The 4 worst Covid hotspots revealed – is your area on the list?

FOUR coronavirus hotspots have been identified in England after two new sub-strains of the virus were also detected.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows where the most affected areas in the country are.

The map above can help you understand how at risk you are when it comes to catching the illness.

Areas shaded in the darkest colours are the worst hit by infection, with four areas having 500 to 1,000 cases.

The four worst hotspots are:

1. Leeds – 627 cases
2. Birmingham – 603 cases
3. Sheffield – 530 cases
4. Wiltshire – 514 cases

The data on the map was last updated on Thursday, with UKHSA releasing figures once a week.

While these areas are the worst hit, infections have fallen in recent weeks.

Just seven days ago, there were 758 cases in Leeds, a fall of 17 per cent, with cases dropping overall in the hotspot areas.

However, the map shows that cases have been spilling over from these areas, with local authorities surrounding Wiltshire, such as Dorset and East Devon, also having high cases numbers.

It’s the same for the surrounding areas of Leeds, with Wakefield and Bradford also having higher levels of infection.

Figure show that the latest wave has now levelled off, with experts predicting this Christmas won’t be as bad as last year’s – despite the detection of two new sub-variants.

The latest data shows that the number of people testing positive rose by just 40,000 to 2.05million – a mere 2 per cent rise.

Meanwhile, more recent data showed the number of hospitalisations is also down by 16 per cent.

It shows the latest Covid surge is dying, having caused less damage than any previous wave.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show cases began to peak in early October.

Covid-19 infections in England appears to be levelling off, but virus numbers are continuing to increase in Scotland and Northern Ireland, numbers show.

SUB-STRAINS

More than 700 cases of the new strains have been found in the UK.

The sub-strains, named BQ.1 and XBB, are descendants of Omicron – the dominant strain currently circulating.

So far, 717 cases of the BQ.1 and 18 cases of the XBB have been detected on UK soil, the UKSHA said on Friday.

Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infection at UKHSA said the new subvariants did not come as a surprise.

“It is not unexpected to see new variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerge,” Dr Chand said.

“Neither BQ.1 nor XBB have been designated as Variants of Concern and UKHSA is monitoring the situation closely, as always.

“Vaccination remains our best defence against future Covid-19 waves, so it is still as important as ever that people come take up all the doses for which they are eligible as soon as possible.”