MULTIPLE areas in Southend have seen a drop in coronavirus infections.

The latest data suggests the borough may have seen a peak in cases, with weekly data up to January 5 showing there were 300 fewer infections recorded than at the end of 2021.

Several neighbourhoods in Southend have been removed from the blackspot list after seeing cases fall by roughly a quarter, while other blackspot areas have also seen a reduction in new infections.

Neighbourhoods considered blackspots all have infection rates above 1,600 per 100,000 people.

The areas no longer considered blackspots are:

Thorpe Bay

It saw 137 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 5 – 42 less than the week before

Echo:

Chalkwell

Cases fell by 47 in Chalkwell, where the number of new cases recorded was 143.

Echo:

Prittlewell

The neighbourhood saw 140 new cases confirmed last week – down 41 from the week before

Echo:

Blenheim Park

The number of new cases in Blenheim Park was 176 – a week-on-week drop of 28

Echo:

More than 175,000 people in the UK have had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate since the pandemic began, new figures show.

It comes just days after the Government’s preferred death toll, which counts only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive, reached 150,000.

A total of 176,035 deaths involving coronavirus have now been registered in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This includes all instances where Covid-19 has been mentioned on someone’s death certificate, either as a main cause of death or a contributory factor.

The ONS figures provide the fullest picture so far of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the population.

The 175,000 total was passed on December 20 2021, but has only now been confirmed due to the time it takes for deaths to be registered.

According to the Government’s figures, there have been 752 Covid-related deaths in Southend, 652 in Basildon, 425 in Castle Point, 326 in Rochford and 533 in Thurrock.