Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Watford

Latest government data shows the rate of new cases in the town has risen again – and the most recent weekly data shows it is at its highest since at least the beginning of July.

There are still 26 authorities in England with a higher rate than Watford’s 22.8 – and Hertfordshire County Council, in charge of the Covid-19 response, has described the situation in Watford as “stable”.

The daily government coronavirus dashboard shows a total of 32 new cases have been identified in Watford between August 3 and August 13, including 22 between August 8 and August 13.

These cases between August 8 and 13 are three times as many as neighbouring Hertsmere, Three Rivers, and Dacorum.

A Covid-19 map which is updated daily by the government shows 16 cases identified between August 7 and 13 were in the North Watford area – specifically the Callowland and Leggatts wards.

Four others were identified in the Holywell area of west Watford.

Mobile testing back in Watford following rise

Councillor Tim Hutchings, executive member for public health at the county council, says the outbreaks of cases have been primarily limited to large households.

The county council said it has not been considered “necessary” to introduce additional public health measures into the town – but mobile testing units have been brought back to Watford Leisure Centre Central on Mondays and Thursdays.

But the council says it is ready to implement further measures like extra testing capacity if cases continue to rise.

Both the county council and Watford Borough Council are monitoring the number of new cases in Watford on a daily basis.

'Follow advice and protect yourself from virus'

Cllr Hutchings said: “Together with our colleagues at Watford Borough Council, who have been working tremendously hard on this matter, we will continue to monitor a stable and relatively small number of cases in Watford.

“These cases have primarily been within a small number of (large) family homes and they have completed and complied with extensive contact tracing activity.

“We are grateful for the efforts that residents in the Watford area have played during the crisis, they continue to have an important part to play in protecting their communities. This includes

• continuing to wash hands
• staying socially distanced
• wearing a face covering where required
• isolating and getting tested if experiencing symptoms.”

The mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, added: “We are working with public health officials closely to keep people in our town as safe as possible from COVID-19.

“Although case rates are relatively low, I would encourage everyone in our town to continue to follow advice about protecting themselves from this virus.

“Our environmental health officers have specially trained teams in place to visit businesses and provide information direct to other settings such as residents’ homes, should additional measures be needed.

“I would like to thank everyone in Watford who has been continuing to stay safe and consider others as we deal with these challenging times.”

What's being done to minimise any spread

The following activity has been carried out by Hertfordshire County Council Public Health, Watford Borough Council and Watford General Hospital to bolster the existing infection control measures:

• Working with mosques, targeted workplaces, and other public bodies have been contacted and asked to disseminate key messages;

• Video have been translated into community languages from community leaders

• ‘Play your part’ advertising campaign now added to refuse and waste collection vehicles, as well as on bus shelters, train stations, and local newspapers

• Every business has now been written to reminding them of the need to double down on infection control measures, and offered advice and single points of contacts

• All licensed premises are being written to reminding them of the need to adhere strictly to COVID prevention measures

• Taxi driver campaign underway -training and signage and £100 towards a screen to separate passengers from drivers

The new confidence mark, developed by the council in response to Covid-19, is a sign that the taxi driver has completed specialist infection control and risk assessment training. 

How the rate has changed in Watford

The seven-day rate of new cases in Watford is based on coronavirus tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community.

The rate is expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people – Watford has a population of around 100,000.

The seven-day rate in Watford has fluctuated over the last few weeks.

It was as low as 2.1 on July 12, but reached 17.6 by the end of the month.

After a slight dip to 10.5 on August 7, the latest rate for the seven days up to August 14 shows the rate jumping to 22.8.

This rate ranks Watford 27th currently out of more than 300 local authorities and the highest in Hertfordshire.

No new cases have been confirmed in the town in the last four days, according to the government dashboard - however the most recent three-day data is usually subject to revision.

Watford is some way off areas at the top of the list.

For example, the highest rate is in Northampton with 122.9 which is the equivalent of 276 new cases while Manchester has recorded 259 new cases and Birmingham 360 between August 8 and 14.