WHILE cases of COVID-19 remain relatively low in Warrington people should maintain social distancing and remain vigilant with at least three cases of the Indian variant now confirmed in the town- and more likely.
Warrington’s Director of Public Health, Thara Raj, who is urging people to stick to the rules, said: “We have a relatively low coronavirus case rate in Warrington, with only 10.5 positive cases per 100,000 people over the latest seven-day period.
“We are continuing to work closely with Public Health England and the NHS regarding Variants of Concern (VOC) identified in the borough. To date we know there are three confirmed cases of the variant, first identified in India (VOC-21APR-02), in Warrington, and we have followed up all of the close contacts and settings that are relevant to these cases. As we have seen a substantial increase in cases of this variant across the North West, we anticipate that there are likely to be more cases in Warrington.
“VOCs are only identified after NHS (PCR) test results have undergone further analysis in the lab, and this additional analysis can take a week or more. We have good surveillance systems in place that give us an early indication that a
positive case might be a VOC, through analysis of positive cases that have a detectable S gene. The variant first identified in Kent, which is now dominant in the UK, does not have a detectable S gene, so cases where the S gene is present may be the variant first identified in India. Although it is useful to have this early indication, all of the measures we know are effective in reducing transmission remain the same, so it is crucial that we stick to the rules and remain vigilant to avoid transmission of any variant.
“Maintaining social distancing, wearing a face covering, frequent and thorough hand washing, staying in well-ventilated areas, taking regular symptom-free lateral flow tests, and getting the vaccine when offered it will all help minimise transmission and will protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
More information about symptom-free testing and local contact tracing can be found at warrington.gov.uk/TestandTrace
Meanwhile, four (2) new COVID-19 cases were reported in the latest daily update from Public Health England. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Warrington since the start of the pandemic is 17,945 (17,941).
Cases in Warrington for the last seven days have fallen slightly, with 19 (22) – 9 (10.5) per 100,000 population – less than half the national rate of 24.4 (23.7) per 100,000.
Warrington & Halton Hospitals have temporarily suspended provided information due to a data validation exercise.
There have been no reported deaths at the hospital since April 27th.
There have been a total of 497 COVID-related deaths at the hospital since the start of the pandemic.
*Hospital deaths include residents from Warrington and Halton. Total deaths of Warrington residents can be seen below.
The total number of deaths in Warrington within 28 days of a positive test reported by Public Health England is currently 487 (486) 231.9 per 100,000 population compared to the national rate of 191.2
The total number of deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate in Warrington reported by Public Health England in all settings is now 567 (567).
Education settings data 26 May 2021
Number of schools and early years settings with COVID-19 cases: 2 (4)
Number of pupils self-isolating (close contact): 40 (50)
Across the UK the daily number of COVID-19 associated UK deaths reported on Wednesday, May 26 2021 was 9 (15), taking the total number of deaths to 127,748 (127,739).
The daily number of lab-confirmed UK cases was 3,180 (2,493), taking the total number to 4,470,297 (4,467,310).
Across the country, there are 954 (978) patients currently in hospital and 128 (121) on ventilation.
Total number of 1st dose vaccinations: 38,378,564 (38,192,417) and second dose 23,616,498 (23,228,511)
To find out more about COVID-19 testing, and to book a test if you have symptoms, visit http://warrington.gov.uk/get-tested-coronavirus
For the latest COVID-19 guidance for Warrington visit https://www.warrington.gov.uk/coronavirus-latest-guidance
Local data is also available at https://www.warrington.gov.uk/coronavirus-figures-warrington
