Corby's Covid rate now highest in England again

The town has seen a big rise in the number of cases
Case rates are high in Corby again.Case rates are high in Corby again.
Case rates are high in Corby again.

Corby holds the unenviable position of having England's highest Covid-19 case rate once more after a surge in people testing positive for the virus.

The town's high rates topped the chart for the majority of the first three months of 2021 before cases rapidly dropped.

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Just three weeks ago Corby had the lowest rate in Northamptonshire - but a sudden rise in cases has seen its seven-day rate jump to almost double the national average.

As of yesterday (Sunday) Corby's seven-day case rate was 608 per 100,000 people after 155 cases were recorded over the weekend. The average rate in England is 325 per 100,000 people.

The second highest is Kingston upon Hull with a case rate of 518 per 100,000.

A total of 72 per cent of people in Corby have had a first vaccine dose - the lowest uptake figure in the 20 areas with the highest Covid rates.

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However Government data says Corby has not suffered a Covid-related death since August 2. As of August 31 the town had two outbreaks, both in care homes.

Nearby Kettering's case rate is also high - the 9th in the country - at 467 per 100,000 people. Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire are outside the top 100, with case rates of 346 and 307 respectively.

The latest data shows a total of 59 Covid-19 patients occupied hospital beds in Northamptonshire on August 31.

Northamptonshire's public health team say the biggest fortnightly changes in case rates are in the Rowlett, Gretton and Cottingham district as well as the Corby Town area.

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They say one of the many behaviours linked to the spread of the virus is car sharing outside of the household. Corby has a large number of warehouse workers, many of whom share lifts to and from work.

Lucy Wightman, joint director of Public Health at North and West Northamptonshire Councils, said: “I’m asking all residents to continue to play their vital part in preventing the spread of further cases across the county, particularly as the children and young people return to education, the autumn approaches with the possibility of more indoor mixing and people are travelling together now they are back in the workplace.

"I’m urging you all to stop, think and take care. If you must travel together then it is imperative that you all wear masks, wind down the windows and clean the seatbelts between journeys. Twice weekly testing, regular hand washing or sanitising and mask wearing also all protect against the spread.

“As a community we now face the children and young people returning to education and I understand fully that parents may be nervous, but we must remember that schools are not the drivers and not the hubs of infection. Household to household infection has been the largest case of transmission since the beginning of the pandemic.

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“To ensure you are not one of the one in three asymptomatic individuals affected by the virus who may be unwittingly spreading the virus as you go about your day, stop, think, take a lateral flow test, keep washing your hands, think about the activity you are engaging in and protect those around you.”