Covid in Aylesbury Vale: are we in a better or worse situation than last Christmas?

The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the UK and the Prime Minister is said to be considering introducing tough new restrictions on socialising - a situation reminiscent of last Christmas.

However, the country is in a very different position than it was last December.

The vaccine rollout has had a huge impact on the number of deaths and hospitalisations, although the number of recorded cases is surging across the country, including in Aylesbury Vale.

Based on analysis of UK government data, we reveal how the pandemic has changed in Aylesbury Vale over the last year.

The analysis covers the time period December 13 2020 to December 13 2021.

How many positive cases are there in Aylesbury Vale?

The number of cases being detected are dramatically higher in Aylesbury Vale than they were last December.

This year, on December 13, Aylesbury Vale recorded 226 new cases, 154% more than on the same day last year when 89 new cases were reported.

Case numbers are based on the number of new cases by specimen date.

How many deaths have there been in Aylesbury Vale?

The vaccine rollout has seen deaths plummet in the last year but thousands of deaths have still been recorded across the UK, including many in Aylesbury Vale.

Last year, Aylesbury Vale recorded a total of 124 deaths since the start of the pandemic, but this year the number of total deaths has risen to 368 - 244 more people have died over that time period.

This is a 196.8% rise in the total number of coronavirus deaths in Aylesbury Vale.

The analysis is based on the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test by date of death.

However, the death rate per 100,000 people has dropped dramatically, both in Aylesbury Vale and across the country as a whole

Last year, 3.4 deaths were recorded per 100,000 people in Aylesbury Vale, while in 2021 the death rate is 0.5 per 100,000 people.

Death rates are based on a seven-day rolling average.

How many people are in hospital in Buckinghamshire?

Hospital cases have also changed across Buckinghamshire in the past year.

Last year on December 14 at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, there were 50 people in hospital and three people on mechanical ventilation beds, while this year there are 25 hospital cases and one person on a mechanical ventilation bed.

This represents a 50% drop in hospital cases and a 67% drop in MV beds.