The coronavirus rate across south Essex is now higher than it has been since the start of the pandemic. 

The most up to date figures show record rates in Southend, Basildon, Castle Point and Thurrock while there has been a slight decrease in Rochford. 

According to Government statistics, for November 13 - the most up to date available - Southend recorded 180.2 new cases per 100,000 population (graph below), with 330 newly confirmed cases in the last seven-day period. 

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In Basildon, (graph below) the rate has risen to 216.3, with 405 new cases confirmed in the last seven days. 

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In Castle Point, (graph below) the rate has risen to 181.5, with 164 new cases confirmed. 

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In Thurrock, (graph below) the rate has risen to 213.4, with 371 new cases confirmed. 

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While the rate is the highest on record, it should be noted there was no mass testing available at the beginning of the pandemic. 

It comes as Essex's Covid contact tracing success rate has fallen for the sixth week running, amid a record number of new positive cases.

Data from the Department for Health and Social Care, which covers only the Essex County Council area, shows 11,062 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Essex were transferred to the Test and Trace service between May 28 and November 11.

That means 2,026 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period – the largest increase since the regime began.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

This led to 22,862 close contacts being identified over the period – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with through a call centre or online.

But just 63.1 per cent were reached – a figure that has fallen steadily over a six-week period.

In Southend, the data shows 1,397 people who tested positive for Covid-19 were transferred to the Test and Trace service between May 28 and November 11.

That means 290 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period – the largest increase since the regime began.

This led to 2,934 close contacts being identified over the period – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with through a call centre or online.

Contact tracers reached 60.5 per cent of those – up slightly from 59.9 per cent up to November 4, and 59.7 per cent to October 28.