Health chiefs keeping a close eye on Covid rates in three Wellingborough areas

Health bosses are keeping a close eye on Covid rates in three areas of Wellingborough.

Northamptonshire's director of public health Lucy Wightman described Wellingborough as an area of 'slight concern' during last week's Northamptonshire Covid-19 press conference.

Speaking on Friday, she said: "Wellingborough is an area of slight concern.

"Although similar to the county rate, it is now starting to flag as slightly higher than the England rate as well.

"It's an area that we have seen an increase in the last seven days that we will be keeping a very close eye on."

Looking at the change in case rates by community, central Wellingborough, Brickhill and Rixon were highlighted as seeing an increase in rates of infection fortnightly per 100,000 population.

Mrs Wightman went on to say: "Broadly we have got good news that most areas are starting to come down in their case rates.

"But there's three areas that have got increases in their case rates, all in Wellingborough.

"It's one of the areas that we need to be focusing on if we are to see a slowing in the position as we have in Corby.

"Nowhere is immune to this, we have to keep on doing all the right things."

Data from the county's weekly Covid-19 surveillance report showed there have been eight outbreaks in Wellingborough, with an outbreak being two or more cases linked by place and time to that setting.

Six of these were in care home/service settings in the past 28 days, and two were in workplaces in the past 14 days.

Wellingborough's MP Peter Bone has concerns about Covid rates in the north of the county and raised it in the House of Commons yesterday (Tuesday).

The Conservative MP said: "In north Northamptonshire, we have a particular problem with Covid infections - we just cannot get them down.

"In Wellingborough, we are 25 per cent above the national average, in Kettering 50 per cent above it and, in Corby, more than double the national average, with the highest infection rate in the country.

"Has the Secretary of State given any consideration to the mass testing of north Northamptonshire so that we can get infections down, rather as happened in Liverpool?"

In response, Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said: "I am aware of and also worried about the continued high rates of infections in north Northants, which has not had a particularly bad pandemic thus far but now, at this point, seems to have a stubbornly high infection rate.

"I am absolutely up for all measures that might help to get it down, including mass testing.

"I will take that idea away, work on it with colleagues and return to my hon. Friend and his north Northants colleagues with a proposal."

Figures released yesterday (Tuesday) show that Wellingborough's seven-day rate of positive Covid cases puts it at 50th in comparison to other local authorities.

The borough's seven-day rate is 243 per 100,000 people, with Wellingborough's total number of cases standing at 4,171.

In comparison, Corby is ranked number two with 420 per 100,000 people, Kettering is 15th with 308 per 100,000 people and East Northants comes in at 158 with 177 per 100,000 people.

To read more about a Wellingborough store which recently closed for a deep clean following a confirmed Covid case, click here.

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