Only four areas of Herefordshire have recorded cases of COVID-19 in the seven days ending 27th May 2021, with Herefordshire remaining on course to meet all the guidelines set by government for the relaxation of restrictions on 21st June.
Currently, the number of new cases continues to fall in the county, with the infection rate now down to 11.4 cases per 100,000 population. Hospitalisations remain low, with Hereford County Hospital reporting in recent NHS England figures that no patients were being treated for COVID-19 at hospital. Further data on hospitalisations will be reported tomorrow (Thursday). COVID-19 deaths also remain low, indicating that even those that are testing positive for the virus are in the majority not getting as ill as they previously were.
In terms of variants of concern, prevalence of the COVID-19 variant first discovered in India remains low. With the number of sequences recorded in Herefordshire in the week ending 22nd May being just one. This is down on the five sequences that were recorded in the week ending 15th May.
Despite the good news locally, nationally cases of the Indian variant continue to rise, with it now being the dominant variant in most areas of the country, sparking fears that the government could delay the full reopening to a later date than the 21st June. However, to balance this with some good news, the United Kingdom recorded zero COVID-19 related deaths yesterday. This is the first time the UK has recorded zero COVID-19 deaths in a day since the start of the pandemic.
The areas that recorded the most cases in the seven day period ending 27th May were: (Infection Rates per 100,000 Population in Brackets)
Bromyard & Bishop’s Frome – 3 new cases (27.9)
Ledbury – 4 new cases (39.8)
Hereford Central – 4 new cases (39.7)
Penyard, Llangarron & Goodrich – 3 new cases (24.9)
The areas that recorded fewer than three new cases in the seven day period ending 27th May were:
Hereford North West
Kingstone & Kingsthorne
Leominster North
Leominster South
Hereford North East
Shobdon, Luston & Bodenham
Wigmore, Orleton & Brimfield
Fownhope, Tarrington & Marcle
Kington, Eardisley & Staunton
Credenhill, Weobley & Wellington
Belmont, Madley & Clehonger
Hereford South
Hereford East
Colwall, Cradley & Wellington Heath
Ross-on-Wye
Golden Valley
SOURCE – https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map
