The latest epidemiological data has been provided by colleagues from Public Heath England. With the PM stressing the importance of ‘data over dates’, it is important context as we approach Monday’s announcement of the roadmap for proposed relaxation of national restrictions.
The data shows that in line with the national picture, infection rates have fell markedly over the past couple of weeks, showing the impact of the lockdown and, in all likelihood, the effect of the roll-out of the vaccination programme.
The data also shows that while rates have fallen, they are declining at rates less than the national average, and this ‘stubbornness’ of infection levels may be a reflection of the economic profile of the region (e.g. manufacturing, logistics, textiles), with many still needing to physically go to work. It is of further interest to note that the East Midlands has the highest levels of work-based travel flows (as per Google travel/mobility analytics). A copy of the data can be found here: