COVID cases have more than doubled in Worcestershire over the past month, shocking new stats have revealed. 

The concerning new data, released by the UK Health Security Agency, shows a 136 per cent increase in confirmed cases in June when compared to May. 

This comes in light of a new mask mandate being introduced in hospitals across the county. 
 
Following the spike, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has revealed mask wearing will remain in its facilities for the time being but added the number of people in hospital with Covid had dipped slightly.  

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Overall, there were 169 confirmed Covid cases across Worcestershire in June, a massive rise from the 71 people who contracted the virus in June. 

Alarmingly, this month's figures are higher than the total number of cases for the previous two months put together, during which only 133 people had the virus.

The huge spike in Worcestershire was far above the national average, which saw a 33 per cent rise in June and 2,815 cases across England. 

The NHS Trust said cases were still significantly higher than it had seen at any time since late last year.   

This comes amidst the rise of the new FLiRT variant of Covid which has become more prevalent in recent weeks. 

Like many other forms of the virus, scientists have warned that common symptoms of the FLiRT variant include a runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, and fatigue.

Sarah Shingler, Chief Nursing Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We know that Covid rates have increased, not just in Worcestershire but in other parts of the country as well.

“Our decision to reintroduce mask-wearing in clinical areas of our hospitals was taken to protect our patients, their loved ones and our staff from the risk of infection and we are grateful for the support and understanding of people using our hospitals.

“We have seen a slight decline in the number of Covid positive patients in our hospitals over recent days, down from a high of 73 to 61 – but Covid numbers are still significantly higher than we have seen at any time since late 2023. 

"Mask-wearing will remain in place in all clinical areas of our hospitals for the time being.”