It will not be news to many people that Covid-19 infections are once again soaring. This is due to a new variant of Omicron (Ba.2), which is even more infectious than the original variant (BA.1). In Shropshire, the current estimated infection rate is estimated to be around 1,065 infections per 100,000 people, higher than the delta phase last year but lower than the peak of 1,814 infections per 100,000 people in early January. The Office of National Statistics estimates that 3,485,700 people in England had Covid-19 in the week to 17 March (6.4% of population). In Ludlow, the latest estimated rate of infection to 20 March was 967 per 100,000 people, not far below the county rate. More than 40,000 people in Shropshire take a Covid test each week. I am concerned that this will fall with the government restricting the availability of lateral flow tests. These must be purchased […]

The good news is that infection rates have been falling rapidly across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. A surge in infections followed the arrival of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in December. A second lower surge occurred in early January after the schools returned. In the week to 5 February, an estimated 99.7% of Covid-19 cases in Shropshire were one of the three Omicron variants.  Infection rates in Shropshire have been plummeting since the end of January and are getting closer to the England average. In England, the current rate of infections over the last seven days is 425 per 100,000 people. In Shropshire, the rate is 460 and in Telford & Wrekin 550. The latest data for Ludlow town shows an infection rate of around 795 in the week to 6 February, well down from the infection rate of 1,200 a week earlier. In less cheerful news, 44 people […]