Rise in Covid-19 cases in children in Newcastle and Gateshead is 'something we'll need to watch'; The Omicron Covid-19 wave isn't over, with a return to school seeing a rise in positive cases among children -especially of primary school age.

Byline: By, Sam Volpe

Health bosses in Newcastle and Gateshead have warned "we'll need to watch" rates of COVID in children -especially those at primary school -which are still rising, even as rates of Omicron infection across the population begin to fall.

Speaking at a meeting of the Newcastle Gateshead NHS CCG, Andy Graham and Michelle Stamp -public health consultants with Gateshead and Newcastle councils respectively -both shared positive news suggesting we are past the peak of the Omicron COVID-19 wave.

However they also explained there were still considerable numbers of new cases in the under 15s in both areas.

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Michelle said though COVID cases had fallen and case rates in Newcastle and Gateshead were both among the lowest in the North East, we were "starting to see an increase" in positive cases among those aged zero to 15.

As of January 21, the rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Newcastle was 1,173, with Gateshead at 1174.5.

But among the age group of five to nine-year-olds, in Newcastle it is a masive 2,837.4 per 100,000, and in Gateshead it's up to 2,698.2.

Omicron: Are we turning a corner

She also said that, along with care homes, public health teams were working hard to contain outbreaks in schools.

Andy echoed this, and asked whether rising cases in children would necessarily lead to another spike in adults, he said: "The honest answer to that is we don't know it -as is the case so much with the...

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