Hull has highest coronavirus rate in the country

Hull has the highest coronavirus rate per 100,000 people of any local authority area in the country, according to the latest government figures.

Public Health England (PHE) figures showed Hull’s rolling rate was 593.5 per 100,000 people in the seven days up to Saturday, August 7.

The number of coronavirus cases recorded in Hull in the same period was 1,538, an increase of 167 or 12.2 per cent compared to the previous week.

Bransholme East had the highest rate within Hull of 815.2 per 100,000 people, recording 71 cases, up by 32 or 82.1 per cent week-on-week.

The figures come after Hull previously recorded the highest coronavirus infection rates nationally in the week up to Wednesday, March 10 when its rate was 157.8.

The city’s rate then fell and remained in double digits from mid-April, before spiking again in the week up to Saturday, July 3 when it reached 164.4.

It then peaked at 692.7 up to Saturday, July 17 after cases rose by 880, or 96.2 per cent, to 1,795 in a week.

The rate then fell towards 500 before rising to 593.5 in the latest week for which figures are available.

In the East Riding, the rate was 370 in the week up to Saturday, August 7, with the number of cases recorded reaching 1,270.

The East Riding has seen its case numbers and rates fall since it last peaked at a rate of 650.6 and recorded 2,233 new infections up to Saturday, July 17.

Its latest figures mark the first time the rate and case numbers have increased since the middle of last month.

Hessle West currently has the highest rate in the East Riding with 741.9, recording 47 cases, four more than the previous week.

Hull’s current rate of 593.5 is higher than the other areas shaded purple on PHE’s coronavirus map, the second highest grading for areas with rates between 400 and 700.

North East Lincolnshire’s latest rate was 480.7, with 766 cases recorded while Leeds’ was 401.9 and 3,210 respectively.

Sheffield’s rate was 449.2 up to Saturday, August 7, with 2,647 cases recorded in that period.

Blackpool recorded a total of 642 cases in the same week, with a rate of 463.9.

Salford’s rate was 402.4 during that period and recorded 1,057 coronavirus cases while Middlesborough reported 404.9 and 572 respectively.

Bristol, Plymouth, Torbay, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Brighton and Hove were also among the areas of England shaded purple on the PHE map.

Seven of Northern Ireland’s 11 upper tier local authority areas (UTLAs) were also purple, including Belfast, while none are in Scotland.