Covid rates rising in Brighton & Hove

In the seven days up to 12 November (based on data published on 16 November) there were 519 confirmed new Covid-19 cases in Brighton & Hove.

That is a 46% increase on the previous week and is equivalent to a weekly rate of 178.4 new cases per 100,000 residents. Although lower than the rate for England at 272.9 per 100,000, this is similar the South East which was 178.7 per 100,000 during the same period.

There was a significant 57% increase in cases among adults aged between 40-59 and a 50% rise in the 60+ age group.

The full data is published on the council website.

Alistair Hill, Director of Public Health explains: "Last week I warned it was too early to predict a sustained downturn in our cases and unfortunately the data has proved this to be correct.

“There has been a significant rise of confirmed cases of Covid among all age groups. We are especially concerned by the 50% rise among women and men aged 60+. This growing spread of Covid among our older and most vulnerable residents is very worrying. 

“It has been suggested that some of the increase in cases seen nationally in the last week reflects extra social interaction in the period leading up to the national lockdown. This highlights why the current guidelines to stay at home and to avoid meeting other people outside your household (except where allowed) are so necessary to stop Covid spreading out of control in our city.

“With such high stakes, we must all take this second lockdown as seriously as the first one. We are already two weeks in with only a short time left to play your part in helping to reduce the numbers of cases in our city.”