Warning as Walsall Covid-19 case rates rise by more than 30 per cent in one week

Public health bosses in Walsall warned residents that the virus hasn’t gone away and urged people to keep on taking precautions to protect themselves and others.

There had been a drop in the number of positive cases reported until early March but the figures have started to creep back up again.

Data shows there were 834 cases reported in the seven days up to March 11 – a rise of 34.3 per cent on the week before. The total number of cases Walsall has had since the pandemic started stands at 85,737.

As of March 13, the total number of Walsall people dying within 28 days of a positive test stands at 1,022.

The borough’s Covid rates are lower than they were at the height of the pandemic but Walsall Council’s public health warned the number of people testing has fallen.

Councillor Stephen Craddock, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “We know in reality, since the restrictions were lifted, the Covid rates are actually rising and I know more people who have had Covid recently than at any time during the pandemic.

“The virus will be with us for the foreseeable future and although not as deadly, it still has the potential to make you seriously ill leaving leading to hospitalisation and it’s still killing people every day.

“The vaccination programme has built a wall of protection around our communities, helping us to get back to normal life. It remains our best protection.

“It’s not too late to get your first, second, third or your booster jab. We’re now at a stage where we are living with Covid but it hasn’t miraculously disappeared overnight.

Emma Thomas, public health intelligence manager, said there was good news in that the number of Covid inpatients in hospital had reduced with 31 currently at the Manor and two in the critical unit.

But she said there were still low vaccine take up rates in parts of Walsall and a Government funded surge and rapid response team project would be held in Blakenall and Birchills Leamore wards to encourage people to do so.

In Walsall, the 18-29 age group is the most unvaccinated with around 13,500 people in Walsall still not jabbed.

She said: “In February this year, Walsall was put forward to have some support with our Covid vaccinations and last week we were given the green light to say our application had been successful.

“The purpose of the project is to help with vaccinations and encourage uptake and the areas are Blakenall and Birchills and Leamore, happening over a couple of weekends.”

Councillor Craddock added the mass vaccination site in the old TJ Hughes unit in the Saddlers Centre would close at the end of March – a year after it had opened – and move to a smaller unit.