Covid-19 rates continue to fall around the North East, but that's not the case in every area - with 15 places in our region seeing a jump in cases over the past week amid warnings that the pandemic is not over.
Blakelaw in Newcastle saw a 68% rise in cases in the week to April 15, with 27 in total meaning that the area had a case rate of 437.2. This is considerably lower than at times during late March, but shows a real spike in cases. Other spikes were seen from Stanhope & Weardale to Blyth - while after 59 reported cases in a week High Heaton is also still seeing substantial amounts of Covid circulate.
Case rates in our area range from a low of 121.7 per 100,000 people in Elswick to 669.6 in Barnard Castle. The County Durham town has seen a spike just as the area's most senior police officer has explained why former Government adviser Dominic Cummings wasn't interviewed over his infamous lockdown trip there.
