Here is a message from Cllr Rosemary Powell and Sue Lammin, Clerk to Whissendine Parish Council

See below for clarification on the reporting of COVID-19 cases in Rutland.

There have been reports circulating on the number of residents in our village with COVID-19 but, whilst they may have symptoms, it cannot be confirmed whether they do in fact have the virus, as they have not been tested. And other people may have had the virus and shown no symptoms at all.

The advice remains the same: Stay at Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives

Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Rutland: 12 Rutland residents have tested positive for Covid-19

Following a number of enquiries and contacts challenging the comparatively low number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Rutland, the Council has issued the following clarification, with input from Public Health England:

  • Every day, the Department for Health and Social Care confirms the number of laboratory tests concluded, the number who tested positive and the number who have tested positive that have sadly died. This information can be viewed online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
  • In addition, Public Health England (PHE) publishes a dashboard showing reported cases of coronavirus in the UK, including new cases, cases by upper tier local authority (UTLA) in England and number of deaths. This information can be viewed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-track-coronavirus-cases.  The PHE dashboard is based on where individual patients live and not the location of the hospital where they are being treated. Some cases cannot be matched to a geographical area due to absence or delayed receipt of postcode information – hence the UTLA counts do not sum to the total for England.
  • Rutland residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be listed as Rutland cases, regardless of whether they are in hospital outside of the county.

As of Saturday 18th April, the PHE dashboard shows that twelve Rutland residents are confirmed as having tested positive for COVID-19. The Chief Medical Officer has advised that most adults in good health who develop symptoms of COVID-19 will fully recover, and it is not necessary for them to be tested. Therefore, we are also likely to have a number of unconfirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rutland.

COVID-19 is a risk to everyone, everywhere. With increasing numbers of new cases and deaths being reported elsewhere across the country, it is vital that we all continue to stay at home, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rutland and save lives.

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