THE Covid infection rate in Herefordshire is rising faster than most other areas in the country, new figures reveal.

Herefordshire is second in a list of the five UK areas with the biggest week-on-week rises.

The figures, for the seven days to September 26, are based on the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in either a lab-reported or rapid lateral flow test, by specimen date.

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (September 27-30) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Herefordshire recorded 1,228 new cases in the seven-day period, almost doube the 738 found the previous week.

It means the county has an infection rate of 634.2 cases per 100,000 people, up from 381.2.

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Of the 377 local areas in the UK, 301 (80 per cent) have seen a week-on-week rise in rates, 75 (20 per cent) have seen a fall and one is unchanged.

Kettering in Northamptonshire continues to have the highest rate, with 1,026 new cases in the seven days to September 26 – the equivalent of 1,003.8 per 100,000 people.

This is up sharply from 635.9 in the seven days to September 19.

Neath Port Talbot in Wales has the second highest rate, up slightly from 892.1 to 897.6, with 1,296 new cases.

Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales has the third highest rate, up from 767.3 to 857.5, with 2,074 new cases.

South Ayrshire has the highest rate in Scotland (585.0) and Mid Ulster has the highest rate in Northern Ireland (502.8).

The five UK areas with the biggest week-on-week rises are:

  • Kettering (up from 635.9 to 1,003.8)
  • Herefordshire (381.2 to 634.2)
  • North Lincolnshire (435.3 to 684.8)
  • Northampton (336.6 to 565.8)
  • Harrogate (343.6 to 567.6)

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency using data published on September 30 on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Here are the 25 area with the highest rates:

It reads, from left to right: name of local authority; nation or region of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to September 26; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to September 26; rate of new cases in the seven days to September 19; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to September 19.

  1. Kettering, East Midlands, 1003.8, (1026), 635.9, (650)
  2. Neath Port Talbot, Wales, 897.6, (1296), 892.1, (1288)
  3. Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, 857.5, (2074), 767.3, (1856)
  4. Caerphilly, Wales, 824.8, (1499), 745.6, (1355)
  5. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, 782.8, (473), 839.1, (507)
  6. Swansea, Wales, 770.6, (1900), 732.9, (1807)
  7. Rugby, West Midlands, 756.4, (837), 569.4, (630)
  8. Blaenau Gwent, Wales, 731.2, (512), 658.4, (461)
  9. Allerdale, North-west England, 727.8, (712), 639.9, (626)
  10. Stafford, West Midlands, 723.2, (997), 523.0, (721)
  11. Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, 710.3, (961), 681.5, (922)
  12. Corby, East Midlands, 707.7, (517), 628.3, (459)
  13. North Lincolnshire, Yorkshire & the Humber, 684.8, (1183), 435.3, (752)
  14. Newport, Wales, 677.5, (1060), 545.9, (854)
  15. Barnsley, Yorkshire & the Humber, 675.2, (1675), 519.6, (1289)
  16. Harborough, East Midlands, 659.4, (630), 439.6, (420)
  17. Torfaen, Wales, 645.4, (612), 528.3, (501)
  18. Barrow-in-Furness, North-west England, 644.4, (430), 557.5, (372)
  19. Lichfield, West Midlands, 639.9, (676), 442.1, (467)
  20. North West Leicestershire, East Midlands, 635.4, (666), 541.9, (568)
  21. Herefordshire, West Midlands, 634.2, (1228), 381.2, (738)
  22. Blaby, East Midlands, 630.7, (643), 531.6, (542)
  23. Denbighshire, Wales, 629.0, (608), 533.8, (516)
  24. Carmarthenshire, Wales, 604.0, (1148), 621.3, (1181)
  25. Redditch, West Midlands, 603.0, (516), 398.5, (341)