THERE are nearly 40 areas in Dorset have five new coronavirus cases or less as an interactive map reveals the spread of Covid-19 appears to be slowing down in the county.
A map, which uses Public Health England data, shows how many people have tested positive for the virus in each area of the county over the seven-day period up to Saturday, November 28.
Public Health England breaks down the numbers of coronavirus cases into neighbourhoods called 'Middle Super Output Areas' (MSOAs), which are smaller than council wards and based on population rather than geographical area.
The interactive map, which can be found through this link, allows users to type in their postcode and see how many cases were reported in their area and if it has increased or decreased from the week before. The darker the colour on the image, the more positive test results have been recorded.
The map highlights which areas of the county have three or more confirmed cases of the virus and colour co-coordinates the areas by how many cases they have.
Some areas are coloured white and described as "suppressed", meaning MSOA level rates are suppressed and there have been fewer than three cases in a seven-day period. This also protects the privacy of individuals and prevent disclosure.
Varying levels of coronavirus have been reported across Dorset according to Public Health England.
In the seven days up to November 28, Dorset reported 506 cases. The case rate compared to the UK average is, however, below average.
The map appears to show the spread of coronavirus cases has declined in recent days, suggesting that lockdown and limiting social maxing has worked.
Note: This article includes the most recent data available at the time of publication.
The following 37 areas in Dorset have seen three or fewer confirmed cases in the last week:
- Alderholt & Sixpenny Handley - Three cases
- Bere Regis and Lytchett Matravers - Suppressed (meaning there have been less than three cases reported)
- Blandford Outer & Tarrants - Suppressed
- Bovington, Wool and Lulworth - Suppressed
- Branksome East - Three cases
- Bridport North - Suppressed
- Bridport South and West Bay - Suppressed
- Broadwey & Littlemoor - Suppressed
- Charlton Down, Cerne Abbas and Puddletown - Suppressed
- Chickerell and Chesil Bank - Suppressed
- Child Okeford & Iwerne Minster - Suppressed
- Colehill - Suppressed
- Corfe Castle & Langton Matravers - Suppressed
- Dorchester East - Suppressed
- Ferndown Town - Three cases
- Ferndown West and Canford Bottom - Suppressed
- Gillingham Outer, Bourton and Motcombe - Suppressed
- Jumpers Common & Fairmile - Suppressed
- Kinson West - Suppressed
- Lyme Regis, Charmouth & Marshwood Vale - Suppressed
- Milborne, Winterborne & Okeford Fitzpaine - Suppressed
- Overmoigne, Broadmayne and Winterbourne - Suppressed
- Queens Park - Suppressed
- Preston & Lodmoor - Three cases
- Shaftesbury - Three cases
- Somerford - Suppressed
- Southwell and Weston - Suppressed
- Sturminster Marshall & Crichel - Three cases
- Underhill and The Grove - Suppressed
- West Howe - Three cases
- Westham North and Radipole - Three cases
- Westham South - Suppressed
- Weymouth West - Suppressed
- Wyke Regis - Three cases
The following 10 areas have seen the most confirmed cases in the last week:
- Boscombe West - 16 cases
- Branksome Park, Canford Cliffs & Sandbanks - 11 cases
- Canford Heath East - 11 cases
- Charminster (Bournemouth) - 11 cases
- East Cliff - 16 cases
- Poole Town - 13 cases
- Rossmore - 10 cases
- Throop & Muscliffe -12 cases
- Townsend & Strouden - 10 cases
- Upton & Lytchett Minster - 10 cases
The 'R rate' for the South West is currently between 0.7 - 1.0, which is slightly lower than the latest R number range for the UK of 0.8 - 1.0.
The current growth rate in South West, including Dorset, is set at -4 to 0. The size of the growth rate indicates the speed of change. A growth rate of 0 per cent indicates the epidemic is not spreading in the area.
Likewise, a growth rate of -4 per cent indicates the epidemic is shrinking faster than a growth rate of -3 per cent.
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