The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron continues to drive sharp increases in Covid-19 case rates around the North East - with each local authority in the region seeing the biggest rises in more than a month.
This comes as Newcastle City Council 's director of public health Prof Eugene Milne warned this week that three factors - waning immunity, the BA.2 sub-variant and the removal of Covid restrictions - were likely to be to blame for the rises. Speaking to the Newcastle City Futures Board, Prof Milne said that "there's some indication that the numbers may be levelling off".
However a day later he added: "Having said that, in the last few days we've seen some new cases come through - and hospital bed numbers are slightly up. Though that's still without pressure on mechanical ventilators." He said that pressure on hospital intensive care units and the general mortality level was still low, and it was those factors he would be watching to judge if the public ought to be seriously worried once more.
Read more: Newcastle City Council 'steps down' Covid alert level, but will remain 'vigilant and prepared'
He also said the big worry would be if a new variant is discovered circulating - but that this did not seem to be the case as yet. According to the latest national data, one North East area - North Gosforth - has an case rate per 100,000 people of more than 1,000 for the first time in weeks.
On March 12, Government data showed some areas of our region like County Durham and Newcastle had experienced serious spikes in Covid-19 cases. In Newcastle the rate of cases per 100,000 people over seven days was up 69% to 480.4 - which is as high as it has been since mid-February.
And in County Durham the rise was even starker - the rate was up to 399.1. That's a 76.3% increase week-on-week and is the most Covid-19 has been spreading in the community since Valentine's Day. However, by way of comparison at the peak of the Omicron wave there was a seven-day case rate of 2,744.4 per 100,000 people.
The area with the highest Covid-19 prevalence over the week in question was Northumberland . There, the case rate was 549.7 - equivalent to 1,780 cases. Meanwhile, in North Tyneside the rate is also pushing 500 at 494.6.
Gateshead (362.5), Sunderland (376.1) and South Tyneside (294.4) all saw an increase in cases but remain at this stage less affected than the surrounding areas. This is compared to a current national case rate per 100,000 people of 724.3 - so even with the rise of BA.2, our area has been hit less than the rest of the country so far. This was the same pattern seen as Omicron spread throughout the country over the winter.
However - some local areas have seen huge spikes. Based on the data covering the week to March 12, these are the five areas to have the highest rate of Covid cases and the five with the lowest:
Highest
North Gosforth - 1,010.8 cases per 100,000, 103 new cases
Coxlodge & West Gosforth - 895.3 cases per 100,000, 93 new cases
Ashington West - 880.5 cases per 100,000, 65 new cases
Tynemouth West - 841.5 cases per 100,000, 49 new cases
Alnwick - 838.9 cases per 100,000, 57 new cases
Lowest
Elswick - 135.2 cases per 100,000, 20 new cases
Nunsmoor - 138.4 cases per 100,000, 20 new cases
West Boldon - 162.9 cases per 100,000, 10 new cases
Easedale Gardens - 176.5 cases per 100,000, 12 new cases
West Park - 183 cases per 100,000, 10 new cases
