THERE continues to be no concerning pattern in positive coronavirus cases in Dorset, according to health authorities.

Providing a weekly update on the situation in the county, Public Health Dorset said both the BCP Council and Dorset Council areas are experiencing low numbers of cases compared with many other areas in England.

In the seven-day period from August 19 to August 25, there were nine new positive cases in BCP Council region and 12 in the Dorset Council area, meaning a total of 21 for the whole county. This was down slightly on the previous seven days, which recorded 23 new cases.

Sam Crowe, director of Public Health for Dorset and BCP Councils, said: “We’re really lucky. We continue to have low infection rates but we have noticed a trend in August of our cases starting to pick up ever so slightly, so probably seeing two to three cases per day across each council, where as in July we were seeing one to two cases per day.

"Because of that, we're continuing to remind people of the importance of continuing those public health measures: Watching your social distance. Covering your face when you can't socially distance in an indoor area. And keep washing your hands.

"We are continuing to be very vigilant and to be on top of any rise in cases, particularly if we notice that any of these cases are linked in any way.

"So under our outbreak management plan, that's how we respond, that's how we will take prompt action to limit the impact of those cases in our community."

Public Health Dorset said over the last couple of weeks, case numbers in our area have shown some fluctuation, which is to be expected.

The authority added that staff regularly review all early warning signs alongside case numbers, and these are all currently showing no cause for concern in Dorset.

In terms of case rates per 100,000 of the population for the August 19 to August 25 period, BCP Council area recorded a figure of 4.3, while Dorset had a figure of 3.2. This compared to 6.7 for the south west and 11.3 for England.

The BCP Council rate was up 0.3 on the previous seven-day period, while Dorset Council was unchanged.

Mr Crowe added: "As we continue to open up our society and our economy, it's really important the public continue to pay close attention to these public messages.

"I know it's been a long time but partly why we've got low infection rates is because people have been brilliant at complying with these messures.

"So although it might feel as if there isn't as much coronavirus around, and that's certainly true from our cases, that's partly because we've complied with these measures that we have got low rates.

"Stick to these public health measures. That's the protection that we need to protect our friends and family from COVID-10 and a situation where we might have to go back into that national lockdown, which no one wants to see a return to."