Coronavirus cases have doubled in a week across nearly half of the Anglia region

More than 4,300 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in a week in the Anglia region and cases are doubling in 23 of the 54 districts in the area.

In the week to Wednesday, cases have more than doubled in Ipswich, Northampton, Kettering, Colchester and Stevenage since the previous week.

The largest week-on-week percentage increase was in the Babergh area of Suffolk were cases rose from 9 to 43, up 378%. Positive tests have increased three-fold in the Tendring area of Essex, in North Hertfordshire and in Norwich, where an outbreak at the University of East Anglia has seen more than 70 cases.

Even in North Norfolk, where have cases have been low throughout the pandemic, the number of positive tests has increased from 11 to 31 in a week. That represents 30 cases per 100,000 population.

Additional warnings about the rising cases in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk appear to have had some effect as it is the only district to see falling cases in the East of England. But the seaside town still had 72.5 cases per 100,000.

The areas of the Anglia region where coronavirus cases have at least doubled in a week

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

A full list of the weekly infection rate in all the districts in the Anglia region is below

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

There were 705 new coronavirus cases reported in the Anglia region on Saturday, 811 on Friday and 966 cases reported on Thursday.

According to Public Health England figures, 4,324 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the Anglia region in the seven days to Wednesday 7 October. That was up from 2,485 cases the week before - an increase of 74%.

Over the same period, the number of positive tests across England increased by 53%.

A 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 59.6 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the population in the week to 7 October.

That was an increase from 34.2 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 79 cases per 100,000. The lowest rate was in Suffolk with 40 cases per 100,000.

Coronavirus cases in each county in the Anglia region to 7 October compared to the previous week

  • Bedfordshire - 436 cases - up from 307 (+42%)

  • Cambridgeshire - 488 cases - up from 301 (+62%)

  • Essex - 975 cases - up from 633 (+54%)

  • Hertfordshire - 943 cases - up from 513 (+84%)

  • Milton Keynes - 143 cases - up from 78 (+83%)

  • Norfolk - 408 cases - up from 246 (+66%)

  • Northamptonshire - 578 cases - up from 253 (+128%)

  • Rutland - 48 cases - up from 21 (+129%)

  • Suffolk - 305 cases - up from 133 (+129%)

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 60 coronavirus cases per 100,000 in the first week of October

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 Saturday, the NHS reported 684 hospital admissions across the UK of which 23 were to hospitals in the East of England.

There were 132 coronavirus patients in hospital in the East of England on 10 October with 17 on ventilators.

The weekly admissions in the region have increased to 128 in the week to 8 October compared with 95 in the week to 30 September. That is a rise of 35%.

The graph shows the weekly number of positive coronavirus tests in the Anglia region throughout the pandemic.

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 7 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 from Public Health England data published on 10 October on the Government's coronavirus dashboard. Data for the most recent three days (8-10 October) has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised.

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 29.6 cases per 100,000, up from 10.5 the week before.

Coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in each local authority area of the Anglia region in the week to 7 October (with the previous week in brackets)

  • Rutland 120.2 (52.6)

  • Hertsmere 113.4 (52.2)

  • Three Rivers 97.5 (53.6)

  • East Hertfordshire 96.2 (48.1)

  • Bedford 81.9 (50.2)

  • Northampton 86.4 (29.4)

  • Watford 85.9 (49.7)

  • St Albans 84.2 (53.2)

  • Daventry 83.8 (34.9)

  • East Northamptonshire 80.4 (47.6)

  • Brentwood 79.2 (46.7)

  • Luton 78.9 (62.9)

  • Kettering 75.7 (29.5)

  • Norwich 74.7 (19.9)

  • Broxbourne 74.0 (41.1)

  • Tendring 73.0 (15.7)

  • Epping Forest 72.9 (58.5)

  • North Hertfordshire 72.6 (22.5)

  • Great Yarmouth 72.5 (87.6)

  • Peterborough 70.7 (47.0)

  • Uttlesford 70.1 (66.8)

  • Corby 69.2 (34.6)

  • South Cambridgeshire 65.4 (35.8)

  • Welwyn Hatfield 65.0 (28.4)

  • South Northamptonshire 64.6 (22.2)

  • Dacorum 63.3 (54.3)

  • Basildon 62.0 (44.3)

  • Wellingborough 60.2 (45.2)

  • Cambridge 60.1 (34.5)

  • Castle Point 55.3 (40.9)

  • Milton Keynes 53.1 (28.9)

  • Chelmsford 52.1 (34.8)

  • Huntingdonshire 50.6 (37.1)

  • West Suffolk 48.0 (19.0)

  • Thurrock 47.6 (33.3)

  • Babergh 46.7 (9.8)

  • Colchester 45.2 (19.5)

  • Harlow 42.5 (29.9)

  • Central Bedfordshire 40.9 (28.4)

  • King’s Lynn and West Norfolk 40.3 (23.1)

  • Fenland 40.3 (27.5)

  • Southend-on-Sea 39.3 (36.0)

  • East Cambridgeshire 39.0 (13.4)

  • Stevenage 38.7 (18.2)

  • Maldon 38.5 (24.6)

  • Ipswich 36.5 (12.4)

  • East Suffolk 36.5 (23.7)

  • Breckland 35.7 (16.4)

  • Braintree 37.4 (23.6)

  • Broadland 34.4 (15.3)

  • Rochford 34.3 (16.0)

  • Mid Suffolk 33.7 (13.5)

  • South Norfolk 31.2 (29.8)

  • North Norfolk 29.6 (10.5)

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