Will Hartlepool go into Tier 4? How the town has fared against Covid since the last review

It is widely expected that more areas in England will move into Tier 4 – meaning they will be subjected to the toughest measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the Government’s Covid-19 Operations committee on Tuesday evening (December 29) where the decisions what areas will be changing tiers were made.

It is understood that the Health Secretary will announce those decisions after MPs have passed key legislation on the post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, December 30.

Will Hartlepool move into Tier 4? This is what the Government looks at when making a decision

- The number of cases

The last tier review took place on Thursday, December 17, with Hartlepool and the rest of the North East remaining in Tier 3.

Since then, Hartlepool has seen 747 confirmed cases between December 17 to December 29, an increase compared to the 294 cases recorded in the ten days leading up to December 16.

- Pressure on the NHS in the local area

Ministers look at how the NHS is coping in areas across England and could choose to impose stricter measures if it deems there is a risk of the NHS becoming overwhelmed.

The North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said it was currently dealing with 166 coronavirus cases – the equivalent of five and-a-half wards full of patients and more than half its total number of beds.

On Tuesday, December 29, the trust reported that 20 deaths had occurred from the virus over Christmas, which represented the highest number of Covid-19 deaths at the trust for a single day since the start of the pandemic.

It follows confirmation that the North East’s Nighingale Hospital remains on standby to treat Covid patients should hospitals across the region become overwhelmed.

- Infection rates

The current case rate for Hartlepool is 365.1 per 100,000 people with 342 cases in the seven days leading up to December 25.

That is up from the previous seven days where the case rate was 353.4 per 100,000 people.

- Case rate among older people

One of the factors the government has said it takes into consideration when looking at tier changes is how prevalent the illness is within over-60s who are more vulnerable.

Cases in Hartlepool rose among those aged 60 or over in the run up to Christmas, increasing from 281.8 cases per 100,000 in the week to December 16.

In Hartlepool, the case rate among over-60s has been rising over the run up to Christmas and was the highest in the North East in the seven days up to December 23.

The current case rate among the over-60s in Hartlepool is 327.4 per 100,000 compared to the regional total that stands at 146.5 per 100,000 people.

Click here to keep up to date with live updates as the tier announcements are made.

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