Where in the UK is coronavirus most prevalent?

Coronavirus cases in the UK more than trebled over the past seven days, jumping from 3,269 on March 19 to 11,658 on March 26.

The spread of the virus around the UK has not been consistent, however.

Prevalence of the disease has increased rapidly in some places and not in others.

In England, where the number of cases is reported by local authority area, the biggest changes have all been in London.

Top of the list is Southwark, which saw cases of the virus jump from 26 per 100,000 population on March 19 to 80 per 100,000 on March 26.

Next comes the London boroughs of Lambeth (from 25 cases per 100,000 to 76), Brent (from 20 to 69), Harrow (from 22 to 67) and Wandsworth (from 23 to 62).

Outside London, the area that has seen the biggest increase in prevalence is Sheffield, where cases have gone from seven per 100,000 population to 41.

This is followed by Wolverhampton (from 11 cases per 100,000 to 39), Cumbria (from eight to 35) and Birmingham (from three to 25).

One thing that has not changed since last week is the part of England where the virus is most prevalent.

London boroughs accounted for every one of the top 15 most prevalent areas in England on March 19 – and the same was true on March 26.

The capital continues to be the main coronavirus ‘hotspot’ in England.

The West Midlands is another region of England where the numbers could show a big change over the next week, however.

Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Walsall and Sandwell are all in the top 10 areas outside London that saw the biggest jump in prevalence during the past seven days.

A total of 15% of all coronavirus-related deaths in the UK so far have been recorded by hospitals in the West Midlands – the highest proportion anywhere except for London (32%).

In Scotland, where cases are reported by local NHS health board, the virus is currently most prevalent on the mainland in Dumfries & Galloway (26 cases per 100,000 population), followed by Forth Valley (25 per 100,000) and Greater Glasgow & Clyde (22 per 100,000).

Dumfries & Galloway has seen the biggest rise in prevalence, from seven cases per 100,000 on March 19 to 26 per 100,000 a week later.

Shetland currently has 24 confirmed cases of coronavirus among a population of 22,990 – the equivalent of 104 cases per 100,000 population.

Orkney and the Western Isles continue to report no cases of the virus.

Wales has recently switched to reporting the volume of cases by local health board instead of by local authority, making it difficult to analyse how the prevalence of coronavirus has changed.

The volume of cases is highest in the part of Wales covered by the Aneurin Bevan University health board, which includes the areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen and South Powys.

As of March 27, the total number of confirmed cases for the Aneurin Bevan board was 432.

In Northern Ireland, cases have just started being reported regularly by local authority area.

The latest numbers show that as of March 27 coronavirus was most prevalent in Lisburn & Castlereagh (27 cases per 100,000 population), followed by Belfast (25 cases per 100,000) and Ards & North Down (16 cases per 100,000).