South Tyneside coronavirus rate climbs during first two weeks of lockdown
South Tyneside recorded more new coronavirus cases in the first two weeks of England’s second lockdown than in the fortnight before it began.
But the borough’s coronavirus death rate has fallen since the new restrictions were imposed.
A second lockdown was imposed across England on November 5, amid concerns the Government’s three tier coronavirus alert system was failing to stem the rise in cases nationwide.
Under the new regulations – which are due to remain in place until December 2 – people are supposed to remain at home unless they have to leave for work, education, to shop for essentials or exercise.
Support and childcare bubbles remain in place and people can still meet up in their bubble. Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are closed and bars, pubs and restaurants are only allowed to offer takeway services.
But the latest figures suggest the second lockdown is failing to get to grips with the rising number of coronavirus cases in the borough.
South Tyneside had recorded a total of 5,101 coronavirus cases from March up until yesterday, Thursday, November 19 – two weeks after the second lockdown began.
That represents a rise of 1,125 in the borough since the day the new regulations came into effect.
In the two weeks prior to the second lockdown announcement there had been 784 more cases recorded.
On November 5 when new lockdown measures were in place there South Tyneside’s weekly case rate stood at 252.4 cases per 100,000 people, only slightly up on the 231.2 cases per 1,00,000 recorded a week earlier on October 29.
But in the two weeks since the second lockdown, it has soared to 412.0 per 100,000, a rise of 159.6 more new cases per 100,000 people each week.
The good news, though, is that the borough’s coronavirus death rate has fallen during lockdown.
The South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust had recorded a total of 450 virus-related deaths from March until Thursday, November 19, a rise of 32 since the second lockdown began.
There were 37 coronavirus-related fatalities in the trust in the two weeks before November 5.