Covid cases in south-west England highest among young people

Covid-19 cases in the south-west of England are "by far" the highest among 15-24 year olds, according to Public Health England (PHE).

Prof Mike Wade, deputy regional director, said this age bracket had 1,700 cases per 100,000.

He said there had also been an increase among those aged 60 and over.

The latest PHE figures show the South West has a rate of 461 cases per 100,000 - the highest rate across the English regions.

The South West covers Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Avon, and Wiltshire.

Prof Wade said while there had been "small increases" in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in the South West, Covid-related deaths remained low.

He said that an increase in cases among the over 60s was "natural" as this age group began to "engage more in hospitality and entertainment".

Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday afternoon, he said the latest figures showed just over 5,000 cases could possibly be linked to the Boardmasters festival held in Newquay - an increase from 4,700 on Monday.

He said despite the rise, there was "no real basis" for large-scale events not to continue, "provided authorities are engaging effectively with the event organisers and mitigations are being put in place".

PHE also warned that it expected to see a high influx of visitors to the South West during the bank holiday weekend.

"Covid-19 has not gone on holiday," Prof Wade said.

"Day trippers and holidaymakers need to protect themselves and others from Covid-19."

He reiterated words of caution from head of Visit Cornwall Malcolm Bell, warning visitors to ensure they had pre-booked plans and to take a lateral flow test before travelling.

Covid cases across the South West have seen a recent surge; in Cornwall there are 804 cases per 100,000 people, double the previous week's figure.

In Devon, West Devon has the highest rate of cases at 729 per 100,000 people in the seven days up to and including 21 August.

In Somerset, Sedgemoor has recorded some of the highest rates in England in the last week.

Public health officials said low levels of natural immunity in unvaccinated residents could be partly to blame for the escalating figures.

Friends Anya Dawson and Lucy Holt from Wiltshire said they still wanted to holiday in St Ives in Cornwall despite the rising cases.

"We're spending more time away from the crowds but we're not avoiding anything," they said.

"We still wanted to get away and enjoy our summer."

Liv Ward from Dorset said she came to get away from the crowds but was shocked to see a busy St Ives.

"I feel as if you're outside enough then maybe you can get away with it but lack of social distancing and stuff is concerning.

"But I think people just want to have a good time."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].