YORK'S coronavirus rate has halved in less than a month - after reaching a peak in October.

The city's rate of Covid-19 cases reached a high of 309.6 per 100,000 people on October 20.

But 28 days later, on November 17, it had more than halved to 153.4 per 100,000 according to council data.

York went into Tier 2 restrictions on October 17 and the second national lockdown came into force on November 5.

"The rate in York is below the national and regional averages and is currently among the lowest in the Yorkshire and Humber Region," a council report says.

The latest council figures show that by November 19 the rate had dropped to 137.7 per 100,000 people.

At that date, the regional rate was 338.5 per 100,000 and the national rate at 230.3 per 100,000.

The most recent meeting of York's outbreak board heard that cases among students have dropped significantly in the city and that the local public health team's contact tracers had been sent 224 referrals - with a 76.3% success rate in reaching contacts.

The University of York is currently aware of 40 students or staff who are self-isolating because they have tested positive - an increase of eight new cases since yesterday, Tuesday.

York Hospital is seeing a rise in coronavirus patients and is expecting to see numbers in need of treatment reach a peak in the next two weeks.