CORONAVIRUS continues to cling on in the Winchester district.

Covid-19 has been virtually eliminated across the district with, today, just one area with more than two cases in the seven days to April 25.

That is Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase where there have been four cases in the seven days to April 25, the most recent day for which localised statistics are available. The rate per 100,000 people is three times the district as a whole.

Todays Government map showing only Bishops Waltham and Waltham Chase as having more than two Covid cases in the seven days to sunday April 25

Today's Government map showing only Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase as having more than two Covid cases in the seven days to sunday April 25

The 13 other areas of the Winchester district have reported fewer than three cases in those seven days and are now marked white on the Government map.

Those areas are: Winchester North and Sparsholt; Winchester East; Winchester West, Winchester Central/South; Stanmore; Oliver’s Battery and Hursley; Springvale and Itchen Abbas; Alresford; South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever; Colden Common and Twyford; Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon; Denmead and Southwick; and Whiteley, Knowle and Wickham.

On Monday, April 26, all the areas had been marked white, reporting on the figures for Wednesday April 21, but on Tuesday Bishop's Waltham and Winchester Central and South slipped.

Only one school in the Winchester district is affected by Covid-19 and that is Kings' secondary school, since Monday. Thornden in Chandler's Ford is too, with only only ten other schools in the whole of Hampshire. There is one case linked to Winchester University.

For the 59th day, no Covid-related deaths have been reported in the Winchester district.

Since the start of the first lockdown last spring 183 people have died within 28 days of a positive test. There have been no new ones since March 3.

The latest available figures for Winchester

The latest available figures for Winchester

Across the Winchester district in those seven days there have been 16 cases, up two, or 14 per cent, on the previous week for a rolling number per 100,000 people of 15.9. A week ago the equivalent number was 14, down six on the previous seven days, 30 per cent, for a rolling 15.8. Three weeks ago the figures were 13, down 16 for a rolling 10.4 per 100,000.

It shows how sharply the Winchester figures have dropped in recent months but that the virus refuses to disappear completely.

The Press Association national news agency reported that figures to April 25 show 52 local authority areas out of 315 in the UK with a better record than Winchester, an increase from 27 on April 3.

No deaths have been reported by the NHS in Hampshire today.

The number of Covid deaths in the three hospitals of the Hampshire Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust (RHCH, Basingstoke and Andover) is at 439, with no deaths for eight days.

On Tuesday there were only four Covid patients in Basingstoke hospital, one at Royal Hampshire County Hospital and none in Andover, down four on previous week (12).

Across Hampshire, not including Southampton and Portsmouth, there have been 220 cases of Covid in the seven days to April 25, up two on the previous seven days, for a rolling number per 100,000 of 15.9. See map below.

Nationwide some 60 per cent have had their first vaccine and around 25 per cent the second.

The vaccination programme across Hampshire continues to its work. In the week to April 26 12,768 have got at least one dose, up from 7,964 the previous week. It means that 763,742 have had at least one dose, up from 750,974.

The numbers for Hampshire

The numbers for Hampshire