COVID infection rates across Salisbury have dropped since the start of lockdown, despite there still being some 'hotspots' in and around the city.

An interactive Government map has shown that, since the start of the third national lockdown on January 5, the city and surrounding areas have gone from having three 'hotspots' to two.

However, Salisbury Stratford and Salisbury Town North and Milford are now classed as 'hotspots', because they have infection rates in the seven days to January 19 of over 800 per 100,000 people.

The map created by the Wiltshire Times below, using Public Health England data, shows the comparison between the start of the national lockdown on the left, and the latest data on the right.

In the seven days to January 6, the three 'hotspots' were Salisbury Bemerton, Churchfields and Salisbury East Harnham, but cases have reduced in these areas meaning they are no longer 'hotspots' in the week ending on January 19. 

These three areas continue to have a high number of cases, with Churchfields having 49 and a rolling rate of 726.8 per 100,000 people - the largest amount out of the three.  

Slide between the two images: Left: Jan 5. Right: Jan 19.

In the latest data shown above, Salisbury Stratford recorded 51 cases in the week to January 19 - up by 18 from the previous week - and had a weekly rolling rate of 868.7 cases per 100,000 people.

In the same period, Salisbury Town North and Milford had 59 cases - up by 24 from the previous week - with a weekly rolling rate of 965.9 cases per 100,000 people.

What about the other areas?

Laverstock, Bodenham & Coombe Bissett (48 cases; -22 from the previous week; rolling rate of 529.1)

Salisbury East Harnham (42 cases; -20 from the previous week; rolling rate of 704.5)

Salisbury Cathedral & Harnham (11 cases; -13 from the previous week; rolling rate of 220.5)

Churchfields (53 cases; -25 from the previous week; rolling rate of 786.1)

Bishopsdown (26 cases; -15 from the previous week; rolling rate of 389.2)

Salisbury Bemerton (39 cases; down by 29 from the previous week; rolling rate of 572.4)

Great Wishford, Woodford Valley & Porton (26 cases; down by 11 from the previous week; rolling rate of 406.1)

Amesbury (74 cases; down by 16 from the previous week; rolling rate of 599.0)

Durrington & Bulford (32 cases, down by 1 from the previous week; rolling rate of 517.1)

Tidworth & Ludgershall (69 cases; down by 21 on the previous week; rolling rate of 381.5)

Wilton, Nadder & Ebble (32 cases; cases haven't dropped; rolling rate of 310.6)

Larkhill, Shrewton & Bulford Camp (67 cases; down by 11 on the previous week; rolling rate of 620.1)

Whaddon, Whiteparish & Winterslow (14 cases; down by 23 on the previous week; rolling rate of 176.2)

Downton & Morgan's Vale (27 cases; down by 4 on the previous week; rolling rate of 336.2)

For reference, the map is divided into Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs), which are areas with an average population of 7,200.

It then colour-codes MSOAs depending on their seven day rolling infection rate, with areas placed into the boundaries of 0-9 (yellow), 10-49 (light green), 50-99 (dark green), 100-199 (light blue), 200-399 (dark blue), 400 to 799 (light purple) and 800 plus (dark purple).

Anywhere labelled '800 plus' is today deemed by the Government to be a 'hotspot'.

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