Warwick and Nuneaton among West Midlands Covid hotspots

Warwick and Nuneaton and Bedworth are among the West Midlands areas hardest hit by Covid-19.

According to the latest publicly available data on the Coventry, Solihull, and Warwickshire dashboard, both areas feature in the top 10 regional Covid hotspots.

The table, which features all 28 local authority areas in the region, shows that Warwick is sixth, and Nuneaton and Bedworth is eighth.

Of the seven days up to 2 November, Warwick’s Covid rate stood at 445.90 per 100,000 people, while Nuneaton and Bedworth has a rolling rate of 419.61. The highest rate – 471.38 – is found in Staffordshire Moorlands.

The average Covid rate is 422.1 cases per 100,000 people, and one area in Nuneaton – Horeston Grange – has more than double this, with a rate of 870.9.

On 24 October, the rate in Warwick hit 700 after climbing all month, and it sat at second in the regional table on 30 October.

We need to carry on testing regularly to help control the spread of the virus, especially now as we are going into the winter months and seeing a rise in cases

– Councillor Julian Gutteridge

Last month, Nuneaton was at number one in the table for several weeks with a rate of 639.81, leading to the local council asking all residents to take regular tests.

It has since fallen down the table, but Councillor Julian Gutteridge, cabinet member for health and the environment at the Town Hall, said: “We need to carry on testing regularly to help control the spread of the virus, especially now as we are going into the winter months and seeing a rise in cases.”

Coventry, by contrast, has a Covid rate of 329.73 per 100,000 people, as of the seven days up to 2 November. This is the fifth lowest rate in the region, and has been steadily falling – at the start of October, it was at just over 400, and fell to 342.38 in the middle of the month.

Other areas of note in the region include Stratford-upon-Avon (12th in the table; 382.02), North Warwickshire (13th; 369.27), and Rugby (358.93; 17th).