Sunderland coronavirus rate climbs in first ten days of lockdown

But the city’s coronavirus death rate has fallen by half since the new restrictions were imposed.

A second lockdown was imposed across England on November 5, amid concerns the Government’s three tier coronavirus alert system was failing to stem the rise in cases nationwide.

Under the new regulations – which are due to remain in place until December 2 – people are supposed to remain at home unless they have to leave for work, education, to shop for essentials or exercise.

Support and childcare bubbles remain in place and people can still meet up in their bubble. Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are closed and bars, pubs and restaurants are only allowed to offer takeway services.

But the latest figures suggest the second lockdown is failing to get to grips with the rising number of coronavirus cases on Wearside.

Sunderland had recorded a total of 9,735 coronavirus cases yesterday, Monday, November 16 – ten days after the second lockdown began.

That represents a rise of 1,751 on the 7,983 cases which had been confirmed in the city on the day the new regulations came into effect.

And that is 433 more new cases than were recorded in the ten days before the lockdown kicked in.

Sunderland had seen a confirmed 6,665 cases on Monday, October 26.

The weekly rate actually fell in the ten days before the new restrictions were imposed, from 315.8 per 100,000 people on October 26 to 313.6 per 100,000 on November 5.

But in the ten days since lockdown, it has soared to 398.3 per 100,000, a rise of 84.7 more new cases per 100,000 people each week.

The good news, though, is that the city’s coronavirus death rate has fallen sharply during lockdown.

The South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust had recorded 438 virus-related deaths as of yesterday, a rise of 20 since the second lockdown began.

But there were 30 virus-related fatalities in the trust in the ten days before November 5.

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