Sheffield drops out of top 100 for Covid infection rates as case numbers continue to fall

The infection rate in Sheffield now stands at 165.2 per 100,000 of the population, which means there were 966 new cases in the week up to November 29.

In the week beforehand the infection rate was 230.1, reflecting 1346 new cases in those seven days.

This comes as Sheffield, along with the rest of South Yorkshire, was placed in Tier 3 of the COVID restrictions following the national lockdown – something which will be reviewed on December 16.

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Elsewhere in South Yorkshire the infection rates also fell.

In Doncaster the rate is now 198.1, reflecting 618 new cases in the seven days to November 29. In the week to November 22 the rate was 247.8, with 773 new cases recorded.

And in Rotherham the rate fell from 233.3 (619 new cases) to 199.3 (529 new cases. In Barnsley during the same period it fell from 257.2 (635 new cases) to 179.9 (444 new cases).

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Sheffield’s director of public health Greg Fell said that while the infection rates were falling, the number of cases in the city was still high, and stressed the need to remain careful.

He said: "Sheffield figures continue to fall but they are high. They are falling from a high baseline.

"So what you continue to do does matter. We are all frustrated but please be careful and don’t undo the good work that we have all done.”