Covid than women in Essex because of Euro 2020, according to the county's director of public health.

The average infection rate among the county's men is 550 per 100,000, compared to 420 per 100,000 in women.

National data also suggests the number of men in their 20s in England testing positive for Covid-19 increased during the football tournament.

Dr Mike Gogarty said coronavirus rates in Essex were doubling every 10 days.

Public Health England (PHE) figures nationally show up to the week ending 11 July young men and women had been testing positive at roughly the same rates during the pandemic, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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However, in the two weeks prior to England's match against Italy in the final the figures show 55,679 men aged between 20 to 29 tested positive compared to 45,412 women.

At a meeting of Essex County Council's health board, Dr Gogarty said: "Interestingly we are seeing a marked divergence in the rate between men and women - which is likely related to the impact from the Euro football tournament."

He said Essex's overall rate is 490 per 100,000 people compared to a national average of 473, but the rate among 19 to 21-year-olds is 1,600 per 100,000.

"The rates in the over 60s, which is the age group I'm much more concerned about, are much lower," he added.