Covid rates in Liverpool have fallen to the lowest level since last August – despite the reopening of non-essential shops and outdoor hospitality earlier this month.
The latest figures compiled by the city’s Public Health team show that that in the week up until 23 April, there were 59 confirmed cases across the city, giving an overall rate of 11.8 per 100,000 people, which is the lowest of all the big ‘core’ cities.
Analysis of the data shows that (in the last week):
- 27 out of 30 wards had fewer than five cases
- A single death was recorded from Covid-19 within 28 days of a positive test
- Nine patients were admitted to hospital
- 20,391 people had a Lateral Flow Test (in the week to 26 April)
It comes as the city prepares to host a series of events this week as part of the Government’s Events Research Programme.
The Good Business Festival ‘Changing Business for Good’ event will take place at ACC Liverpool on Wednesday 28 April, Circus will hold two nightclub events at Bramley Moore Dock on Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 May and the Sefton Park Pilot music festival takes place on Sunday 2 May.
Director of Public Health Matthew Ashton said: “The ongoing reduction in Liverpool’s Covid case rate is really pleasing to see and puts us in a really strong position when it comes to holding the test events.
“We have continued to see a drop in cases since lockdown eased earlier this month, despite non-essential shops and outdoor hospitality reopening and the River of Light outdoor trail taking place in the city centre.
“This is the result of the vast majority of people following the rules in place and continuing to get tested regularly, so it is a good time for test events in Liverpool to be happening.
“It is important to understand that we are putting in additional safeguards to make sure the test events are safe.
“Those attending will have to have had a negative test beforehand, so they can be confident that the people they are mixing with are not likely to have the virus. This is something that isn’t required when you visit the shops, go to the hairdresser or have a drink outside your local pub.
“We are also asking attendees to get a follow-up PCR test afterwards and make sure they follow Covid-safe guidance.
“We know that since we held the community testing pilot, thousands of people have built getting a weekly test into their routine – and this is something I would encourage everyone to do to minimise the risk of infecting others unwittingly if you have no symptoms.
“Getting tested identifies people who need to self-isolate if required and mitigates the risk of variants of concern appearing or spreading in Liverpool and the wider city region.
All of the evidence that is gathered from the test events will be evaluated by the University of Liverpool and then considered by the Government as part of the roadmap out of lockdown.
More information about the events, and Frequently Asked Questions, can be found at https://liverpoolexpress.co.uk/national-events-pilot-your-questions-answered/
