Milton Keynes' COVID-19 weekly case rate is still higher than the national average which the council leader says is 'concerning'.
Over the past couple of months, Milton Keynes has seen high infection numbers and daily cases, expected to have been caused by the new, more transmissible, variant of COVID-19.
In January, the city declared a major incident due to increased pressures on the NHS, and days later, the nation was placed into a third lockdown.
The case rate previously reached the incredibly high number of 1,000 yet has been falling rapidly over the past few weeks.
But despite the decline, the weekly case rate in Milton Keynes is still higher than the average area in the country.
According to Government data, the case rate in Milton Keynes stood at 283.9 yesterday (4/2). This is likely to drop even more when today's data is published.
However, a senior figure from Milton Keynes Council states that he is still "concerned" about the situation locally.
Cllr Pete Marland, Leader of Milton Keynes Council, said: "The trend is continuing downward and is very positive. It is only possible because the vast majority of people are following the rules even though it is difficult.
"However, our cases per week are still much higher than other parts of the country, including London. The rate in Milton Keynes is higher than it was in December, but unlike then, the new variant makes up for around 80% of our cases, which means the risk of transmission is higher. We're still very concerned."
He added that it continues to be important to follow all lockdown rules and 'hands, face, space' to reduce transmission.
The Government COVID-19 dashboard states that Milton Keynes has had 765 weekly positive cases when counting the seven days to 30th January. This figure, compared to the city's population, is above the national average and many areas in London.
The national average currently stands at 261 cases per 100,000 people, while Milton Keynes' weekly rate is slightly higher at 283.9.
Different parts of London are split into different local authorities. Some areas, including Wandsworth, Hackney & City of London, and Southwark, have a lower weekly rate than Milton Keynes.
But the most recent data, according to London Datastore, says that London as a whole had a rate of 292 per 100,000 - just slightly more than Milton Keynes.
When comparing case rates locally, Milton Keynes' weekly cases are lower than neighbouring Luton. The town saw 956 cases in the seven days to 30th January and had a case rate of 448.7.
Milton Keynes' case rate is expected to drop once more today, and within the next few days should be in line with the national average.
Click here to find out more information about the latest case data for Milton Keynes.
