Peterborough director of public health reacts as city falls out of ten worst COVID rate areas of the country

Current COVID rates are the lowest in Peterborough since October, and the number of patients in hospital with the virus is falling. The city had been one of the ten worst areas for rates in country, and even in the top five for a period of time.

However, with Peterborough now standing 12th, Dr Liz Robin Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said there was still more work to be done - and it was vital that everyone did their bit to make sure rates continued to fall.

She said: "Covid-19 rates in Peterborough have reduced in the past week which is of course good news. We are now at 140 cases per 100,000 population and this is a fall of 41% on the previous week. Some of this fall is the result of a reduction of new cases in HMP Peterborough prison, but also reflects the ongoing impact of lock-down.

"Additionally, the number of patients in our hospitals has continued to reduce, as has the number of people dying from Covid-19.

"However, rates in the city remain much higher than the England and regional averages and at the time of writing as a city we are now ranked 12th in the country.

" As a result, there is no room for complacency, and we must all continue to work closely with our communities to see rates reduce further.

"We know that the biggest group contributing to our positive cases is adults of working age and this is where we need to concentrate our effort.

"The roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is continuing to progress well in Peterborough as is our focus on rapid testing for people who go out to work. Additionally, from today, households with children in school, childcare or support bubbles can now test themselves twice a week from home using rapid Covid-19 home testing kits.

"It is essential that people continue to follow the lockdown rules, so that rates in Peterborough can reduce further before next stages of the Government’s roadmap are implemented later this month.

"Together we will continue to reduce rates of Coronavirus in Peterborough and fight for the future of our city."