How Northamptonshire's Covid map looks with white areas showing neighbourhoods and villages with fewer than three cases in the last weekHow Northamptonshire's Covid map looks with white areas showing neighbourhoods and villages with fewer than three cases in the last week
How Northamptonshire's Covid map looks with white areas showing neighbourhoods and villages with fewer than three cases in the last week

Areas of Northampton, Wellingborough, Corby, Kettering, Daventry and Towcester still in Covid-19 spotlight

Testing is key to tracking cases and controlling virus, says health chief

These are the areas of Northamptonshire currently in the Covid-19 spotlight.

Eight neighbourhoods in Northampton and Wellingborough, four parts of Corby and Kettering, plus areas of Towcester and Daventry have all seen increases in the number of new coronavirus cases while figures are going down across the rest of the country.

Latest official data shows two areas in and around Towcester saw more cases in the week to April 30 than in the rest of the former South Northamptonshire district put together.

And four Northampton neighbourhoods of Abington, Kingsthorpe, Westone and Boothville & Spinney Hill accounted for more than a third of all the 48 cases in the town.

Parts of Corby and Wellingborough still have case rates of over 100 per 100,000 people compared to the national figure of 22.3.

Information for all areas of the county can be found on this interactive map by entering a postcode .

County health chief Lucy Wightman admits that small changes in the number of positive tests can make a huge difference to the rates.

But she added: “We’ve made really good progress across the county in bringing rates down in recent weeks and that is down to everybody in the county’s hard work and efforts.

"But we do still need to keep going — and testing is key.

"If you are going out to work, meeting a group of six people outdoors, parents, carers, youngsters in secondary school, parents of primary school children, those partaking in sports activities... the list is long. I am urging anybody who is going out and about to take the rapid tests twice weekly to ensure we continue to see cases drop.

"I can’t stress enough how important testing is. It’s the only way we can continue to track, contain and control the virus. It’s the only way we can come out of lockdown successfully and live relatively normal lives in the coming months.

"Getting into the habit of regular rapid testing as part of our everyday lives will play an important role as restrictions are cautiously lifted and we begin to get back to more normal ways of life.”

Supervised rapid Covid testing is available at community-based locations at Brackley Leisure Centre, Corby Lodge Park, Daventry Leisure Centre, Kettering North Park Pavillion, Northampton Sessions House, County Hall and Rushden Hall Park.

Test packs can also be ordered online and collected from a number of locations across the county.

■ Anyone with any of the known coronavirus symptoms — a high temerpature, new or continuous cough or loss or change in sense of taste, should self-isolate immediately and book a PCR swab test HERE.

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