How many cases of Covid Delta variant are there in the South West? Latest data for Bristol, Swindon, Plymouth and more

The number of cases of the Delta variant have doubled in Bristol in the past week

The number of covid cases is slowly growing in the South West - with cases of the Delta variant doubling in Bristol in one week.

The Delta variant - formerly known as the Indian variant before Covid strains were renamed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) - has become the dominant strain in the UK but cases are still fairly low across the West Country.

Bristol has the highest concentration of cases in the South West with 59 people testing positive in the city, according to Public Health England.

There are 39 reported cases in Swindon and 20 in South Gloucestershire, meanwhile Cornwall, Plymouth, and Torbay have registered fewer than five cases.

The majority of local authorities in the region have 'fewer than five' cases of the variant which means they have had least one confirmed positive case.

Below is the breakdown of confirmed positive cases of the Delta variant across the South West per local authority. Any local authority that has not been named has no reported positive cases of the variant.

Confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the South West:

  • Bristol: 59

  • Swindon: 39

  • South Gloucestershire: 20

  • Gloucester: 16

  • Wiltshire: 15

  • Exeter: 5

  • Stroud: 5

  • Bath and North East Somerset: Fewer than 5

  • Cheltenham: Fewer than 5

  • Cornwall: Fewer than 5

  • Forest of Dean: Fewer than 5

  • Mendip: Fewer than 5

  • North Somerset: Fewer than 5

  • Plymouth: Fewer than 5

  • Somerset West and Taunton: Fewer than 5

  • Teignbridge: Fewer than 5

  • Torbay: Fewer than 5

Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency Dr Jenny Harries said: "With this variant now dominant across the UK, it remains vital that we all continue to exercise as much caution as possible.

Dr Jenny Harries is urging people to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible to do so

"The way to tackle variants is to tackle the transmission of Covid-19 as a whole. Work from home where you can, and practice ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times.

"If you are eligible and have not already done so, please come forward to be vaccinated and make sure you get your second jab. It will save lives."

Across the UK, the number of cases of the Delta variant has risen by 5,472 since last week to 13,760.

However, the number of patients in hospital with coronavirus remains very low and the majority of those admitted had not been vaccinated.

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