UoN campus now has the lowest rate of Covid-19 in the country

About a month ago, Notts’ biggest student areas, University Park Campus, Lenton Abbey and Jubilee Campus, had the highest rate of coronavirus in the whole country.

However, dropping from a rate of nearly 5,000 to around 60 in just a few weeks, these areas currently have the lowest rate of new cases in the county.

This news comes just as Pfizer and BioNTech announce their vaccine to be 94 per cent effective in their latest trials.

From having one of the highest rates in England at 4,955 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days leading up to September 28th, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has recorded seven cases only between the 4th and 11th of November.

UoN student, Amy Painter commented on the news questioning whether a combination of “mainly online teaching and empty libraries alongside the scare-factor of rising stats” had an impact on the low number of cases.

An interactive map available on the GOV.UK website displays weekly data which colour codes coronavirus rates in Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) (larger than electoral wards but smaller than districts). Surrounded by 50 shades of blues and purples, the ULJ area proudly represents the Green and Gold by itself being green on the map (51-100 per 100,000 cases).

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “The number of active cases Covid-19 among our University community continues its downward trend, reducing by 96 per cent since October … we are incredibly grateful to the vast majority of our 35,000 students who are obeying the rules to protect the health of themselves”.

As the Christmas holidays quickly approach, universities are finalising plans to allow testing for students, to enable them to go back home safely. From the 23rd November, you will be able to choose which test you would like to take and book a slot via the universities’ coronavirus webpages.