Drop in Covid-19 infection rates across Dorset

By Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporting Service

A dip in Covid infection rates has been welcomed by Dorset’s director of public health, Sam Crowe.

He told a joint public health board meeting on Thursday that rural Dorset’s seven-day figures were now just under 100 cases per 100,000 and the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, just under 200.

Both figures had previously been higher.

“We were concerned because the figures had stepped up considerably during the past two to three weeks. It’s great to see it coming down.”

“It suggests we might not continue to see those rapid rises of two to three weeks ago which were extremely concerning,” he said.

But he warned that there was still a chance that local hospitals might be treating more Covid patients by November 9th than they had been at the previous peak in April.

He warned that unless local people stuck to lockdown rules the figures could rise again.

“Unless everyone gets on message it will continue to rise,” he said.

Mr Crowe said there was evidence of people ignoring self-isolation requirements, despite knowing what they should be doing and a concern that problems with getting local tests had led to some people not bothering and carrying on with their lives even though they might be infected.

He said the local rise in infection rates had coincided with the period when there were local difficulties in getting tested as resources were switched to the north of the country.

The told the joint public health committee that many of the recent reported cases were among younger people (16-29) although there had been evidence of a spread to over 65s, the group more likely to need medical help in hospital.

Household transmission remained the most significant exposure setting, followed by visiting friends and family.

Mr Crowe said there was little which could be done about hospital admissions over the next couple of weeks because it was already set by the infection rate already within the community.

He said it was hoped that when lockdown ends the county could resume on the minimum Covid restrictions and there plans being developed to develop a local track and trace system to help keep local figures down.