Covid 19 rates area-by-area as the North East sees new virus cases soar

Amid warnings of "summer Covid" and new strains of the virus causing worry around the country, official figures show how most North East areas are seeing rates well above the national average.

According to the latest UK Health Security Agency data, Newcastle has a rate of 18.44 cases per 100,000 people - which is one of the highest around the country. This is compared to, across England, a rate of just 4.38 positive tests per 100,000 people.

All seven of the North East's local authority areas were above that according to the most recent data, which is from June 26. The figures are all seven-day rolling averages.

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The variant KP.3 emerged in early April and belongs to a new group of Covid-19 variants, known collectively as FLiRT, which now make up a large proportion of cases. New figures from the UKHSA show hospital admissions rose by 24% in the week to Sunday, from a rate of 2.67 people per 100,000 to 3.31 per 100,000.

In Newcastle, as of last weekend, the rate was the second highest in the country. And according to figures covering the week to June 26, Gateshead and North Tyneside are not far behind when it comes to Covid-19 prevalence.

This comes as experts warn Covid "has not gone away". The diminishing immunity of the general population has been considered a reason for the spread of the variant according to one top scientist.

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, told the i: “This is a wake-up call. The virus hasn’t gone away and is certainly not a seasonal infection.” The virologist also warned that Covid hasn’t gone away and said it’s “certainly not a season infection.”

According to the most recent available case-rate data - covering the seven-day period to June 26 - this is how Covid has jumped in our region's seven local authority areas. For each area, the case rate is per 100,000 people and we have included the highest number of cases on any day in the last few weeks for comparison.

• County Durham - had a case rate of 4.6, Its peak of 8 cases on June 18.

• Gateshead - had a case rate of 13.25. A surge from from 3.57 on May 27. Its recent peak was 9 cases on June 25.

• Newcastle - had a case rate 18.44, up from a low of 3.02 in mid-May, There were 15 cases on June 20.

• Northumberland - had a case rate of 6.53, and 8 cases on June 14.

• North Tyneside - had a case rate of 12.91, and 9 cases on June 24.

• South Tyneside - had a case rate of 6.08, and 3 cases on June 19.

• Sunderland - had a case rate of 6.93, and 6 cases on June 18.