Swindon's COVID case rate down 31% in a week
But Health Bosses are warning against complacency
Last updated 29th Jan 2021
The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Swindon has fallen by 31% in a week.
According to the NHS, 217.8 per 100,000 of the town's population were recorded as contracting the virus over the seven days up to Thursday 28 January.
For the previous week, that figure was 315 per 100,000.
Encouraging signs for Swindon
It means the COVID case rate for the area covered by Swindon Borough Council is currently below the South West average of 236.8 per 100,000.
This bucks the trend of the pandemic thus far, where Swindon's case rate has generally been significantly above the regional average.
Local health bosses have cited the town's close proximity to London and the South East, where the new COVID variant emerged from in recent weeks, as likely reasoning for this.
The spread of Coronavirus in the town now also compares favourably to the national picture. For the seven days up to Thursday 28 January, England's case rate was 351 per 100,000 - 37% above Swindon.
'It's not a time for complaceny'
Steve Maddern, Swindon's Director of Public Health, has given Greatest Hits Radio his reaction to the figures.
"We're very pleased to see our case rate continuing to decline," he said.
"We do see this as a positive outcome from the national restriction in place, but also Swindon residents playing by the rules.
"Although it (the case rate) has reduced substantially since the start of the new year, it's still high ... it's not a time for complacency".
Light at the end of the tunnel
When Boris Johnson enforced the latest national lockdown on Monday 4 January, he attempted to uplift the UK with ambitions for a rapid Coronavirus vaccine roll-out.
The Prime Minister urged the NHS to have offered the first dose of a jab to nearly 14 million people by February 15.
This target includes the following four priority groups, identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
- All those 80 years of age and over, and frontline health and social care workers
- All those 75 years of age and over
- All those 70 years of age and over, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
'A real step forward'
In Swindon, the vaccination roll-out is seemingly making good progress in care homes.
A Coronavirus jab has now been offered to every single care home resident and worker.
Mr Maddern called the development "a real step forward".
He added: "I think this is a real testimony to our NHS partners .... there's a very good community partnership approach to delivering the vaccination".