Update on latest COVID-19 infection rate in Cheshire West

Cheshire West and Chester Council is supporting individuals affected by a national error in the counting of positive COVID-19 cases in the last seven days.

It was recently announced nationally that 15,841 positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the week to 2 October 2020 were not included in national statistics or entered into the national Test and Trace system.  This has now been rectified at a national level.

This updated information reveals Cheshire West and Chester’s weekly rate of positive cases per 100,000 people has increased from 70.2 on 26 September to 119.2 on 2 October with many other areas across the UK also reporting considerable growth in case numbers.

All those who tested positive for COVID-19 during that time have been informed and were instructed to self-isolate in line with the established national guidance. 

However, their omission from the Test and Trace system means that people who were, or may have been, in close contact with them were not notified.  Those people are now in the process of being contacted through the national contact tracing service, but many will receive notification later than the 24-48 hour time period recommended by public health experts. The Council is also working to support these individuals and to trace the people they have been in contact with.

Councillor Louise Gittins said: “This is concerning news and we are working to resolve this situation so that contacts of those who were infected are informed and are able to self-isolate. Infections at a local level have been rising rapidly over recent weeks. Cheshire East and Cheshire West were recently added to the national watchlist as areas of concern, and this latest development with a large increase in case numbers only serves to reinforce the work which is already underway.  It was agreed at the borough’s cross-party Outbreak Management Board last Monday that action needs to be taken now to arrest the current trend and limit further spread of the virus as quickly as possible.”

The Council is working closely with Cheshire East and Warrington councils to put forward a package of local measures with additional funding from government alongside further restrictions on household mixing in line with other parts of the north of England.