NORTHERN ROCKED
North West and North East at coronavirus breaking point as shock new graphs show north-south divide
SHOCKING new government graphs show that the North West and North East are at coronavirus breaking point - while the South of England has seen its infection rate largely remain stable.
Professor Chris Whitty said the two regions had seen a “rapid increase” in infections - despite large swathes of both areas being under local lockdown.
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The graphs were shown as part of Boris Johnson's address to the nation this evening, in which he told Brits they can't "throw in the sponge" in the fight against coronavirus.
It comes as fears of a second wave were heightened after the country today recorded an increase of more than 7,000 infections for the second day in a row.
One government slide, based on Public Health England data, shows the geographical spread of Covid-19 in England and is based on the total rate of lab-confirmed cases of the virus in the seven days up to September 23.
The darker purple colours in the graph show the high concentration of cases in the North West, with areas including Manchester and Liverpool recording between 168 and 288 infections per 100,000 people.
Other hard-hit areas with infection rates more than 100 cases per 100,000 include Leeds as well as Birmingham and Leicester in the Midlands.
'NORTH SOUTH DIVIDE'
The map also highlights the unequal geographical spread of the second wave - with the majority of areas in the South West and South East of England seeing infection rates below 23 cases per 100,000.
London, meanwhile, hovers somewhere in the middle of the two with a case rate in the majority of boroughs between 52.79 and 100 cases per 100,000.
The capital, once the epicentre of the pandemic in April, has seen its infection rate remain relatively stable through the summer months - despite being added to the government's watchlist amid a rise in cases in the past fortnight.
'HEAVY CONCENTRATION'
Speaking about the graph, Professor Chris Whitty admitted there was a "very heavy concentration in the North West, North East and Midlands”.
The graph to the right, meanwhile, shows the change in the infection rate per 100,000 people between September 16 and 23 - with darker shades of brown showing a severe uptick in cases.
Again, a large increase in the infection rate is seen in Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Liverpool.
The data estimates that of these regions have seen an increase in their infection rates of between 76 and 146 during the period.
Other hard-hit areas include Sheffield, Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester which have all seen an increase in their infection rate of between 31 to 75 cases per 100,000.
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The concerning rise comes despite large areas of both the North East and North West of England seeing stringent lockdown restrictions imposed.
And as of midnight today people living in Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Durham and Sunderland face £200 fines for socialising indoors with loved ones who live outside of their household.
The North East has recorded 940 cases per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic - which equates to around 25,097 cases, according to data from Public Health England.
In the North West, the City of Manchester, Trafford, Oldham, Bury, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford all still have coronavirus restrictions.
Liverpool, St Helens and the Wirral have all been hit with lockdown measures in the Merseyside area following 1,306 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past week.
The North West has recorded 1,122 cases per 100,000 - compared to the North East's 940 since the start of the pandemic - equating to 82,371 cases.
GENERATION GAP
Meanwhile, another government slide shows the estimate of the weekly number of new cases per 100,000 based on age group.
The graph shows a steep increase in the number of cases in the North East among Brits aged 20-29 between September 21-29.
A similar sharp rise is seen in the graph depicting the rise in the same age group on the North West of England.
But the graph also shows that, as predicted by experts, this transmission has reached older age groups - with both the North West and North East seeing a steady rise in cases among patients over the age of 50.
There are fears that this could cause an uptick among vulnerable older groups, who are statistically more likely to suffer complications of the virus.
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Addressing the increase in transmission among young age groups, Professor Whitty added: “The young can also have bad outcome in terms of prolonged symptoms even if they do not end up fatal or in intensive care."
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During his address to the nation, Boris also said that the second wave may be more localised than the first - which is matched in the latest figures.
He said: "I do think it is possible there is a difference in the way the disease is expressing itself across the country... it may be that this is a more localised phenomenon."
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