Concern as Hull Covid-19 cases hit highest rate

Hull Royal Infirmary and other hospitals are treating more than 140 Covid-19 patients

A second wave of Covid-19 cases has left health bosses in Hull concerned it will be worse than the first.

The city hit its highest infection rate last week since the pandemic began, with 671 cases per 100,000 compared to the UK average of 244.

Government figures show the city currently has one of the highest infection rates in the country.

Director of Public Health Julia Weldon described the situation as "the worst it has been" during the pandemic.

"These rates are not good news," she said.

"Just a handful of weeks ago we had fewer than five cases in the whole city and we're now seeing hundreds every day."

'Reduce our local rate'

Ms Weldon called on people to follow the lockdown measures imposed by the government last week and due to run until 2 December.

"While the government has initially put these tighter restrictions in place, lifting them is dependent on a review of the data at that point, " she continued.

"If we do not manage to reduce our local rate by that time, I cannot see any way that we would be able to go ahead with any relaxing of the rules."

Covid-19 hospital admissions have increased in the city by 73% over the last week.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said that more than 140 patients were being treated, with 12 in intensive care.

Analysis

Rob England, BBC England Data Unit

The number of coronavirus cases in Hull has been increasing steadily over the past month and the area now has the third highest infection rate in England in the week to 5 November.

In early October, the city had about 328 cases in a week and its rate stood at about 100 cases per 100,000. In the last week this shot up to 1,744 cases, with a rate of 671 per 100,000 - far higher than the national rate of about 244.

The infection rates for Hull and nearby North East Lincolnshire are also far higher than other areas in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire - with all other authorities recording rates below 400 per 100,000 people.

Despite rising infections, the number of deaths of people in the area following a positive Covid-19 test has not seen a significant increase.

Since the pandemic began, 221 people from Hull have died, 10 in the last week. This is roughly similar to the number of deaths seen over seven days over the past few weeks.

Dr Cheryl Walter, lecturer in microbiology at the University of Hull, said the city's geographical isolation and low population density compared with other areas could be behind the recent spike in cases.

"We got off quite lightly in the first peak," she said.

"Because of that we are far more susceptible and there isn't a lot of what we call herd immunity, or community immunity, within our local population.

"Also, we're heading into winter. It is colder, there are more people indoors. This is a virus that is probably transmitted by droplets or by airborne transmission, so they tend to peak in the winter months."