Basingstoke and Deane has one of the highest rates of Covid-19 infection in the UK, new figures have shown.

According to statistics released by the Government, as of Wednesday (May 13) morning, the local authority has seen 640 confirmed cases of Covid-19 at a rate of 364 people per 100,000.

This ranks 26th of local authorities in all the UK and second among Hampshire districts, behind only Rushmoor with 356 cases at a rate of 374 per 100,000. There are a little more than 300 such areas in the UK.

The data set comes with a note to say its figures do not take into account the factors such as the different levels of testing carried out in each local authority area. 

The Basingstoke rate is higher than Southampton, 541, 214 per 100,000; New Forest, 248, 138 per 100,000; Isle of Wight 156, 110 per 100,000; Eastleigh 243, 184 per 100,000; East Hampshire 260, 215 per 100,000; Fareham 169, 145 per 100,000; Portsmouth 310, 144 per 100,000, Test Valley, 286 cases, 228 per 100,000 and Winchester 345, 277 per 100,000.

The Basingstoke rate is also higher than several London boroughs including Bromley at 362 per 100,000 and Lambeth at 360 per 100,000 and just behind Croydon at 378 per 100,000.

The highest rate in the UK is Barrow-in-Furness at 822 per 100,000, while the borough with the most total cases is Birmingham at 3,162.

As of Tuesday, when the most recent figures were released, 144 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The trust covers hospitals in Winchester, Basingstoke and Andover.

Across the rest of Hampshire, 206 people have died at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 160 have died at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and 16 have died at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.

 A spokesman for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: “It would be difficult to say for certain, but it is worth bearing in mind that we (Hampshire Hospitals) got our in-house testing for COVID-19 up and running much faster than most, which has meant we have had the ability to test more widely, and for longer.”