Newquay's Covid infection rates almost three times as high as whole of Cornwall
Latest weekly figures from Public Health England show the Duchy has six of the top eight areas in the country
Last updated 27th Aug 2021
Six of the top eight areas for coronavirus infection rates in the country are in Cornwall.
The Duchy recorded 4650 cases in the week to last Saturday (August 19th).
That gives us a case rate of over 800 per 100,000 people.
It is over 1,000 in St Ives and parts of Truro.
However Newquay East has the highest, at 2,237.6 per 100,000 people.
Public Health England has confirmed it is investigating over 5,000 with a potential link to the town's Boardmasters festival.
The plea from officials across Cornwall and the south-west is to stick to the guidelines and test regularly.
What do the figures show?
Cornwall recorded 4,650 new cases of coronavirus in the seven days to Saturday August 21st.
That is a case rate of 808.0 per 100,000 people - the highest of any local authority region in England.
The areas of Cornwall with the highest rates of infection are:
Newquay East - 2,237.6 per 100,000 people
St Columb Minor & Porth - 1,832.5 per 100,000 people
Newquay West - 1,796.6 per 100,000 people
Perranporth and Goonhavern - 1,229.6 per 100,000 people
St Ives and Halsetown - 1,121.3 per 100,000 people
Truro South and Central - 1,114.6 per 100,000 people
Latest 24hr figures show Cornwall recorded 605 new cases and one more Covid related death.
There have been nine deaths in the past week, taking the total number in the Duchy to 500 since the pandemic began.
Coronavirus case rates for each area are detailed on Public Health England's interactive map.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday 25th August, officials from Public Health England said rises were likely to continue into September.
As well as the influx of visitors, Deputy Regional Director Professor Mike Wade said the kids going back to school could have an impact.
"You've got to remember that our young people are all going to be encouraged to take two LFTs (Lateral Flow Tests) before they go back to school and as it's our young people where we've got the most infection at the moment, we'll probably see another spike as those results play through the system.
"I think we're going to see quite a bit of turbulence before, hopefully, when the schools are back in place, once we've got people back in that normal working pattern and routine and not visiting the South West, hopefully come mid-September towards the end of September we'll start to see a stronger decline".
Public Health England and Cornwall Council's Public Health Team are urging people to get vaccinated, especially youngsters aged 16 - 29-years-old.
Their message to residents and visitors ahead of the bank holiday weekend is to stick to the 'Hands, Face, Space' guidance as much as possible and to get tested regularly.