1 in 9 in Solihull has had Covid-19 since March 2020
Almost 7,000 of the positive tests have come in the couple of months following July 19
More than one in nine Solihull residents has had Covid-19 according to the official count, although the real figure is likely to be far higher.
The latest running tally shows that 26,913 people had tested positive since March 2020.
The number is roughly equivalent to every resident in Knowle, Castle Bromwich and Marston Green combined.
The borough’s overall population stands at around 215,000.
Almost 7,000 of the positive tests have come in the couple of months following July 19, when almost all legal restrictions ended in England.
Cllr Ian Courts, leader of the council, has once again urged people not to be complacent ahead of what could be a hugely challenging winter.
“To be honest, I am really concerned about everyone thinking this has all gone away,” he said.
While the figure from the borough’s latest coronavirus summary covers every lab-confirmed infection in the past 18 months, it is likely many cases have gone unrecorded.
This is because testing capacity was very limited in the initial stages of the crisis, including the period covering the first wave.
In addition, since around a third of all cases may be asymptomatic there is likely to be a large number never picked up – even after the roll-out of lateral flow kits.
More recently the fact that the Delta variant’s symptoms can appear more cold-like than the classic dry cough and fever of earlier strains may mean fewer get checked,
Past infections will obviously add to the number of residents likely to have Covid-19 antibodies, perhaps pushing the borough closer to the fabled “herd immunity” threshold.
Although the vaccine continues to be far and away the most substantial protection, with around 84 per cent of all over 16s in Solihull having had at least one dose.
Ruth Tennant, the council’s director of public health, has previously said the borough was building a “strong firewall” against the virus.
But in her latest coronavirus update she once again warned that – despite the formidable performance of the vaccine – there were reasons to be cautious.
The latest Public Health England data shows the UK is entering autumn with more cases, hospital admissions and deaths than this time last year.