CORONAVIRUS may have gone from the Winchester district.

No areas have reported more than two cases in the seven days to May 16, the most recent day that localised figures released today are available.

The 14 other areas of the Winchester district have reported fewer than three cases in those seven days: 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.

Covid-free Winchester

Covid-free Winchester

Oliver's Battery and Hursley had been the last place which reported three or more cases.

It is possible that there may be an isolated case or two in places, but they are not released by the Government because of patient confidentiality.

Winchester district was shown as Covid-free on May 8 and also April 29 but only for a day.

Only one school in the Winchester district is affected by Covid-19 and that is Kings’.

St Bede in Hyde, with the Indian variant, had been but is now clear.

For the 80th 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 district in the week to May 16 there have been four cases, down four on the previous week for a rolling number per 100,000 people of 3.2.

A week ago the equivalent number was 11, down three on the previous seven days, 21 per cent, for a rolling 8.8.

It shows how sharply the Winchester figures have dropped in recent months.

The Press Association national news agency reported that figures to May 17 show only 24 local authority areas out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester. For May 16 there were only 10 better places.

No deaths have been reported by the NHS in Hampshire today. No deaths have been reported for 15 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 28 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 151 cases of Covid in the seven days to May 16, down 21 on the previous seven days, for a rolling number per 100,000 of 10.9.

Nationwide some 71 per cent have had their first vaccine and around 41 per cent the second.