Several areas in Southend are still virtually Covid free despite a rise in cases in the past month.

A spike in infections does now appear to have slowed across the borough after the latest weekly data showed there were 73 new cases recorded in the week ending June 18.

That was one fewer than the week before.

Areas such as Southend Central, Victoria and Southchurch all saw seven new cases recorded in the past week, but there are still five neighbourhoods which aren’t highlighted on the Government’s coronavirus hotspots map.

This means there were fewer than three Covid cases in those areas and the infection rate is deemed as ‘suppressed’.

They were:

  • Kursaal
  • Chalkwell
  • Great Wakering and Foulness
  • Eastwood
  • Eastwood Park

Southend and Thurrock have seen the joint most new cases of coronavirus recorded in the latest weekly data, meaning infection rates are around 40 cases per 100,000 people.

Cases have doubled in Rochford in the last seven days from 16 to 32.

There has also been a rise from 16 to 24 in Castle Point, but infections have dropped in Basildon – down to 28 from 40.

Infection rates in south Essex are still some way off the levels recorded in the second peak of the pandemic back in January.

Southend Council says the infection rate in people over 60s is just 8.8 cases per 100,000 people – meaning a greater proportion of infected people in the borough are below that age.

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Director of public health, Krishna Ramkhelawon, confirmed younger people are now contracting the virus at a faster rate in the borough in a letter sent round to schools where he urged pupils and their families to have regular tests.

He said: “As I am sure you have seen in the press and on social media, there has been an increase in the number of positive Covid results for the Delta variant in the north of England, as well as increases in Essex and Southend over the past few weeks.

"Whilst overall infection rates remain low across the borough currently, since the May/June half term there has been a rise in the number of infections within our schools and it does seem to be the younger generations who are becoming infected with this variant.

"We only have five weeks until the end of the academic year. If we can just keep this going, it will help keep everyone safe until the summer holidays, when I will no doubt be encouraging you to continue testing."