Weekly Covid cases exceed 4,000: Find out the infection rate in your part of the Anglia region

  • Professor Paul Hunter, from the University of East Anglia, an expert in infectious diseases and epidemics, has told ITV News Anglia that scientists expected to see a rise in coronavirus cases as we went into the autumn, but many have been surprised by how rapidly that increase has happened

More than 4,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in a week in the Anglia region and rate of increase is now faster than England as a whole.

A greater number of people in the region are now being tested positive than at the height of the pandemic in April but that is partly down to many more tests being conducted now.

Public Health England East says the increasing rates of infection are 'cause for concern and action.

There were 811 new coronavirus cases reported in the Anglia region on Friday and 966 cases reported on Thursday.

According to Public Health England figures, 4,074 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the Anglia region in the seven days to Tuesday 6 October. That was up from 2,235 cases the week before - an increase of 82%.

Over the same period, the number of positive tests across England increased by 62%.

A xxx graph of the daily coronavirus cases in the Anglia region with a seven-day rolling average Credit: Data from Public Health England

The Anglia region as a whole had 56 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the population in the week to 6 October.

That was an increase from 31 cases per 100,000 in the previous seven days.

The highest infection rate in the region was in Rutland with 120 cases per 100,000 and Hertfordshire with 74 cases per 100,000. The lowest rate was in Suffolk with 36 cases per 100,000.

Coronavirus cases in each county in the Anglia region to 6 October compared to the previous week

  • Bedfordshire - 409 cases - up from 290 (+41%)

  • Cambridgeshire - 475 cases - up from 250 (+90%)

  • Essex - 953 cases - up from 594 (+60%)

  • Hertfordshire - 876 cases - up from 448 (+96%)

  • Milton Keynes - 135 cases - up from 70 (+93%)

  • Norfolk - 371 cases - up from 235 (+58%)

  • Northamptonshire - 530 cases - up from 216 (+145%)

  • Rutland - 48 cases - up from 19 (+153%)

  • Suffolk - 277 cases - up from 113 (+145%)

Bedfordshire is the three unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Cambridgeshire includes Peterborough and Essex includes Southend and Thurrock

Across the entire Anglia region there were 56 coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the week to 6 October. Credit: Data from Public Health England

Although the weekly total of positive tests in the Anglia region is now higher than the peak week of 27 April to 3 May, when there were 3,397 confirmed coronavirus cases, there were fewer tests being conducted back then.

Across the UK there were 1.8 million tests were carried out in the week to 4 October compared to 400,000 conducted nationally in the week to 3 May.

Hospital admissions are also rising in the Anglia region but there are far fewer people being treated in the East of England than across the UK.

On Friday, the NHS reported 597 hospital admissions across the UK of which 17 were to hospitals in the East of England.

There were 132 coronavirus patients in hospital in the East of England on 9 October with 15 on ventilators.

The weekly admissions in the region have increased to 116 in the week to 7 October compared with 97 in the week to 30 September. That is a rise of nearly 20%.

The graph shows the number of weekly positive coronavirus tests in the Anglia region during the pandemic Credit: Data from Public Health England

Here is the latest update of the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority area in the Anglia region.

The figures, for the seven days to 6 October, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people. The list has been calculated by the PA news agency and is based on Public Health England data published on 8 October on the Government's coronavirus dashboard. Data for the most recent three days (7-9 October) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.

Nottingham now has the highest rate in England, with 2,532 new cases recorded in the seven days to October 6 – the equivalent of 760.6 cases per 100,000 people.

This is a steep jump from 158.3 per 100,000 in the seven days to 29 September.

The highest rate in the Anglia region is in Rutland with 120.2 cases per 100,000.  North Norfolk is currently recording the lowest infection rate in the Anglia region with 24.8 cases per 100,000, up from 7.6 the week before.

The areas where cases are increasing at the fastest rate are Babergh in Suffolk (+457% from 7 cases to 39), Tendring in Essex (+323% from 22 cases to 93) and North Hertfordshire (+264% from 25 cases to 91).

There are only two areas of the Anglia region where the number of coronavirus cases is falling - South Norfolk and Great Yarmouth.

Coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in each local authority area of the Anglia region in the week to 6 October (with the previous week in brackets)

  • Rutland 120.2 (47.6)

  • Hertsmere 120.1 (40.0)

  • Harborough 111.9 (43.7)

  • South Kesteven 103.2 (30.9)

  • East Hertfordshire 90.2 (39.4)

  • Brentwood 87.0 (35.1)

  • Bedford 81.9 (50.2)

  • Three Rivers 81.4 (52.5)

  • Daventry 80.3 (30.3)

  • St Albans 80.2 (47.8)

  • East Northamptonshire 77.2 (37.0)

  • Northampton 74.8 (25.4)

  • Watford 74.6 (49.7)

  • Kettering 73.7 (22.6)

  • Great Yarmouth 73.5 (91.6)

  • Luton 71.8 (61.0)

  • Epping Forest 71.4 (58.5)

  • Peterborough 69.7 (39.1)

  • North Hertfordshire 68.1 (18.7)

  • Uttlesford 65.7 (64.6)

  • Broxbourne 64.8 (43.2)

  • Norwich 64.7 (17.8)

  • South Cambridgeshire 63.5 (28.9)

  • Tendring 63.5 (15.0)

  • Basildon 60.9 (42.7)

  • Castle Point 60.9 (37.6)

  • Corby 59.5 (41.5)

  • Dacorum 59.4 (45.9)

  • South Northamptonshire 59.3 (18.0)

  • Wellingborough 57.7 (35.1)

  • Welwyn Hatfield 56.9 (23.6)

  • Cambridge 55.3 (25.6)

  • Milton Keynes 50.1 (26.0)

  • Fenland 48.1 (20.6)

  • Huntingdonshire 47.2 (33.2)

  • Thurrock 47.0 (29.8)

  • Chelmsford 46.0 (35.3)

  • Aylesbury Vale 44.6 (17.0)

  • Southend-on-Sea 44.2 (32.8)

  • West Suffolk 44.1 (14.5)

  • Colchester 43.1 (16.9)

  • Harlow 42.5 (28.7)

  • Babergh 42.4 (7.6)

  • South Holland 40.0 (13.7)

  • Central Bedfordshire 39.5 (25.3)

  • King’s Lynn and West Norfolk 37.7 (21.1)

  • Braintree 37.4 (21.0)

  • Stevenage 36.4 (13.7)

  • East Suffolk 34.9 (21.2)

  • East Cambridgeshire 34.5 (14.5)

  • Breckland 33.6 (14.3)

  • Maldon 32.3 (27.7)

  • Ipswich 30.7 (12.4)

  • Rochford 29.8 (13.7)

  • Broadland 29.1 (14.5)

  • Mid Suffolk 28.9 (9.6)

  • South Norfolk 27.7 (28.4)

  • North Norfolk 24.8 (7.6)

The Anglia region is the East of England counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk along with Northamptonshire, Rutland and Milton Keynes.