Covid-19 case rate in Wigan declining but still among region's highest

The number of new cases has fallen compared to this time last week, with 1,897 identified in the seven days between October 31 and November 6.

This gives a rate of 577.2 per 100,000 people.

The overall figure is a notable drop from the previous two weeks, when there were more than 2,000 new cases recorded.

While this is good news, Wigan's rate is still the second-highest in Greater Manchester and is also above the rates for the North West and England.

Wigan's rate is also notably above the figures recorded in four neighbouring non-Greater Manchester boroughs.

There has also been a rise in deaths involving Covid-19 in the borough, with 35 registered in the most recent week for which data is available, which goes up to October 30.

This is compared to 24 deaths with Covid-19 mentioned registered the previous week.

However, there were more grounds for optimism in the ward-by-ward case data, which showed 19 of the 25 wards in the borough saw decreasing numbers in the latest week.

This is in contrast to recent weeks, when there were more areas with figures rising than falling.

In the latest week, covering October 30 to November 5, the highest number of cases was in Douglas, which had 100, followed by Atherton with 99. In both cases this was a reduction from the previous week's total.

In terms of case rates per 100,000 residents, meanwhile, the largest figures was in Worsley Mesnes, with Douglas seeing the next highest.

Like all the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester, Wigan is currently classed as a Very High Risk area.

Local contact tracing teams have successfully managed 93 per cent of contacts in the cases escalated to them.

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