Covid-19 cases creeping up in some areas of Oldham

Cases of Covid-19 are beginning to creep up in some areas of Oldham as the borough continues to have the highest infection rate in Greater Manchester.

Across the whole of Oldham there were 150 cases in the week to April 15, up 13 infections from the previous week.

Twelve of the borough’s neighbourhoods saw case numbers increase.

The former hotspot area of Werneth has seen a big jump in cases according to the latest hyper-local seven day data published by the government.

The neighbourhood went from 14 cases in the week to April 8, to 27 cases in the seven days to April 15.

This was followed by Alexandra Park, also a previous hotspot in the borough, which saw 14 cases in the latest week – up eight on the week before.

There were ten cases apiece in the areas of Chadderton South West and Busk, which had risen by eight from the week before.

Chadderton Central saw seven cases, an increase of one.

There were six cases in Chadderton South East, Derker, Failsworth East, Lees and Hey, Royton North, and Salem.

The government heat map of Covid-19 cases in Oldham in the week to April 15. Photo: Gov.UK. 

The borough recorded a rate of 62.8 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending April 15.

This was a nine pc increase on last week, according to the Public Health England data.

By contrast the England average is down at 25.5 per 100,000 and continuing to fall.

However there are 11 neighbourhoods that recorded two or fewer cases in the last week – meaning they potentially could be free of Covid-19.

And more than 100,000 registered patients in Oldham have now received their first coronavirus vaccination, including more than half of the borough’s adult population.

The latest weekly cases for the borough, broken up into Middle layer Super Output Areas (MSOA) which are sorted by population:

Alexandra Park – 14
Alt – 4
Busk – 10
Chadderton Central – 7
Chadderton North – 3
Chadderton South East – 6
Chadderton South West – 10
Clough and Shaw Side – fewer than three
Derker – 6
Diggle, Delph and Denshaw – fewer than three
Failsworth East – 6
Failsworth South – fewer than three
Failsworth West – 3
Greenfield & Uppermill – fewer than three
Hathershaw – 4
Holt Lane End and Bardsley – fewer than three
Lees and Hey – 6
Lime Side and Garden Suburb – 4
Moorside and Sholver – 3
New Delph, Dobcross and Austerlands – fewer than three
Oldham Town North – fewer than three
Oldham Town South – 3
Royton East and Cowlishaw – fewer than three
Royton North – 6
Royton South West – fewer than three
Salem – 6
Shaw and Crompton – fewer than three
Springhead and Grasscroft – 3
Waterhead – 3
Werneth – 27
Wood End – fewer than three