Covid-19: Great Yarmouth infection rate nearly doubles in week

Public health officials are concerned over the rise in Covid-19 cases in Great Yarmouth

The coronavirus infection rate in a seaside town has nearly doubled in a week, public health officials report.

For the period 21-27 September, cases in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk were running at 49 per 100,000 people - up from 25 a week before.

Infections across the whole county were 14 per 100,000 - up from 12 per 100,000 the week before.

The rate for England over the latest period was 58 per 100,000, according to the Department for Health.

The majority of cases in the Great Yarmouth area relate to working age adults and, although some are linked to the outbreak at the Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk where some residents were travelling to to work, there was concern about wider transmission within the local community, Dr Louise Smith, director of public health for Norfolk, believed.

"We are concerned that there is a trend of rising cases in the Great Yarmouth area and we need to work together to bring these rates back down," she said.

Public health teams were continuing to look for any patterns or trends, so that further targeted action could be taken.

Carl Smith, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: "While the rate of infection is still below the national average, we are responding proactively to this rise in cases as the virus can spread quickly.

"The people of Great Yarmouth having been doing great so far but we need to keep it up and we all need to consistently follow the guidelines so a rise in cases in the borough is controlled."

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