The number of coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall has fallen by a third in the seven days to February 5 for the second week in a row, with declines everywhere, writes local democracy reporter Daniel Clark.
A total of 1,547 new cases were confirmed across the two counties in the last week as the total for the two counties now stands at 42,935 – the lowest total for seven weeks.
Devon also has the lowest infection rates of any upper tier authority in England, while of it’s eight districts, seven of them are in the bottom 10 of the 315 council areas.
Government statistics show that 1,547 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days in both pillar 1 data from tests carried out by the NHS and pillar 2 data from commercial partners, compared to 2,327 new cases confirmed the week before.
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Of the 1,547 cases confirmed since January 29, 592 were in Cornwall, with 108 in East Devon, 51 in Exeter, 105 in Mid Devon, 27 in North Devon, 242 in Plymouth, 55 in South Hams, 114 in Teignbridge, 203 in Torbay, 11 in Torridge and 39 in West Devon
This compared to 2,327 cases confirmed between January 23 and 29 of which 1,005 were in Cornwall, with 152 in East Devon, 110 in Exeter, 107 in Mid Devon, 51 in North Devon, 382 in Plymouth, 80 in South Hams, 137 in Teignbridge, 211 in Torbay, 30 in Torridge and 62 in West Devon
Torridge is the area in England with the lowest infection rate (35/100,000), with North Devon second (39/100,000), Exeter third (56/100,000), West Devon fourth (74/100,000), South Hams fifth (78/100,000), East Devon seventh (96/100,000), Teignbridge ninth (100/100,000) in the bottom ten. Plymouth’s is at 116/100,000, with Mid Devon 119/100,000, Cornwall at 151/100,000 and Torbay at 170/100,000.
At upper tier level, Devon has the lowest infection rate in England at 77/100,000, and is the lowest since December 8.
The number of patients in Devon’s hospitals following a positive Covid-19 test has fallen by nearly 20 per cent in the last week – as beds occupied remain the lowest in England.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 403 patients occupying beds across the county after a positive test, down on the 442 as of the previous Tuesday.
Patient numbers have fallen in Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay, and have remained unchanged in North Devon, while the Nightingale Hospital has seen a slight rise as it continues to take in patients from elsewhere in the country.
Devon’s figures are slightly inflated by the fact that they have been taking in patients from elsewhere in the country, including Somerset and Dorset, because in those regions, they are closer to capacity than Devon is.
In total, as of Tuesday, there were 58 patients at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (down from 80 as of Jan 26), 57 at the Nightingale (up from 55), 35 at Torbay Hospital (down from 42), 92 in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (down from 112), 8 at North Devon District Hospital (unchanged), and four in Devon Partnership NHS Trust units (up from 3) although not all patients are local given some have been transferred to the region from elsewhere.
The figure for the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital of 58 patients is the lowest that they have been treating for nearly three months – when there were 55 patients on November 7.
But in Cornwall, the number of patients in hospital has risen slightly, up to 149 from the 143 as of last week.
And the number of patients in mechanical ventilation beds across the two counties is slightly up as well, with 20 in Derriford, 10 at the Royal Devon and Exeter, and seven in Torbay, up from 35 in total as of last Tuesday, while in Cornwall, the total has risen from 13 to 14.
The figures show the amount of patients in hospital following a positive COVID-19 test who are currently occupying a bed.
But not every patient would necessarily have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, with a number of patients either contracting the virus inside the hospital, or being admitted for unrelated reasons but subsequently testing positive asymptotically when given routine tests.
In the last week, there have been 30 deaths in Devon and Cornwall hospitals of patients within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test, with 10 at Derriford, 10 in Cornwall, five in Exeter, three in North Devon and two in Torbay. Last week saw 73 deaths for the same reporting period.
The MSOA areas in each region with the highest number of cases are Bodmin East (43), Kilmington, Colyton and Uplyme (24), Central Exeter (8), Willand, Sampford Peverell & Halberton (18), South Molton (6), Plympton St Mary (24), Totnes Town (14), Newton Abbot, Town Centre (18), Ellacombe (27), Shebbear, Cookworthy & Broadheath (11) and Tavistock (12).
In terms of infection rates per age range, case rates are highest in the 20-39 age ranges across Devon and Cornwall, with the over 80s having the second highest infection rates.
Steve Brown, director of public health Devon, said: “It looks like the current restrictions are having a positive impact and we are starting to see cases come down. But we’re still seeing cases spreading between work colleagues. It’s often not because of the work place practices themselves, it’s more a consequence of social interaction between colleagues while at work. And too often, it’s the virus spreading between colleagues who are car sharing.”