NEW Covid cases continue to soar in the Winchester district but no-one has died in the district for 132 days.

One secondary school, Kings', has moved to remote learning one day a week because it "has become increasingly challenging to adequately staff Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 lessons", said the headteacher in a letter to parents.

In the week to July 7 Covid cases rose in 12 of the 14 parts of the district, which covers the city council area, with a slight fall in Denmead and Southwick and no change in Alresford.

Across the district the numbers are up 95 per cent, with cases nearly doubling in a week.

The biggest increases were in and around the city area. Stanmore, where Kings' is situated, in the seven days to July 7, saw 29 cases, a rise of 16, or 123 per cent, for a rolling number per 100,000 people of 427.6, the highest figures since January and the peak of the second wave. Wednesday July 7 is the most recent day for which localised figures are available.

Another sharp increase is Oliver’s Battery/Hursley: Cases have climbed by 17 to 29, an increase of 141 per cent, for a rate of 354.7 per 100,000.

Across the district as a whole there were 310 cases, up 151, or 95 per cent for a rolling 248.3. The previous seven days' figures were 177 cases, up 87, 97 per cent, for a rolling 141.8.

In Winchester West, covering Weeke and Fulflood there have been 32 cases up 24 (300 per cent) for a rolling 321.1; Winchester East, Winnall and Highcliffe, the numbers are 26, up 15, or 136 per cent for a rolling 319.2; Winchester Central and South, including St Cross, the numbers are 34, up 14 (70 per cent) for a rolling 309.2. Winchester North has 24 cases, up 14, 140 per cent, for a rolling 247.3.

No areas are currently marked white on the Government website map.

The most recent figures showed ten Covid patients under the care of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), with five in Basingstoke and five at the RHCH in Winchester.

The last death in the Winchester district was on March 3. In the area covered by the HHFT there have been 439 deaths since the start of the pandemic in spring 2020 but none for 80 days, since April 22.

There are currently 16 schools affected by Covid: Westgate, primary/secondary; Bishop's Waltham Infant; Bishop's Waltham junior; Durley primary; Kings Worthy primary; South Wonston primary; Sparsholt primary; St Bede primary; Stanmore primary; Weeke primary; Western primary; Wickham primary; Winnall primary; Kings' secondary; Swanmore secondary Henry Beaufort secondary.

At the university there are three cases but only one had been on campus.

Kings has introduced one day or learning from home for Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 lessons through the remainder of this week.

Parents were alerted to the move in a letter from headteacher Dr James Adams.

He wrote: "You may be aware of a small number of positive Covid cases at Kings’ at the end of last week, over the weekend and today.

"We have staff and pupils self-isolating at home as a result. In addition, we have staff and pupils who have been instructed to self-isolate due to the NHS track and trace app. As a result, it has become increasingly challenging to adequately staff Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 lessons through the remainder of this week.

"Therefore, we are going to move to a model of learning where each year group will work from home for one day this week.Therefore, we are going to move to a model of learning where each year group will work from home for one day this week."

Other Covid news: Western Primary School sends children home this morning