CORONAVIRUS continues to cling on in just one area of Winchester district.

Covid-19 has been virtually eliminated across the district with, today, just one area with more than two cases in the seven days to May 12.

Across Hampshire the numbers are on the rise, albeit very gently.

That is Oliver's Battery and Hursley where there have been five cases in the seven days to May 12, the most recent day for which localised statistics are available. The rate per 100,000 people is ten times the district as a whole.

The 13 other areas of the Winchester district have reported fewer than three cases in those seven days and are now marked white on the Government map.

Those areas are: Winchester North and Sparsholt; Winchester East; Winchester West, Winchester Central/South; Stanmore; Springvale and Itchen Abbas; Alresford; South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever; Colden Common and Twyford; Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon; Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase; Denmead and Southwick; and Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham.

Only two schools in the Winchester district is affected by Covid-19 and that is St Bede, with the Indian variant, and Kings' secondary school.

For the 76th day, no Covid-related deaths have been reported in the Winchester district.

Since the start of the first lockdown last spring 183 people have died within 28 days of a positive test. There have been no new ones since March 3.

Across the Winchester district in the seven days to May 12 there have been 8 cases, down four, or 33 per cent, on the previous week for a rolling number per 100,000 people of 6.4. A week ago the equivalent number was 12, down four on the previous seven days, 25 per cent, for a rolling 9.6.

It shows how sharply the Winchester figures have dropped in recent months but that the virus refuses to disappear completely.

The Press Association national news agency reported that figures to May 12 show 36 local authority areas out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester.

No deaths have been reported by the NHS in Hampshire today. No deaths have been reported for 11 days.

The number of Covid deaths in the three hospitals of the Hampshire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust (RHCH, Basingstoke and Andover) is at 439, with no deaths for 24 days.

The latest report is that there is only one Covid patients in the HHFT area, at Basingstoke with none at the RHCH.

Across Hampshire, not including Southampton and Portsmouth, there have been 203 cases of Covid in the seven days to May 12, up 40 on the previous seven days, for a rolling number per 100,000 of 14.7.

Nationwide some 69 per cent have had their first vaccine and around 33 per cent the second.

Other Covid news: Indian variant found at Winchester primary school