A FRESH spike in Oxford coronavirus cases is 'disproportionately' affecting 18-to-30-year-olds who are feared to be forgetting the danger of the pandemic.

Oxfordshire's director of public health, Ansaf Azhar has warned young adults are putting their loved ones lives at risk if they flout the rules.

The weekly infection rate up to August 14 showed a noticeable rise in the number of positive tests of Covid-19 in the city.

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There were 28 cases in Oxford during this period, compared with 16 the week before.

Mr Azhar said yesterday this 'concerning' trend had continued in recent days and was now expected to be worse than a previous surge in late July.

Oxford Mail:

Ansaf Azhar

On Sunday, a further 10 cases were confirmed in the city by Public Health England.

Mr Azhar said: "We saw a rise in the number of positive cases in Oxford in late July and this thankfully dropped again as we entered August.

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"It now seems we are back up to those late July levels again and they are continuing to rise beyond this."

There were worries after Oxford shot up to the 15th highest weekly rate in the UK, with infections then largely down to household clusters in East Oxford.

Mr Azhar said the latest spike was 'very different', with new cases more dispersed and not centred on any venue, place of work or other cluster but rather a particular demographic –18-30-year-olds.

Oxford Mail:

Oxford coronavirus cases by specimen date. Picture: Public Health England

Mr Azhar added: "There is a suspicion that people in this age group are relaxing during the holiday season and forgetting all of the important things that have helped suppress Covid-19 since the spring.

"The message to younger people is that you may not experience the worst of the symptoms yourself, but you may pass it on to loved ones in older age groups or those with underlying health conditions who do."

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Mr Azhar said although the rate of 18.4 cases per 100,000 people in the city on August 14 was still below the thresholds which have seen measures reintroduced elsewhere in the country, it is higher than many other areas in the South East.

For comparison, the highest rate currently is Oldham, with 71.1 cases per 100,000 people.

He added the rising trend is something that required 'huge vigilance' and cited people returning from holidays abroad, along with lockdown's continued easing as likely sources of new cases.

He said: "If you give [Covid] an inch, it will take a mile. Let’s stop giving it any room for manoeuvre.

"If you’ve been abroad to a country that is not on the exemption list then by law you need to self-isolate for 14 days."

He added: "The plea is a simple one – be consistent in remembering those simple measures that help keep us safe – keep your distance, wash your hands, wear a mask.

"If we all do these things, we will avoid having to introduce measures that we’ve seen elsewhere in England."

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Mr Azhar urged special caution over the Bank Holiday weekend, saying 'to a large degree' controlling the virus was down to people's actions and behaviour.

He said: "The temptation will be to relax and act as if it is a normal August Bank Holiday. It isn’t.

"Please take responsibility and play your part – we are still in the midst of a pandemic."

Mr Azhar said the county council was 'considering all options' if the situation did not improve, including cancelling events and closures, though stressed things had not reached that stage.

He added as the 'world was opening up' people needed to continue avoiding large gatherings, wearing a face mask in public spaces and frequently washing their hands.

Mr Azhar said success would be measured not just by the weekly rate but a range of factors that all needed to be controlled.