Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

The number of Covid cases in England and Wales has started to fall after an initial rise at the start of Autumn – but numbers are still rising in Devon.

[The Zoe study that continues to track symptoms, and which has proved reliable throughout the pandemic, is not yet showing a downturn – Owl]

There were a total of 15,797 new cases of the disease in England in the week leading up to October 7, according to the latest government figures. It’s the equivalent of 27.9 new cases for every 100,000 people in the country. That’s down from 16,186 cases, or 28.6 for every 100,000 at the same point a week earlier, on September 30.

In Devon the latest Covid rates are at 32.3 per 100,000, which is up four per cent week on week. In Torbay they are at 40.4 per 100,000, which is just outside the top 10 nationwide for upper tier authority areas, but that is down 16 per cent week on week.

Babbacombe & Plainmoor is the area of Devon with the highest Covid rates of 107.4 per 100,000. That equates to six positive cases in the seven day period ending October 7. Tavistock, with ten, was the only area of Devon to record double figure number of cases.

Below is the list of latest Covid rates and cases for East Devon and Exeter (full list in devonlive article). If the area is not mentioned, it recorded fewer than three cases.

(Covid rates shown in last two columns are: rolling rate of cases per 100,000 and cases in the last seven days)

East Devon	Seaton	79.3	6
East Devon	Axminster	63.1	6
East Devon	Honiton North & East	66.4	4
East Devon	Clyst, Exton & Lympstone	58	4
East Devon	Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh	54.2	4
East Devon	Exmouth Halsdon	42.9	3
East Devon	Exmouth Littleham	39.4	3
East Devon	Ottery St Mary & West Hill	32.8	3
Exeter	Heavitree East & Whipton South	79.6	6
Exeter	Pinhoe & Whipton North	52.1	5
Exeter	Central Exeter	39.5	5
Exeter	Wonford & St Loye’s	47.8	4
Exeter	St Thomas West	41.6	3
Exeter	Heavitree West & Polsloe	34.7	3