Oxfordshire County Council is asking people to be cautious and continue to get tested, as Covid-19 cases in county have risen by 44 per cent since October 1.

The rise in cases reflect national trends, with the number of people testing positive increasing in every age group over the past fortnight.

There were 3,126 cases in the county in the week ending October 15.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s director of public health, said: “September and early October saw cases fluctuate quite a bit locally and nationally as schools and universities returned and more people started going into the office. However, over the past fortnight there has been a sustained rise and we are now once again a position where we are asking people not to take their eye off the ball.

“Half-term is coming up and we would ask families to make sure they continue to get tested, especially before the return to the classroom in early November. However, more widely we are asking everyone in Oxfordshire to continue to take lateral flow tests on an ongoing basis throughout the winter months and to book a PCR test if they are symptomatic.”

The highest case levels remain in young people aged 11 to 17 with significant increases also being seen in people in their 40s.

Mr Azhar added: “We are now seeing 12-15 year-olds invited for their jab and people in priority groups being invited for their booster. Our plea is that everybody should take advantage of those opportunities to boost their immunity as soon as possible. Doing so helps individuals, cuts down the risk of COVID spreading in family settings and helps the community as a whole.

“We would also like to repeat those simple and familiar messages about taking real care about socialising indoors, ventilating indoor spaces, handwashing and wearing face coverings. Every little act of caution helps contain the spread of the virus and allows the vaccine the time and space to do its good work.”

The Covid-19 rates by district are:

• Cherwell 463.6 cases per 100,000 of the population

• Oxford 317.3 cases per 100,000 of the population

• South Oxfordshire 505.6 cases per 100,000 of the population

• Vale of White Horse 498.2 cases per 100,000 of the population

• West Oxfordshire 471.6 cases per 100,000 of the population

The countywide rate for the week ending 15 October was 448.6 Covid-19 cases per 100,000.

Oxfordshire County Council is encouraging people to get tested and symptom-free testing information is available on the county council’s website.