MORE than 20,000 Covid cases have now been confirmed since the start of the pandemic in York - but the city's rate is still below the national average for both England and the UK.

Public Health England said yesterday that there had been 20,146 confirmed cases in the City of York Council area since March last year - a rate of 9,547.3 cases per 100,000 population.

That compares with a UK average rate of 10,121.4 and an average for the whole of England of 10,398.1.

York's current rate of 271.5 cases per 100,000 is also below the national averages of 315.2 for England as a whole and 355 for the UK, and below North Yorkshire County Council's rate of 311.5 and East Riding of Yorkshire' Councils rate of 379.4.

The highest rates yesterday within areas of York were 455.1 per 100,000 people in Westfield, Chapelfields & Foxwood and 417.5 in Woodthorpe & Acomb Park, while some of the lowest rates were 107.1 in Osbaldwick, 156.4 in Fulford, Heslington & the University of York and 160.1 in Huntington.

Areas with high rates in North Yorkshire included Malton and Norton, with a rate of 566.1 and Barlby and Riccall, near Selby, which had a rate of 425.7.