FOR the first time since the start of January, the number of weekly number of coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall has risen – but numbers in Devon are down.

A total of 397 new cases were confirmed across the two counties in the last week – the first rise weekly rise since the week ending January 8 – with the total since the start of the pandemic at 47,118.

But the number of new cases in the county of Devon alone are down week-on-week, with 288 recorded compared to 290, and in the Devon County Council area, they are further down, with 135 compared to 153.

Cases confirmed in the last week have risen in West Devon, Torridge, South Hams and Teignbridge – but by less than one new cases every two days – as well as in Cornwall and Plymouth, with the rises in these two areas driving the overall rise for the two counties.

But cases and infections in the two counties are significantly below the average for England, only Plymouth has an infection rate higher than the average for the South West (the lowest region in England), and infection rates in Devon are among the lowest in England.

Government stats show that 397 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days in both pillar 1 data from tests carried out by the NHS and pillar 2 data from commercial partners, compared to 378 new cases confirmed last week.

Of the 397 new cases confirmed since March 19, 109 were in Cornwall, with 44 in East Devon, 19 in Exeter, 20 in Mid Devon, 7 in North Devon, 126 in Plymouth, 11 in South Hams, 16 in Teignbridge, 27 in Torbay, 9 in Torridge and 9 in West Devon.

This compares to the 378 new cases confirmed between March 12 and 18, of which 88 were in Cornwall, 53 in East Devon, 34 in Exeter, 26 in Mid Devon, 8 in North Devon, 95 in Plymouth, 7 in South Hams, 12 in Teignbridge, 42 in Torbay, 8 in Torridge and 5 in West Devon.

For specimens from between March 15 and 21, the South Hams is the area in England with the lowest infection rate (6.9/100,000), with North Devon 2nd(8.2/100,000), West Devon 3rd (9/100,000), Teignbridge 5th (11.2/100,000), Torridge 8th (13.2/100,000) and Exeter 13th (14.5/100,000) in the bottom 15.

Cornwall (17/100,000), Mid Devon (18.2/100,000), Torbay (24.2/100,000), East Devon (29.4/100,000) and Plymouth (37.8/100,000) are the other rates.

At upper tier level, Devon (15/100,000) has the second lowest infection rate of any authority in England, only behind the Isle of Wight, with Cornwall third.

The latest positivity rates for PCR tests carried out at 0.5% in Cornwall 1% in East Devon, 0.5% in Exeter, 0.6% in Mid Devon, 0.3% in North Devon, 1% in Plymouth, 0.1% in South Hams, 0.2% in Teignbridge, 0.5% in Torbay, 0.2% in Torridge and 0.2% in West Devon.

In terms of infection rates per age range, case rates are highest in the 20-39s across most areas of Devon and Cornwall, with Devon as a whole, Torbay, Plymouth, East Devon, Torridge and Cornwall having these age ranges with the highest infection rates.

In Mid Devon, North Devon and Teignbridge, it is the 40-59s, while in the South Hams, it is the over 80s, although here that relates to two positive cases – one in the 80-84s and one in the 85-89s – out of just four cases in the reporting period.

In Exeter, infection rates are highest in the 0-19s, but lower than they were this time last week. Across Devon, infection rates in the 0-19s are falling, but in Torbay, Plymouth and Cornwall, they are rising slightly.

However, the number of patients in hospitals across Devon following a positive Covid-19 test has continued to fall.

As of Tuesday morning (March 23), there were 34 patients across the county in hospital after a positive test, down on the 47 as of the previous Tuesday. It is the lowest figure since early October.

And in Cornwall, the patients in hospital have also fallen, dropping from 17 last week to 13 as of Tuesday.

In total there were 21 patients at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (down from 24 as of March 16), 6 at Torbay Hospital (down from 8), 6 in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth (down from 16), and 1 at North Devon District Hospital (up from 0).

The figure for the Derriford is the lowest number of patients since October 4 when they had just four patients

And the number of patients in mechanical ventilation beds across the two counties is down as well to 6, from 10 last week, with three in Exeter and three in Plymouth. There are no patients in mechanical ventilation beds in Cornwall.

The figures show the amount of patients in hospital following a positive COVID-19 test who are currently occupying a bed.

But not every patient would necessarily have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, with a number of patients either contracting the virus inside the hospital, or being admitted for unrelated reasons but subsequently testing positive asymptotically when given routine tests.

In the last week, there have been four deaths in Devon and Cornwall hospitals of patients within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test, with two in Exeter, one in Torbay, and one in Plymouth.

In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between March 15 and March 21, there are 181 areas of Devon and Cornwall with between 0-2 cases, up from 178 as of last Friday

The MSOA areas in each region with the highest number of cases are Launceston (10), Sidmouth Sidford (10), St James’s Park & Hoopern (7), Cullompton and Morchard Bishop, Copplestone & Newton St Cyres (both 4), Barnstaple Pilton (3), Millbay & Stonehouse (10), Babbacombe & Plainmoor and Brixham Town (both 4), Shebbear, Cookworthy & Broadheath (4) and Chagford, Princetown & Dartmoor (4)

No area of the South Hams or Teignbridge is reporting three of more cases.

It comes as Steve Brown, director of public health Devon, said that rates need to be kept low as Devon begins to come out of lockdown.

He added: ‘If you are somebody who has to leave home to work or volunteer, or you’re a carer for somebody, or you happen to be in a family, household or maybe a bubble with somebody who attends a nursery or education, please access regular testing twice a week.’

It comes as nearly one million vaccines in Devon and Cornwall have been administered.

Just under 600,000 people in Devon and 300,000 in Cornwall have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The statistics, which provide the position as of March 21, show that there have been 638,544 vaccines delivered in Devon, with 593,532 of them being the first dose.  In Cornwall, 313,167 vaccines have been delivered, with 290,859 of them being first doses.

In Cornwall, 62.4 per cent of adults have had their first dose, and across Devon, 59.4 per cent have been vaccinated once. These figures will have risen in the most recent days as it shows the position as of Sunday.

Of the adult population, 62.8 per cent in Cornwall, 67.4 per cent in East Devon, 47.9 per cent in Exeter, 81.2 per cent in the Isles of Scilly, 61.1 per cent in Mid Devon, 63.7 per cent in North Devon, 53.4 per cent in Plymouth, 65.6 per cent in South Hams, 65.9 per cent in Teignbridge, 65.9 per cent in Torbay, 64.4 per cent in Torridge, and 67.3 per cent in West Devon, have had one dose. These figures are as of March 21 and so will have risen in recent days