COVID-19 rates across the Dudley borough have fallen below 100 per 100,000 people in several wards – the lowest number since October last year.

The borough is now only behind Wolverhampton for the fewest cases in the Black Country and Birmingham.

The decrease means over half of Dudley’s 24 wards are below the 100 mark with both Pedmore and Stourbridge East along with Hayley Green and Cradley South reporting only five new infections in the last seven days.

Cllr Nicolas Barlow, Dudley Council's cabinet member for health and adult social care, welcoming the latest figures said: “We’re really pleased to see infection rates falling across the borough, this is thanks to the perseverance of local people in following the rules of the latest lock-down, our testing capacity, which has grown significantly in recent weeks and the roll out of the vaccine, which we’re pleased to report is still going incredibly well.

“Although it feels like the end is in sight, our figures are still higher than where we want them to be so we all need to keep doing what we’re doing to help figures decrease further and ensure we can begin our journey to normality sooner rather than later.”

Since last October, the borough has opened an additional static site to test people showing symptoms and 38 centres for lateral flow/symptom free testing.  

The rest of the Black Country also saw sharp drops with Wolverhampton at 83 per 100,000, Walsall at 103, while Sandwell’s rate fell to 135 and Birmingham stands at 105. 

 

Ward name                                                     per 100,000

 

Amblecote                                                                114

Belle Vale                                                                   70

Brierley Hill                                                                98

Brockmoor and Pensnett                                  131

Castle and Priory                                                   123

Coseley East                                                             72

Cradley and Wollescote                                      59

Gornal                                                                         89

Halesowen North                                                   39

Halesowen South                                                   81

Hayley Green and Cradley South                     41   

Kingswinford North and Wall Heath             58      

Kingswinford South                                             80

Lye and Stourbridge North                              222

Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews      135

Norton                                                                       57

Pedmore and Stourbridge East                     40

Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood                       64

Sedgley                                                                     74

St James’s                                                              129

St Thomas’s                                                          196

Upper Gornal and Woodsetton                    167

Wollaston and Stourbridge Town                 91

Wordsley                                                                94