Coronavirus infections still rising in St Helens

Hospital admissions for Covid-19 remain low – with just two people currently in Whiston Hospital and none in its ICU.

However, Public Health England (PHE) figures show that to date, 1,347 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in St Helens, up from 1,291 last Tuesday.

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The majority of the 56 new cases were added to official figures over the weekend, with 35 recorded between Friday and Monday.

Today (Tuesday), 12 new cases were added.

The previous week, between August 25 to September 1, there were 22 cases, with 16 the week prior.

According to PHE surveillance data, between August 26 and September 1, St Helens had a weekly infection rate of 6.6, per 100,000 population, down from 10.55 the previous week.

But this has undoubtedly risen following the spike in cases in recent days.

Only two people with coronavirus are currently admitted in Whiston Hospital

On Saturday morning, The Kirkfield, on Church Street, Newton-le-Willows, announced it had temporarily closed its doors after learning some of its visitors had tested positive for coronavirus.

And on Sunday, popular café The Hayloft said it had also taken the decision to close its doors temporarily after a customer tested positive.

This came as the UK recorded nearly 3,000 new cases of Covid-19, up from 1,813 new cases on Saturday, the biggest 24-hour spike since May.

On Monday, Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), told ITV the epidemic is “taking off again”, warning that cases are now increasing exponentially.

And today (Tuesday), tighter restrictions were introduced in Bolton, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying the town had “the highest case rate in the country”.

Responding to the rise locally, Sue Forster, director of public health at St Helens Borough Council, said: “We are concerned about the rise in positive test results we have seen in the last few days.

“Our neighbours are all experiencing similar growth in cases and we have seen how quickly things have escalated in Bolton so we all have a role to play in stopping the spread of the virus.

“This is a virus that thrives on contact so we really need to make sure that we are limiting our contact with others and where we are seeing someone from
outside our household we must keep at least 2m apart, wear face masks in
enclosed spaces and make sure you wash your hands regularly.

“This is a virus that thrives on contact.”

Sue Forster, director of public health at St Helens Borough Council

Across the country, hospital admissions remain low as most new cases are being found in younger people who are less likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19.

However, the worry is that this will eventually filter through to the older and more vulnerable population.

This was stressed in a statement released late on Monday by England’s deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam.

“People have relaxed too much,” he said. “Now is the time for us to re-engage and realise that this is a continuing threat to us.

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“It’s all very well saying that hospital admissions and deaths are at a very low level in the UK, which is true, but if you look further into the European Union, you can see that where case numbers rise initially in the younger parts of the population, they do, in turn, filter through and start to give elevated rates of disease and hospital admissions in the older age groups, and we know that that then becomes a serious public health problem.

“That’s my concern, that if we don’t get on top of this, if people don’t start to take this seriously again, then there is a risk that that’s where we end up.”