Covid: Newcastle sees no significant rise in cases as students return

The council said there was high vaccine uptake among students which was "something to celebrate"

The return of students to Newcastle has not caused a Covid spike on the scale seen in 2020, health chiefs have said.

The infection rate peaked at almost 1,000 cases per 100,000 people after more than 50,000 students returned to its two universities in October 2020.

However, the latest figures for the week up to 4 October showed a rate of 310 per 100,000.

Newcastle City Council's Rachael Hope said there had been no "significant rise" since the students came back.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said while the current rate would have been considered high at earlier stages of the pandemic, it was below the current England-wide rate of 337 cases per 100,000 people and similar to the numbers being reported in Newcastle a month ago.

A survey of Newcastle University students found more than 90% had been jabbed at least once

The council's public health team said case rates had remained steady since the students returned to Newcastle University and Northumbria University and vaccination rates among students were high, with many having received at least one jab.

The council also said recent large events such as the Great North Run had also not lead to any major coronavirus outbreaks.

Ms Hope said the council team were "not seeing a significant rise in cases".

"Newcastle University surveyed around 12,000 students, there was a 7,000 return rate and over 90% of students had had either first or second vaccinations," she said.

"That uptake... is very positive and is also something we are seeing in local data.

"Our 18 to 25 population has a very good uptake and that is something to celebrate."

The council's update comes two weeks after staff at Northumbria University said they felt "unsafe" going back to work following the removal of Covid safety measures.