COVID cases continue to rise across all of Dorset – although the county has not seen the peaks experienced in other areas.

Dorset director of Public Health, Sam Crowe, said on Thursday there was in no doubt that a third wave of the pandemic was underway, but without the disastrous consequences previously seen.

He told an online meeting the joint public health board that the majority of infections continued to be among 16-29 year-olds in the county with confirmed cases, in any age group, at around 150 per day per the BCP area and 90 in the Dorset Council area.

He said much of work of his public health team was currently in offering advice and guidance to schools where there had been outbreaks with sixty incidents being supported across both council areas.

Only 19 people are currently in hospital in the county with Covid with 26 being supported at home, issued with devices which monitor oxygen levels to help give an alert should hospital treatment be needed.

“The picture is very much more positive than we have seen before…at the moment we have seen a bit of a plateau, which is good news” said Mr Crowe, who said that, so far, Dorset had avoided the peaks which are being experienced in places such as Southampton, Plymouth, South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

He told the board that local outbreak management plans were currently being reviewed to take account of the Government’s announcements on restrictions change and local surge testing measures had already been checked in the Dorset Council area, with an exercise due to take place in the BCP area next week.

Mr Crowe said that he expected the new focus for his teams would be on the more vulnerable, alongside continuing to offer guidance, support and testing as well as encouraging more people to get vaccinated.

“We may be busier in the early autumn, especially as the schools return” he said, warning that the period could also see an increase in flu and other respiratory illnesses in children, coupled with the additional pressure for health professionals in delivering an autumn booster programme.