"Lockdown isn't working as well as we'd hoped"

Plymouth's Director of Public Health says she is concerned about the number of people still being infected here

Author: Chris BakerPublished 20th Jan 2021

Plymouth's public health boss admits lockdown isn't working as well as she had hoped.

It has now been two weeks since we were told to 'stay at home' again but Dr Ruth Harrell says the city's current rate of infection is the highest it's ever been.

As of 19 January 2021, Plymouth's case rate is 330 per 100,000, slightly lower than the South West's rate of 343.2 per 100,000.

That is the highest rate Plymouth has seen since the start of the pandemic last March.

136 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded yesterday (19 January).

Dr Harrell has also told Greatest Hits that around 100 coronavirus patients are being treated at Derriford Hospital at the moment.

She is renewing her plea for people to stick to COVID restrictions, saying good progress has been made with vaccinations but now is not the time to let our guards down.