The number of new coronavirus cases has dropped by a third in Brighton and Hove, according to figures from Public Health England.
There were 787 new covid-19 cases in the seven days to Monday (30 August), down from 1,184 in the previous week.
This gave a rate of 270 cases for every 100,000 people, down from 406 cases, bringing the rate below the national average.
Despite this, Brighton and Hove’s director of public health Alistair Hill sounded a note of caution.
He said: “This is welcome news. However, the number of cases remains high and, with many of us coming back from holidays and festivals, and more returning to education and workplace settings, this could lead to more cases in the coming weeks.
“It does mean that regular testing and all the hygiene habits we learned throughout the pandemic remain so important.
“Regular hand washing, good ventilation, wearing face coverings when required and making space for each other helped reduce infection during the lockdowns and still serve us well.
“The number of patients needing treatment for the effects of covid-19 in our local hospital remains similar to last week and is lower than the level seen last winter.
“This shows that the vaccination programme is highly effective in reducing the risk of serious illness and hospital admission.
“It highlights that everyone should take up the vaccine as soon as they are offered it.
“If you’ve fallen out of the habit of testing at home over the summer, now’s the time to get back into the routine of testing twice every week.
“And of course, at the first sign of any covid symptoms you must stay home, book a PCR test and self-isolate while you wait for the result to make sure.
“I also want to remind anyone who works or volunteers in a care home of the government’s requirement for you to be fully vaccinated by Thursday 11 November.
“This includes people who provide non-care services inside the home such as maintenance and hairdressing.
“Because of the eight-week gap between doses, the first vaccination will need to be done by Thursday 16 September to be sure to be fully vaccinated by Thursday 11 November.
“If this applies to you and you haven’t already had your first jab yet, please get it as soon you can.”
