Covid-19 case rates fall in every local authority in England for the first time

Covid-19 case rates have fallen in every local authority in England – the first time this has happened in all areas simultaneously since comparable figures began more than a year ago.

Not one of the 315 local authorities recorded a week-on-week rise in rates for the seven days to July 26.

Middlesbrough currently has the highest rate of new cases in England, but this is down sharply week-on-week from 1,421.5 cases per 100,000 people to 695.8.

The biggest fall was recorded by Redcar and Cleveland, which is down from 1,520.2 to 668.6.

Case rates have been compiled by the PA news agency from data published on Friday by Public Health England.

The figures represent an almost complete turnaround from earlier this month.

As recently as July 16, only four of the 315 local authority areas in England were recording a drop in rates.

Since then an increasing number of areas have started to see their rates fall, finally reaching a total of all 315 areas on July 26.

Comparable figures for Covid-19 case rates date back to June 2020, when mass testing for coronavirus was first established across the country.

From that point onward, there has always been at least one local area of England where case rates have been rising – until now.

The latest figures suggest the third wave of coronavirus, which began at the end of May, might have peaked.

But separate figures published on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest Covid-19 infections are continuing to rise in most parts of the UK, meaning it is too soon to say the peak has definitely passed.

Any change in the long-term trend for infections could become clearer in future weeks.

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