GOVERNMENT stats show the latest Covid rates for each part of Essex.

The figures, for the seven days to February 7, are based on tests carried out in laboratories, pillar one of the Government’s testing programme, and in the wider community, pillar two.

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

Data for the most recent four days (February 8-11) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

Of the 315 local areas in England, 12, or 4 per cent, have seen a rise in case rates, 302, or 96 per cent, have seen a fall and one is unchanged.

Rutland in the East Midlands continues to have the highest rate in England, with 186 new cases recorded in the seven days to February 7 – the equivalent of 465.9 cases per 100,000 people.

In Essex, Tendring has the highest infection rate, of 214.9 cases per 100,000 people.

Uttlesford has the lowest, of 119.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The list has been calculated by the PA news agency based on Public Health England data published on February 11 on the Government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Here is the infection rate in each part of Essex compared with a week earlier:

  • Tendring - 214.9 (315 cases) - 369.1 (541 cases)
  • Southend-on-Sea - 188.4, (345 cases) - 240.8 (441 cases)
  • Colchester - 188.0 (366 cases) - 272.2 (530 cases)
  • Braintree - 171.0 (261cases ) - 294.9 (450 cases)
  • Thurrock - 161.8 (282 cases) - 295.4 (515 cases)
  • Castle Point - 161.5 (146 cases) - 265.6 (240 cases)
  • Chelmsford - 159.2 (284 cases) - 239.9 (428 cases)
  • Rochford - 139.6 (122 cases) - 211.7 (185 cases)
  • Maldon - 134.0 (87 cases) - 197.1 (128 cases)
  • Epping Forest - 126.8 (167 cases) - 240.7 (317 cases)
  • Brentwood - 120.7 (93 cases) - 140.2 (108 cases)
  • Uttlesford - 119.4 (109 cases) - 178.6 (163 cases)

Scientists are saying their are positive signs the UK is moving back towards where we were in June in terms of Covid rates.

Read more:

There are currently 14,818 daily new symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the UK on average, according to the latest figures from the Zoe Covid Symptom Study app.

The data, which is based on swab tests data from up to five days ago, also puts the UK reproduction number (R) of coronavirus at 0.8.

The Zoe app figures, which includes information from around one million weekly reporters, estimates around one in 233 people in the UK currently has symptomatic Covid-19.