YORK'S Covid rate is continuing to rise faster than the national average - with two areas in the south-eastern suburbs and city centre seeing the largest numbers of cases.

Public Health England said today that the rolling seven day infection rate in the City of York Council area in the week to June 18 had increased to 113 per 100,000 population after 238 cases were confirmed.That compared with an average rate of 98.4 across England and 97.5 across the UK.

The highest rate was 344.1 per 100,000 people in the Fulford, Heslington and University of York area after 33 cases were confirmed.York city centre had the next highest rate, of 222.6, with 30 cases, and the third highest rate was 205.1 in Fulford Road and Clementhorpe after 27 cases.

By contrast, some areas on the western side of the city, such as Acomb and Poppleton, Rufforth and Askham, had had so few cases - fewer than three- that their data wasn't shown so as to protect people's identities.

PHE said the rate in North Yorkshire had risen to 77 per 100,000 and East Yorkshire's rate was only 38.4.In Sherburn in Elmet and South Milford, a Covid hotspot, the rate stood at 542.1 after 58 cases.