Regional Covid Hospital Admissions and Surrey Deaths Jump Sharply

Published on: 27 Oct, 2020
Updated on: 29 Oct, 2020

By Martin Giles

Covid-related hospital admissions have doubled in the South East over the past fortnight, with the first Covid-related death at the Royal Surrey County Hospital since the middle of July.

Pandemic deaths across Surrey have also jumped sharply to 17 in that period, from just four or five in each of the previous four weeks.

The infection rate rose to 178 new cases in Guildford borough last week, 140 per 100,000 of population. Only Elmbridge in Tier Two had a higher rate.

A gov.UK map shows the south of Guildford still has the highest seven-day rate in the borough, 201-400 new infections per 100,000 people. By contrast, the area north of Guildford town and Ash Vale has 51-100 new cases and most of the rest of the borough a rate of 101-200, although the area centred on the Horsleys has a lower rate, 11-50 cases per 100k. But the map is based on data up to October 21.

The increased infections were expected to cause more hospital admissions and deaths but despite this, there are far fewer deaths locally than at the peak of the first wave. Then, over four weeks there were ten or more deaths recorded each week. In the week ending April 26 there were 21.

Last week, borough council leader Joss Bigmore, briefing fellow councillors, expressed pessimism about the chances of Guildford being classified a Tier Two (see: Leader Bigmore Warns of a ‘Long Winter’ as Tier Two Arrives on Borough Border) and the latest statistics could bring such a situation closer.

But the precise criteria involved in these decisions are not published and understood to be more complex than simple rates of infection.

See also: Local Covid-19 Stats

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