SEVERAL parts of the city have been singled out as Covid hotspots due to a surge in new cases.

A total of 70 new cases were recorded in Dines Green and St John’s in Worcester in the week up to October 22 – the highest in the city.

The rise in cases in the week saw the area’s infection rate rise to 801 cases per 100,000 people and just moved into Public Health England’s highest Covid hotspot category.

The second highest number of cases were recorded in Lower Wick and Bromwich Road at 49 giving the area an infection rate of 604 cases per 100,000 people.

A total of 41 cases were recorded in Lyppard Grange in the week up to October 22 – almost double the number recorded in the previous week.

Just outside the city, Fernhill Heath and Ombersley had one of the highest infection rates in the county at 1,040 cases per 100,000 people.

The number of new cases doubled in the week compared to the previous seven days to 74.

Public Health England figures show 3,331 new cases were recorded in Worcestershire in the week up to October 22 – a rise of seven per cent compared to the week before.

A total of 471 new cases were recorded in Worcester in a week where infections increased by more than a third.

New cases increased by eight per cent in Malvern Hills to 307 and six per cent in Wychavon, which includes Evesham, Pershore and Droitwich, to 737.

A total of 138 cases were recorded in Evesham, 38 cases were recorded in Pershore and 154 cases were recorded in Droitwich.

The cases recorded in Wychavon was the highest among the county’s six districts.

A total of 664 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Bromsgrove in the week – a rise of almost ten per cent compared to the week before – and 527 cases were recorded in Redditch which saw no change compared to the previous week.

Figures show 625 cases were recorded in Wyre Forest where cases fell by three per cent compared to the week before.