Somerset COVID 19 latest data
In the last week, to 6 April, there were 2,730 new confirmed cases of COVID 19 in Somerset. At last this week, for the first time since December, new cases have fallen below 3,000. It is worth noting they are still higher than the level at which Government implemented Plan B. If numbers continue to track downwards, with warmer weather coming, it is possible the worst may be over. Nevertheless the case for mask wearing and basic hygiene remains. It is after all, part of living with COVID.
The table below tracks the overall weekly number of infections in Somerset in recent weeks.
- 2,730 for the week to 13 April
- 4,636 for the week to 6 April
- 6,606 for the week to 30 March
- 7,677 for the week to 23 March
- 5.966 for 1 week to 16 March
- 6,033 for 2 weeks to 9 March
- 3,368 to 23 February
- 4,213 to 16 February
- 5,631 to 9 February
- 10,133 to 2 February
- 5,393 to 26 January
- 4,558 to 19 January
- 6,476 to 12 January
- 6,618 to 5 January
- 4,289 to 29 December
- 3,130 to 22 December
- 2,804 to 15 December
- 2,521 to 8 December
- 2,534 to 1 December
This week caseloads have fallen below 500 per 100,000 population in Bridgwater, Frome and Chard. The hotspot remains Taunton where 409 new cases have been reported. This is down significantly from 765 last week and is nearly a third of the levels of two weeks ago. Yeovil too saw a large fall in numbers, 331 new cases compared with 495 reported last week. In Bridgwater, cases numbers have more or less halved to 215 cases compared with 418 cases reported last week. And also in Frome. Here cases have always tracked significantly below the other big towns. However this week the number of new cases reported also halved, to 125 cases compared to 247 last week.
In Chard there was also a large fall with 61 new cases reported against 116 last week. Similarly in Crewkerne where numbers have generally been lower. This week there were 48 new cases reported compared to 79 cases last week. In Wells there was another big fall on small numbers. 41 new cases were reported compared with 62 last week. However in Wellington, although case numbers have fallen, the level of fall is less than in the rets of the county. There were 137 cases reported this week compared with 157 last week.
Before we go any further however, our usual health warning about the figures. Unlike NHS data these numbers include care homes and incidences of COVID 19 “at home”. The data is prepared to 13 April for cases (although different dates are used for some of the other figures – for instance deaths are reported to 1 April). The reason for this delay is to keep the numbers accurate – or should we say as accurate as possible. The daily totals published by the NHS are subject to constant revision, as not unreasonably, the data is constantly being updated to improve accuracy. It is also worth noting that the SCC area does not include North Somerset (so Weston hospital) or BANES (So the RUH in Bath) both of which are separate administrative areas.
The numbers of infections have remained significant for four months. However the most important figures to focus on are deaths and hospitalisations. This is what will tell us most about living with COVID. This week there were 5 deaths reported. 3 deaths were in hospital, 2 in a care home.
However the figures for hospitalisations continue to provide the biggest challenge to living with COVID 19. We have asked the public health team for a split between those people in hospital who have COVID as opposed to those in hospital because of COVID. As yet we have not had a response. As far as we have been able to ascertain, neither Yeovil nor Musgrove hospital has been overwhelmed. Neither have moved to black alert (indicative of an inability to take more patients). That said hospitalisations of people with COVID 19 is still at a high level. By the end of this week they had started to fall back below 200, from a peak of 225 between Yeovil and Musgrove. That compares with a previous high of 90 in October last year.
The R number remains at 1.0-1.3 this week. That suggests case numbers should still be rising, and yet we know they have fallen significantly this week.
As ever here is the full dataset so you can form your own conclusions: