The Covid infection rate in Suffolk is now around a quarter of what it was at the height of the pandemic and is continuing to fall, new data has revealed.

According to the latest Public Health England statistics, 1,210 new positive Covid-19 cases were recorded in Suffolk in the week up to February 1— compared to 3,425 in the week leading up to January 1.

In the seven days leading to January 1 — when Suffolk saw its worst levels since the start of the pandemic — the Covid infection rate was 585.6 cases per 100,000.

According to the most recent data available, the coronavirus infection rate in Suffolk was 158.9 in the week up to February 1.

This means a fall of 73% in a month for the county as a whole.

However, this varies across districts.

In Ipswich the coronavirus infection rate in the week up to January 8 when it reached 731.9 per 100,000 people.

Relative to this peak, rates have fallen by around 66% and are now at 242.5 per 100,000.

Public Health England data also shows that rates are continuing to fall.

The latest statistics compare the seven days to February 1 with the seven days to January 25.

Data for the most recent four days has been excluded, as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

In Suffolk, cases fell most sharply in Mid Suffolk where they went from 212.7 per 100,000 in the week before January 25 to 117.4 per 100,000 in the week before February 1.

In Ipswich cases are continuing to fall but the rate remains higher than in all other Suffolk districts and roughly in line with the average for England.

Over the border in Essex the lowest case rate was recorded in Uttlesford, while Tendring and Braintree continue to record case rates above the national average.

Nationally, all but 15 of the 315 districts in England have seen a fall in case rates.

Corby in Northamptonshire has the highest rate in England, with 370 new cases recorded in the seven days to February 1 – the equivalent of 512.3 cases per 100,000 people.

This is up from 473.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 25.

Sandwell in the West Midlands has the second highest rate, down from 655.2 to 483.8, with 1,589 new cases.

Walsall, also in the West Midlands, is in third place – down from 535.9 to 471.5, with 1,346 new cases.