Coronavirus cases have increased once again in Loughborough, with at least 36 more individuals testing positive in Loughborough, up from 21 the week before, an increase of 71%.
36 positive cases were confirmed last week across Loughborough, of which 6 were located in the Loughborough University area which covers campus accommodation, William Morris Hall and the Old Ashby Road area.
A major increase has been seen in Shelthorpe, which has reported 12 cases in the last week, prompting Charnwood Council to open a walk-in testing site in the town from Friday.
Cases have been rising across the country, and Loughborough is no exception, adding to a total of 149 new cases in the last fortnight, making it the borough with the most cases in the county, with an incidence rate of 42.7 cases per 100,000 people, meaning it is likely to be added to the Government watchlist this week.
Despite this, the borough still has a lower incidence rate than Blaby (72.7) and Oadby & Wigston (94.6).
Loughborough has now not been been ‘case-free’ for three weeks, and the campus has now reported cases each week since August 31st. The campus has now reported at least 12 cases since the end of August, including 6 this week.
Due to the reporting method by Public Health England, which only reports a 7-day rolling total and excludes case numbers from areas with less than 2 cases, it is possible that the real figures are higher than the statistics suggest.
The increase in cases has prompted the borough council to install a local testing site in the town, which is being set up in Limehurst Avenue and is due to open on Friday. It is likely to remain for several months.
Cllr Jenny Bokor said “Testing is an important element in the fight against the pandemic and I am pleased we will have this facility in town.
“I would strongly encourage people to only get a test if they have one of the symptoms of Covid-19. If you have a high temperature, a new continuous cough or loss of smell or taste, then book a test.”
With students returning to Loughborough, the student areas of town have seen an increase in cases, with another dramatic rise expected on campus over the next few weeks.
Label will be updating the figures on our Loughborough Coronavirus Map every weekday with the latest figures, and will post weekly updates on the latest situation across the town each Thursday.
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Notes on Methodology
Cases at the local-level are split into Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) – small areas with around 7,200 average population.
Counts of between 0 and 2 cases per MSOA are shown as ‘0-2’, to protect the identity of those who have tested positive in that area, and therefore no data is available until cases hit 3 in each MSOA.
Data is collected by Public Health England, and is updated every 7 days for each calendar week, at a 4 day delay. Weekly data is published on Thursdays. You can download a copy of the latest data for Loughborough here.
