THE number of new coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall in the previous seven days has nearly doubled.

A total of 1,615 new cases were confirmed across the two counties – the highest since the week ending November 13 – in a week that saw the Devon County Council area reach 10,000 confirmed cases and the two counties combined 20,000.

Cases have risen in every single region of Devon and Cornwall – with more than doublings occurring in North Devon, Teignbridge, Torridge, West Devon, Cornwall and the South Hams – although the latter two are still in bottom five authorities for infections rates.

Government statistics show that 1,615 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days in both pillar 1 data from tests carried out by the NHS and pillar 2 data from commercial partners, compared to 869 new cases confirmed last week.

Of the 1,615 new cases confirmed since December 11, a total of 343 were in Cornwall, 238 in East Devon, 132 in Exeter, 100 in Mid Devon, 176 in North Devon, 216 in Plymouth, 60 in the South Hams, 123 in Teignbridge, 73 in Torbay, 66 in Torridge and 95 in West Devon.

This compared to the 869 new cases confirmed between December 4 and 10, of which, a total of 103 were in Cornwall, 154 in East Devon, 111 in Exeter, 64 in Mid Devon, 92 in North Devon, 154 in Plymouth, 16 in South Hams, 56 in Teignbridge, 48 in Torbay, 30 in Torridge and 41 in West Devon.

Of the 1,615 new cases, 1,435 had a specimen date between December 11 and 17, with 324 in Cornwall, 199 in East Devon, 112 in Exeter, 90 in Mid Devon, 152 in North Devon, 195 in Plymouth, 50 in South Hams, 108 in Teignbridge, 66 in Torbay, 56 in Torridge and 83 in West Devon.

By specimen date, cases are rising everywhere except Exeter and Torbay – although the rise in Plymouth is very shallow.

Positivity rates in Cornwall are 1.4 per cent, 5.1 in East Devon, 4.2 in Exeter, 3.5 in Mid Devon, 4.7 in North Devon, 2.3 in Plymouth, 1.7 in the South Hams, 2.5 in Teignbridge, 1.2 in Torbay (and falling, the only region to do so), 2.4 in Torridge, and 3.4 in West Devon.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 249 patients in hospital across Devon and Cornwall following a positive Covid-19 test, with 114 at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, 35 at the Nightingale Exeter, 30 in North Devon, 29 at Royal Cornwall Trust Hospitals, 20 at Derriford Hospital, 12 at Torbay Hospital, and 9 at Cornish Partnership Trust Hospitals.

There were seven patients in Mechanical Ventilation beds, with five at the RD&E and two at Derriford Hospital.

The figures show the amount of patients in hospital following a positive COVID-19 test who are currently occupying a bed.

But not every patient would necessarily have been admitted to hospital due to COVID-19, with a number of patients either contracting the virus inside the hospital, or being admitted for unrelated reasons but subsequently testing positive asymptotically when given routine tests.

In the last week, there have been 28 deaths within hospitals in Devon and Cornwall within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 death, with 20 in Exeter, six in North Devon, one in Plymouth, and one in Cornwall. No deaths in the last seven days have occurred in Torbay.

And while NHS 111 data for Cornwall is unchanged in the last week, Devon’s has fallen by 25 per cent, but the R-Rate for the South West has risen slightly from 0.8-1.0 to 0.9-1.2

In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between December 7 to December 13, Callington and Pensilva (22), Gunnislake and Calstock (15), Exmouth Brixington (25), Feniton and Whimple (19), Honiton North East (17), Cranbrook, Broadclyst & Stoke Canon (15), Exmouth Littleham (15), Wonford and St Loye’s (21), Fremington and Instow (28), Roundswell and Landkey (20), Kingsteignton (18), Ogwell, Mile End and Teigngrace (15), Bideford South and East (18) and Tavistock (16) are the only areas reporting clusters of 15 or more.

Uffculme and Hemyock (14), Mutley (12), Woolwell and Lee Mill (13), Shiphay and the Willows (9) are the highest clusters in other areas.

While cases in the over 80s are still higher than any other age group in Devon, they are the lowest in Torbay and Plymouth, with infection rates in the latter for that age group currently 0, with those two regions, plus Cornwall, having the 20-39 age group with the highest infection rates.