While coronavirus cases are dropping across the UK, there continues to be some rise in infections within certain areas across south and west Hertfordshire.

A week after ‘Freedom Day’, confirmed Covid infections have plummeted 21.5 per cent week on week across the UK – from a high of 54,674 on July 17 to 24,950 on July 26.

However latest Public Health England data shows that this is not exactly the case around Watford, as there is a slight spike in infections in some neighbourhoods.

The town's infection rate is currently 500.1 cases per 100,000 population in the seven days to July 22, a jump from 423.5 from the week before.

Three Rivers has also seen a jump from 447.9 cases per 100,000 population to 562.6 in the same time period.

However, other areas including Dacorum and St Albans have seen a drop in infection rates.

Where are the current hotspots?

Cases in individual wards have risen despite the actual infection rate decreasing in various areas.

Most significantly, there was a 161.1 per cent spike of cases in Chorleywood, with 47 cases within the seven days to July 21 compared to 29 before that.

Other areas including Abbots Langley (73) and Radlett (67) continue to record a high number of cases.

That’s not to say that all areas have had a rise in cases. Within Carpenders Park there were just 26 cases, a decrease of 16.1 per cent from the week before.

Below is a table of all 79 wards in south west Hertfordshire ranked. The ranking is based on the number of cases identified in the week ending July 21.

What about the ‘Pingdemic’?

There have been surges of people self-isolating due to the contact tracing alerts sent out from the NHS Covid-19 app.

According to the last bit of data published by the NHS, 1,346 alerts were sent out in Watford between July 8 and July 14.

The week before that, there were 937 pings issued from the app.

Likewise, many in Three Rivers were also pinged to self-isolate. Data shows that were 958 alerts issued, compared to 740 the week before.

To combat this the government is working on more daily testing sites and expanding a self-isolating exemption list to ease disruptions caused by the so-called ‘pingdemic’.

How busy is Watford General Hospital?

The latest data we have is that 31 Covid patients were being cared for at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust as of 8am on July 22.

This is way off the number of 347 patients that were cared for at the trust on January 12, but still a jump from the 20 patients taking up hospital beds the week before (July 13).

Data shows that a Covid death at the trust was recorded on July 24, while two other patients passed away on July 8 and 18.

How is the vaccination programme going locally?

In England, 88 per cent of over 18s have had one dose of a Covid vaccination, while 70.1 per cent are fully vaccinated, as of July 25.

However, the breakdown is lower in our area of Hertfordshire.

St Albans has the highest rate of vaccinations with 83.7 per cent partially vaccinated and 68.8 per cent fully vaccinated.

Next is Three Rivers at 83.1 per cent and 69.2 per cent, followed by Dacorum at 82.3 per cent and 66 per cent.

Hertsmere's figures are 78.4 and 66.1 per cent while Watford sits at 74.3 and 58.2 per cent.

A series of walk-in vaccination clinics have been set up, where no booking is required.

Visit Watford Borough Council's website for more details.