SEVERAL areas in Herefordshire are still seeing the number of coronavirus cases rise, despite an overall drop across the county.

In the seven days to Wednesday, October 27, a UK Government heatmap showed the areas in Herefordshire with the highest number of new coronavirus cases.

Current coronavirus hotspots in the county, those with the highest infection rates, include Hereford North West; Wigmore, Orleton and Brimfield; Ross-on-Wye; Hereford South; and Leominster South.

In these areas, the infection rates – the number of cases per 100,000 people – were all above 500.

The map breaks Herefordshire down into 23 sections known as middle super output areas.

These are used to try and improve the reporting of small area statistics, with an average population over around 7,200 people in England and Wales.

In total, Herefordshire reported 836 cases in the seven-day period, giving it a infection rate of 431.8 cases per 100,000 people.

That was 68 fewer cases than the week before, when the infection rate was 466.9.

Despite the slight drop across the county as a whole, cases are still rising in 

Hereford North West; Colwall, Cradley and Wellington Heath; Belmont, Madley and Clehonger; Bromyard and Bishop's Frome; Wigmore, Orleton and Brimfield; Golden Valley; Kingstone and Kingsthorne; Hereford South; Ross-on-Wye; Fownhope, Tarrington and Marcle; Lugwardine, Withington and Moreton-on-Lugg; and Hereford South West.

Seven–day rates are expressed per 100,000 population and are calculated by dividing the seven day count by the area population and multiplying by 100,000. This helps when comparing rates across the county.

It comes as the NHS delivered a record number of boosters last week, figures showed.

Around 1.7 million coronavirus booster jabs were given out – the highest weekly total yet, the NHS in England said.

So far more than eight million booster jabs have been delivered across the UK – including 820,000 since Friday.

But John Roberts, from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, raised concerns that the first priority groups will not all receive their Covid-19 booster jabs by Christmas.

However, the NHS in England disputed the figures Mr Roberts used, saying that six weeks into the initial rollout it had delivered 4.1 million jabs, and six weeks into the booster programme it had delivered more than seven million boosters.

And the NHS has ramped up its efforts to get people to have the jab when offered and opened up hundreds of walk-in sites across the country for those eligible.

Experts have warned that waning immunity from the vaccines could lead to a rise in severe disease and hospital admissions.

Most will be offered the top-up jab six months after they received their second dose, with a few at highest risk offered it sooner.