THE number of new coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall in the last week is the lowest since the start of September.

A total of 108 new cases were confirmed across the two counties in the last week – with the total since the start of the pandemic at 48,287 – although the numbers may be slightly higher given Tuesday’s figures saw a raft of false positives removed from the dataset giving a negative total for the day

Even so, it is the lowest weekly total since 154 were recorded in the week of September 6-12, and based on daily averages, would be below that figure even without the false positives being removed from totals. The week of August 30-September 5 was the last time the total was lower, when 96 cases were recorded.

While numbers in Exeter, South Hams and Teignbridge in the last week are slightly up – none by more than four cases – while cases in Plymouth have nearly quartered in the last week, albeit slightly affected by a raft of false positives in the previous week.

Infection rates in Cornwall, Devon and Torbay are in the bottom ten in England, with Plymouth just outside, but rates in the city are falling faster than anywhere else in the region.

Government stats show that 108 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 184 new cases confirmed last week.

Of the 108 new cases confirmed since May 14, 26 were in Cornwall, 5 in East Devon, 11 in Exeter, 4 in Mid Devon, 6 in North Devon, 14 in Plymouth, 19 in South Hams, 13 in Teignbridge, 4 in Torbay, 2 in Torridge, and 4 in West Devon.

Of the 184 new cases confirmed between May 8-14, 41 were in Cornwall, 15 in East Devon, 7 in Exeter, 8 in Mid Devon, 10 in North Devon, 48 in Plymouth, 17 in South Hams, 11 in Teignbridge, 16 in Torbay, 3 in Torridge and 8 in West Devon.

Infection rates are highest in the 0-19s across Devon and Cornwall – although lower than this time the same week – with eight of the 11 areas recording no cases in the over 80s.

At a district level, infection rates in South Hams and West Devon are highest in the 0-19s, in Torbay, Plymouth and East Devon in the 20-39s, Exeter and Teignbridge in the 40-59s, and in the 60-79s in Mid Devon, North Devon and Torridge – with the latter area seeing its only cases in this age group.

No cases in the 0-19s in North Devon and Torridge, 20-39s in Torridge and West Devon, 40-59s in Torridge, 60-79s in West Devon, and over 80s in Torbay, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge and West Devon were recorded from specimens from May 9-15.