The 312 places where Covid cases are still rising – is your area on the list?

CORONAVIRUS cases are rising in 312 places and this interactive map reveals if your local area is one of them.

The rise in cases comes as Brits will now have to wear face masks in cinemas and theatres from today.

In the seven days to December 5, just 63 places have seen a fall in rates and the map above shows current infection rates.

Torridge in Devon continues to have the highest rate in the UK, with 632 new cases in the seven days to December 5 – the equivalent of 919.7 per 100,000 people.

This is down from 1,062.3 in the seven days to November 28.

One of the main reasons that cases have continued to be at high levels in Torridge is due to a surge in cases in age groups that have seen a fall in other areas of Devon and in the country.

For example, due to booster vaccines being given to the elderly and most vulnerable, many over 90s are protected, but in Torridge there has been a rise in cases in this age group.

Reigate & Banstead in Surrey has the second highest rate, up from 668.0 to 909.9, with 1,358 new cases.

The council has urged residents to do everything they can to stay safe amid cases of Omicron in Surrey.

The local council said: “Do everything you can to keep your community safe. Get vaccinated. Get ​boosted. Let fresh air in. Wear a face covering.”

South Northamptonshire has the third highest rate, up from 617.9 to 876.5, with 837 new cases.

Cases had been rising in this area before Omicron was identified so it’s not yet possible to pin down why infections have risen here.

Newry, Mourne & Down has the highest rate in Northern Ireland (863.7, up from 672.1); the Isle of Anglesey has the highest rate in Wales (834.8, up from 619.0); and East Ayrshire has the highest rate in Scotland (642.3, up from 432.6).

While these are the places with the highest infection rates in the country, there are also places where cases have risen significantly in the last five days.

Both South Northamptonshire and Reigate & Banstead feature in the top five, as they have seen a steep rise in the last week.

South Hams has also seen a rise, going from 629.9 cases per 100,000 to 872.1.

In Harborough cases have also jumped from 506.6 to 746.3.

Infections are also now bleeding over from Torridge into West Devon and the area has seen a jump in infections from 527.3 to 753.5.

SUPER MUTANT

While Delta is still the dominant strain in the UK, it was last night revealed that cases of Omicron had risen by 44 per cent in the last 24 hours.

The super-mutated strain of the virus is accelerating at pace in the UK, forcing the PM to pull the trigger on “Plan B” measures.

The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said another 249 cases of the variant had been detected, taking the total to 817.

However, the UKHSA has said the number of infections is likely to be more in the region of 10,000.

Underreporting of confirmed cases is due to factors such as a time lag in genetic sequencing of test swabs, and not everyone infected coming forward for a test.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said with the fast doubling rate of variant cases, UK infections could hit one million by the new year if restrictions had no effect on the rate Omicron is spreading.

The map above shows the areas in the UK where Covid cases have risen the fastest in the last five days