More Covid-19 cases in Herefordshire as test priority list takes shape

Public Health England figures show that 980 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Thursday (September 17) in Herefordshire, up from 978 at the same time on Wednesday.

Since last Thursday, cases have risen by 32 from 948.

Since the start of the pandemic, the rate of infection in Herefordshire now stands at 508 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 585.

The graph below shows the number of cases in Herefordshire by date of test, and not the day when the cases were published by PHE. There can be a few days while waiting for tests results to be returned from laboratories.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 3,395 over the period, to 381,614.

​Herefordshire's cases were among the 35,660 recorded across the West Midlands, a figure which rose by 339 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.

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A further 18 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,705, NHS England said on Thursday.

Patients were aged between 56 and 95 and all but two patients had known underlying health conditions.

The dates of the deaths were between September 12 and September 16, with the majority on or after September 15.

Six other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

No coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded at the Wye Valley NHS Trust since July 15.

It comes as NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Dido Harding said the Government has been drawing up a list of who will be at the front of the queue for the available tests.

Baroness Harding confirmed that hospital patients were the top priority, followed by social care and NHS staff, with the three categories accounting for around 50% of tests.

Following that, testing was targeted at outbreak areas.

Among the “broad general public”, Lady Harding said: “We are looking to prioritise, within that, key workers, particularly teachers.”

Baroness Harding

She also told MPs “it’s clear from today that demand is significantly outstripping the capacity we have” to conduct coronavirus tests.

She told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that the latest capacity for diagnostic tests was 242,817.

Lady Harding said the number of people calling 119 and visiting the website to try to book tests was “three to four times the number of tests that we currently have available” – although she said that would involve some double counting with people using different phone numbers.

But she said the number of symptomatic people – the only people who should be eligible for diagnostic tests – was “significantly lower” than the number trying to get a swab.

She suggested around a quarter of those coming forward for a test did not have symptoms.