FOURTEEN areas across Dorset now appear within the highest bracket of Covid case rates on an interactive map on the government website.

A colour-coded map depicts areas where case rates are above 1,600 per 100,000 people in black.

Latest data for the seven days to December 31 shows a total of 14 locations across Dorset in the ‘black zone’. And four of the areas have rates above 2,000.

Hamworthy East currently has the highest case rate across the area at 2,086.2 with a total of 137 cases after a rise of 70 new infections.

Read more: Covid: Health chiefs 'braving ourselves for next couple of weeks' 

On the government map, the country is split up by Middle Super Output Areas (MSOA), which are small areas with an average population of 7,200, and the data is updated each weekday, with the map showing the last seven days for which complete data is available.

The map colour-codes areas depending on their seven-day rolling rate, with areas placed into the boundaries of 0-9, 10-49, 50-99, 100-199, 200-399, 400 to 799, 800 to 1,599 and 1,600 plus.

Read more: Critical incident declared as hospitals in Bournemouth and Poole 'reach capacity'

 

 

The 14 areas in Dorset with case rates above 1,600: 

Hamworthy East – 137 cases, up 104 per cent on the previous week with 70 new infections. Case rate 2,086.2.

Wimborne Minster – 160 cases, up 68 per cent on the previous week with 65 new infections. Case rate 2,063.2.

Wyke Regis – 112 cases, up 86 per cent on the previous week with 52 new infections. Case rate 2,040.4.

Hamworthy West – 143 cases, up 60 per cent on the previous week with 54 new infections. Case rate 2,016.9.

Broadwey & Littlemoor – 149 cases, up 125 per cent on the previous week with 83 new infections. Case rate 1,968.6.

Southwell & Weston – 136 cases, up 189 per cent on the previous week with 89 new infections. Case rate 1,858.4.

Merley – 108 cases, up 44 per cent on the previous week with 108 new infections. Case rate 1,760.1.

Chickerell & Chesil Bank – 145 cases, up 95 per cent on the previous week with 71 new infections. Case rate 1,744.5.

Weymouth West – 91 cases, up 111 per cent on the previous week with 48 new infections. Case rate 1,767.0.

Oakdale West – 141 cases, up 40 per cent on the previous week with 40 new infections. Case rate 1,694.7.

Canford Heath West – 111 cases, up 88 per cent on the previous week with 52 new infections. Case rate 1,640.8.

Bearwood – 90 cases, up 52 per cent on the previous week with 31 new infections. Case rate 1,632.2.

Newtown – 174 cases, up 28 per cent on the previous week with 39 new infections. Case rate 1,602.5.

Oakdale East – 147 cases, up 15 per cent on the previous week with 20 new infections. Case rate 1,601.3.

 

 

During the period, 4,380 cases were recorded across the Dorset Council area giving a rate of 1,153.3.

There were 1,375 new cases on the previous week with a 45 per cent jump in infections.

Meanwhile, 5,412 people tested positive for Covid across the BCP Council area giving a rate of 1,363.3.

This was an increase of 1,019 cases on the previous week, up 23 per cent.