Northampton's Covid-19 infections are higher than some areas now being put into tier two

Northamptonshire moving into tier two of the Government's National Alert System seemed to be getting a step nearer on Friday.

Luton and Oxford are among a raft of areas which will move into the high risk tier from midnight tonight.

Yet numbers showing how fast the virus is spreading are LOWER in both those areas than it is in Northampton.

Any mixing between households is banned indoors — in homes, pubs and restaurants — in tier two areas

Council leaders and Public Health officials discussed the current situation across Northamptonshire a private session of the County's Oversight and Engagement Board meeting on Thursday.

More details are set to be revealed at the weekly media briefing today (Friday).

FOLLOW today's media briefing live on the Chronicle & Echo and Northants Telegraph websites from 2.30pm.

NHS England yesterday revealed another Covid-19 patient had died at Northampton General Hospital on Monday (October 26) — the tenth this month. A further four have died at Kettering General Hospital.

Yesterday's announcement of 56 new positive coronavirus tests in the borough took the total to 367 in the last week.

Analysts convert that figure assuming each area has equal populations of 100,000 to show a seven-day average — although they also wait four days before making numbers official to allow for any corrections.

The seven day average used for Luton was 156 new positive tests per 100,000. In Oxford it was 138.

Yesterday's data would give Northampton an equivalent number of 163.

Across Northamptonshire, there were 136 new cases in the latest 24-reporting period, making 996 in a week at a rate of 133 per 100,000 people.

Number-crunchers take in a whole raft of other factors to decide whether to elevate an area into a higher tier, such as the proportion of swabs taken which turn out to be positive, and the number of Covid-19 patients being treated in hospital.

Some areas such as parts of Essex and Stoke-on-Trent asked the Government to elevate them into the higher-risk category.

Local officials have previously insisted they would not want Northampton put into tier two separate from the rest of the county yet infection rates in other districts and boroughs are currently considerably lower.

Northampton Borough Council leader Jonathan Nunn said recently he felt it was "virtually inevitable" there would be a move to tier two.

He added: "The actual number of people with the virus may be very small but everybody is at risk.

"We are dealing with such a varied and dynamic situation.

"If it was about just one factor then we could set a threshold but you need to take into account rates and cases, then other factors such as hospitalisations, issues like outbreaks. There are so many layers, it's the most complicated thing.

"We are also mindful that the Government is actively monitoring the situation so we should not necessarily assume the first move would be ours."