Sidmouth residents can now see the number of Covid cases in their area on an interactive government map.

These are the numbers for the seven days up to 17 March:

Coronavirus in Sidmouth

Sidmouth Town: 80 cases (increase of 42)

Sidmouth Sidford: 102 cases (increase of 20)

Ottery St Mary & West Hill: 123 cases (increase of 9)

You can view the interactive map for yourself here.

Coronavirus in Devon

Covid cases continue to rise sharply across Devon, with almost 15,000 infections recorded in the latest figures.

Government data for the week to last Thursday [17 March] shows the rates in Plymouth and the Devon County Council area both rose by 60 per cent, while there was a 69 per cent increase in Torbay.

It means Devon remains well above the national Covid rate, despite infections going up across the board. The UK average is 851 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 1,219 in the county council area, 1,165 in Plymouth and 1,283 in Torbay.

The rise in cases has continued since all Covid restrictions ended in England at the end of February, including the legal requirement to self-isolate with the virus. Free mass testing will also stop from 1 April.

Hospitalisations

As of the most recent government data from Tuesday 15 March, there were 277 patients with Covid in Devon's hospitals, an increase of 60 from a week ago. The biggest number – 111 – are being treated in Plymouth.

Elsewhere, 89 patients were at the RD&E in Exeter, 40 in Torbay, 33 in North Devon and four in Devon Partnership mental health trust sites. Of the total, four people were in intensive care with Covid.

However, late last week NHS Devon revealed the hospital figure had since risen to 292, higher than at any other point during the pandemic, with a further 37 patients awaiting test results.

Deaths

17 more people died in the county within 28 days of testing positive for Covid in the latest complete weekly period (up to Wednesday 16 March). 11 were in the Devon County Council area, five in Torbay and one in Plymouth.

A total of 1,680 people in Devon (including Plymouth and Torbay) have died within 28 days of a positive test since the pandemic began (as of 20 March).

Vaccinations

The number of people aged over 12 who have received their booster (third) Covid vaccination is 72 per cent in the Devon County Council area, 66 per cent in Torbay and 61 per cent in Plymouth.

Take-up for at least one dose of a vaccine is 89 per cent in the Devon County Council area, 86 per cent in Torbay and 85 per cent in Plymouth.

The proportion of people who have had two jabs is 85 per cent in Devon, 82 per cent in Torbay and 80 per cent in Plymouth.

The national rates are 92, 86 and 67 per cent respectively.

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