THE coronavirus infection rate in Herefordshire has fallen significantly for the second week in a row after steadily rising for almost four months.

The latest figures from Public Health England shows the infection rate – the number of new cases per 100,00 people – has fallen by more than a third in Herefordshire over the last week.

The latest figures, for the seven days to November 29, show the infection rates stands at 69.5 new cases per 100,000 people, lower than 117.2 and 191.9k a fortnight ago.

This is because 134 new cases were recorded during the most recent week, less than the 226 the previous week.

Data for the most recent four days (November 30-December 3) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

A majority of areas in England (266 out of 315) have seen a fall in case rates.

Swale in Kent continues to have the highest rate, with 867 new cases recorded in the seven days to November 29 – the equivalent of 577.7 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up from 529.7 in the seven days to November 22.

Medway – also in Kent – has the second highest rate, up from 439.8 to 559.7, with 1,559 new cases.

Boston in Lincolnshire is in third place, where the rate has risen from 436.1 to 528.7, with 371 new cases.

After Medway, the areas with the biggest week-on-week jumps are Maidstone (up from 274.1 to 382.9, with 658 new cases); Woking (up from 144.9 to 198.4, with 200 new cases); and Ashford (up from 124.6 to 176.9, with 230 new cases).

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency, based on Public Health England data published on December 3 on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Here is the top 20 in the list:

From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to November 29; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to November 29; rate of new cases in the seven days to November 22; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to November 22.

  1. Swale, 577.7, (867), 529.7, (795)
  2. Medway, 559.7, (1559), 439.8, (1225)
  3. Boston, 528.7, (371), 436.1, (306)
  4. Thanet, 471.4, (669), 469.3, (666)
  5. Gravesham, 389.9, (417), 389.0, (416)
  6. Maidstone, 382.9, (658), 274.1, (471)
  7. Lincoln, 371.6, (369), 324.3, (322)
  8. Stoke-on-Trent, 353.0, (905), 419.7, (1076)
  9. Basildon, 314.1, (588), 271.9, (509)
  10. Dover, 309.0, (365), 287.8, (340)
  11. Redbridge, 306.3, (935), 302.1, (922)
  12. Slough, 298.9, (447), 319.0, (477)
  13. Blackburn with Darwen, 291.9, (437), 334.0, (500)
  14. Dudley, 288.9, (929), 411.4, (1323)
  15. Oadby and Wigston, 287.6, (164), 401.6, (229)
  16. Havering, 287.0, (745), 332.1, (862)
  17. Burnley, 284.5, (253), 356.5, (317)
  18. East Lindsey, 283.6, (402), 433.2, (614)
  19. Pendle, 283.4, (261), 310.5, (286)
  20. Rossendale, 277.0, (198), 307.8, (220)

Here's how Herefordshire compares to nearby areas:

90. Gloucester, 175.0, (226), 215.3, (278)

203. Cheltenham, 101.5, (118), 122.1, (142)

207. Shropshire, 100.9, (326), 152.9, (494)

248. Forest of Dean, 80.7, (70), 123.3, (107)

262. Worcester, 72.1, (73), 152.1, (154)

268. Herefordshire, 69.5, (134), 117.2, (226)

269. Malvern Hills, 68.6, (54), 83.9, (66)