Coronavirus infection rates are now rising in seven of Greater Manchester’s boroughs

The latest Covid-19 infection rate data shows that seven of Greater Manchester’s boroughs are currently seeing a rise.

According to the latest figures from Public Health England, our region is now starting to see the numbers creep up after weeks of falling infection rates.

Cases have been going up 5% week-on-week across the whole of Greater Manchester according to the latest numbers, which includes data up to the week ending December 17th.

The good news is that as it stands, our rates are drastically lower than those in London and the South East, and are also still significantly lower than the England-wide average.

For Greater Manchester as whole, the infection rate currently stands at 162.8 cases per 100,000, the highest it’s been since December 2nd, with rates over the last two weeks having remained fairly flat at just over 150 – this has started to creep up over the last three days.

The national average rate now stands at 284.2, having climbed by 62% in a week, while in London the rate is 575.9 – three and a half times higher than Greater Manchester – with the infection rate in the capital more than doubling in a week with a 112% increase.

Bill Boaden / Geograph

In our region, Trafford has seen the highest climb in infections, with a 39% increase and a total of 147 cases per 100,000 people, while Salford (167.7) and Tameside (117.9) have both seen 21% increases.

Oldham (200.3) has seen a 17% increase, while Rochdale (208.2, up 2%), Bolton (149.5, up 5%)  and Stockport (116.9, up 4%) have seen a smaller increase in cases compared with the previous week.

Bury (190.6, down 9%), Wigan (162.2, down 8%) and Manchester (173.1, down 4%) have all seen the infection rate fall slightly. Overall, Rochdale still has the highest rate (208.2) and Stockport has the lowest rate (116.9) in our region.

Greater Manchester’s ten public health directors yesterday issued a plea to anyone travelling to our region for Christmas from Tier 4 – which London and the South East are currently in – and Wales.

They urged people coming here to self-isolate for ten days, to help stop the new variant of the virus that is prevalent in London from spreading throughout Greater Manchester.