Guernsey's Covid rate is now highest in Britain

The news comes as the island confirmed its first case of the new Omicron variant.

Eighteen months ago the island was winning plaudits across Britain for being Covid-free.

But for the past few weeks about 100 new cases a day have been found.

The States was asked if it could confirm numbers sourced or calculated by the Guernsey Press, and offer any explanations, but was not be able to do so yesterday.

Covid case numbers started to soar locally in early November, a week or so after the Civil Contingencies Authority asked islanders to wear masks in enclosed spaces.

With 664 new cases in the previous seven days, the Bailiwick has a rate of 1,057 cases per 100,000 over the previous week, according to World Health Organisation figures.

That put the islands alongside with some of the worst Covid-hit regions in Europe, such as parts of Czechia and Slovakia.

It also puts the Bailiwick ahead of other parts of the British Isles and Ireland, with the Isle of Man, midland Ireland, south-east Ireland and Jersey being the next on the list, with 889, 810, 789 and 782 respectively.

England, which has just tightened up restrictions and invoked its Plan B for Christmas, currently has much lower rates. The worst region according to the same WHO figures is the south-east with a rate of 643 per 100,000 people.

The States was also asked about local vaccination rates, which appear to have fallen behind other areas of the British Isles, when calculated by taking the total number of doses given, dividing by the population, and then multiplying by 100.

The latest local data shows that 104,457 doses have been given. This works out as 164 doses per 100 of the population. The States itself reports a slightly lower figure. While well ahead of many parts of the world, it is behind other parts of the British Isles.

By the same method of calculation, Jersey has given 175 doses per 100 of population, the Isle of Man 187 and the UK 177.

Guernsey has been pushing forward with vaccinating teenagers and its booster programme in recent weeks. That meant medically-trained staff were needed to staff the centre.

So far 61% of over-50s locally have received boosters. Jersey reports its numbers differently, but some 70% of its over-50s have now had a booster jab.

Some 93% of the island's over-18 population have had two vaccine doses, and our teenage vaccination rates are ahead of Jersey.

. There are currently 856 active cases of Covid in the Bailiwick, with two people in hospital. Yesterday 109 new cases were found and 111 recovered.

First Omicron case confirmed

GUERNSEY’S first case of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron has been identified in an islander who travelled from the UK recently.

They were advised that they may have been in contact with a patient, who was a positive Omicron case in the UK, and immediately contacted Public Health, which carried out a rapid PCR test, sequencing and contact tracing, which has identified only a small number of close contacts, who are now isolating and undergoing PCR tests.

Despite changes in the UK, where nearly 600 cases of the variant have been found, there are no plans immediately to change restrictions for islanders.

Mandatory use of face coverings in certain settings remains in force.