RISING Covid cases across Dorset is a cause for concern – according to the county’s public health director Sam Crowe.

He said testing, more vaccinations and continuing to follow the basic rules, would help reduce the numbers, most of which in Dorset are now the Delta variation.

Mr Crowe told Wednesday’s joint health and wellbeing meeting that most of those currently being infected were in the 16-29 year age group, many of which were currently being invited for vaccinations.

“The vaccine is the way out of this and twice weekly lateral flow testing helps,” said Mr Crowe.

“Unfortunately we will see pockets of outbreaks from time to time…but we hope the need for serious medical intervention will be a thing of the past.”

He said that many of the cases locally were linked to social mixing indoors, which had been expected once regulations were relaxed.

County experts are meeting frequently to monitor the level of infections and to guide action in communities where numbers appear to be peaking.

The meeting heard that there had been difficulty in directly reaching some young people to call them in for vaccinations – because the age group seldom visited doctors many GP practices did not have their mobile phone numbers.

In an effort to combat this and reinforce the need for young people to be vaccinated and regularly tested a communications strategy is being prepared to work with employers, especially where businesses have a young workforce.

This week will see the one millionth vaccination being given in Dorset.re