CORONAVIRUS cases have fallen hugely in Herefordshire a week after nearly 3,000 people tested positive.

In the seven days to Wednesday, January 12, a UK Government heatmap showed the areas in Herefordshire with the highest number of new Covid cases.

Cases fell in all of Herefordshire's 23 areas compared with data from January 5.

Current coronavirus hotspots in the county, those with the highest infection rates, include:

  • Hereford North East, which covers Aylestone Hill, Munstone and Shelwick
  • South West, areas such as Hunderton and Newton Farm
  • Central, including the city centre, parts of the College Estate and Portfields
  • South, which covers Hinton and Saxon Gate

The infection rate – the number of cases per 100,000 people – for those areas were all above the UK average of 1,082.7.

The map breaks Herefordshire down into 23 sections known as middle super output areas.

These are used to try and improve the reporting of small area statistics, with an average population of around 7,200 people in England and Wales.

In total, Herefordshire reported 1,680 cases in the seven days to January 12, giving it an infection rate of 867.7 cases per 100,000 people.

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That was 1,113 fewer cases than the week before when the infection rate was 1,442.6. A fortnight ago it was 1,062.4.

The Government website shows that cases in Herefordshire have fallen by 39.8 per cent over the last week after a record-high was hit.

In individual areas, the number of new cases fell the most in Hereford North West, Hereford Central, Bromyard and Bishop's Frome, and Ledbury.

Seven–day rates are expressed per 100,000 population and are calculated by dividing the seven-day count by the area population and multiplying by 100,000. This helps when comparing rates across the county.

Elsewhere, the Health Secretary has said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the Government can “substantially reduce” Covid restrictions next week.

Sajid Javid told MPs it was likely “we have already reached the peak of the case numbers of hospitalisations” as ministers prepare to review Plan B measures next Wednesday.

Speaking in the Commons, he added: “The action that this Government has taken in response to Omicron and the collective efforts of the British people have seen us become the most boosted country in Europe, the most tested country in Europe, and (have) the most antivirals per head in Europe.

“That is why we are the most open country in Europe.

“I have always said that these restrictions should not stay in place a day longer than absolutely necessary.

“Due to these pharmaceutical defences and the likelihood that we have already reached the peak of the case numbers of hospitalisations, I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to substantially reduce restrictions next week.”

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Earlier, Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said scientists hope the “direction of travel” for Covid-19 variants is that they become less severe.

He told Times Radio it “doesn’t do the virus any good” to increase in severity, though new variants may prove to be even more transmissible than Omicron.

Any new variant would need to “out-compete Omicron” through increased transmissibility or escape from immunity, and not through changes in severity, he continued.

“It doesn’t do the virus any good to become increasingly severe,” he said.

“In fact, it looks like the Omicron variant, by becoming more transmissible, that it’s also become less severe, and we would hope that’s the general direction of travel.”

He said that in future not everyone would need booster vaccines, adding: “I think the people that we might want to think about boosting the most are the same as flu really – people with chronic illness and elderly people – and we’ll probably move into a sort of more regular annual vaccination programme, or it may not even need to be that frequent.

“We need to wait for the evidence on that.”

Prof Hayward agreed the “pandemic will end” and people will live with the virus continuing to transmit, “but causing much less disruption”.