People in Preston are being urged to stick to the rules and play their part in preventing the spread of Covid-19 after new figures showed rates in the city remain nearly double the national average.

While infection rates for Covid are decreasing around the country, recent data shows that the infection rate in the city remains at 178.9 per 100,000 people tested which is nearly double the figure for England as a whole at 91.4 putting Preston in the top 10 areas for rate of infection.

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The lower rate of decrease has led to calls for vaccination roll-out to be prioritised in areas with continued high rates.

Read more: See how many people have received the Covid vaccine in each area of Preston and South Ribble

Preston City Council has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the matter.

Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council, said: “It has been a very difficult year and we’re all excited for life to get back to normal which we hope will be very soon.

“But until then we all need to keep doing our bit to protect one another and reduce infections in the city. The rates are going down, but Preston continues to have higher rates than those of our neighbours and many other areas in the country.

“We need the whole community in Preston to help lower the rate so that we don’t have any delays on the national lifting of restrictions.

Read more: Mobile Covid testing centre open at Moor Park Avenue

“The best way to drive down infections is to follow the restrictions and reduce social contact with others. It’s also vital that you get tested if you are feeling unwell and we’re pleased that more testing options are available in our communities.

“Once you receive your offer of a vaccine I implore you to take this up as this is the best way to protect yourself against the virus.”

The data shows that the infection rate remains high in age groups that have not yet received a vaccine including those aged 30 to 50.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing for Lancashire County Council, said: “It’s now been a year since the first Covid cases in Lancashire. We know that people want to see their family and friends again, but we all still need to keep taking care, so that we can get back to doing this again more quickly.

“We’re still seeing lots of cases in younger and working-age people, who haven’t received a vaccination. Covid is still very much with us, so we all need to keep taking care to protect each other.”

The latest coronavirus stats in your area can be seen below

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