THE reality of how Covid has spread across the region has been laid out in a map which shows how the situation has changed in just four weeks.

Maps comparing the current situation with that a month ago shows how the Covid infection rate has risen dramatically across the North-East and North Yorkshire.

On the map, lighter, green colours show low infection rates - the number of positive cases per 100,000 people - while darker blues show higher rates.

Greens show a rate of below 99 infections per 100,000 people, light blue is 100-199, dark blue 200-399 and purple shows a rate of 400 and higher.

We've put together maps showing the picture in County Durham, Darlington, Teesside and North Yorkshire.

>>>See the map below<<<

The map, which compares the rates in the week leading to December 10 (left), with the week leading to January 7, shows how cases have surged.

It comes as the rate of infection in the region has spread due to the new strain of Covid-19 and the relaxation of restrictions over the festive period.

SEE MORE: County Durham sees 2,650 new Covid cases in one week

Earlier this week Amanda Healy, Director of Public Health at Durham County Council, told The Northern Echo that this was contributing to a "significant increase" in the area's confirmed cases.

Here's how the picture has changed:

Slide the white bar along to reveal the difference in your area

County Durham

In County Durham, cases are among the highest in the region with 2,444 people testing positive for Covid in the seven days to January 7.

The Covid infection rate is now 427.5 cases per 100,000 people - four weeks ago, the number of people who had tested positive stood at 806 in the seven days to December 10.

Teesside and Hartlepool

Across Hartlepool and Teesside, all areas have seen a surge in Covid cases with one area recording 860 cases in seven days.

Hartlepool has the highest Covid infection rate in the North-East and North Yorkshire, with 783.7 cases per 100,000 people and 734 cases recorded in a week.

It is up from its infection rate of 227.4 in the week leading to December 10.

Middlesbrough has Teesside's second highest rate of infection with 546.2 cases per 100,000 people, this is up from 209.2.

Redcar and Cleveland saw 604 cases recorded in the week to January 7 and has an infection rate of 441.1 per 100,000 people, up from 145.1.

And Stockton has seen 860 new cases in the past week and now has a Covid infection rate of 435.8, up from 168.7.

Darlington

Cases have more than doubled in Darlington when comparing the numbers from the week to December 10, with 208 positive tests and 467 positive tests in the week to January 7.

The Covid infection rate for the town has risen from 194 cases per 100,000 people to 437.3 over this period.

North Yorkshire

Across the county as a whole, the number of cases in the week leading to January 7 rose to 2,719, a major increase from 596, in the seven days to December 10.

Covid infection rates soared from 96.4 to 439.9, again over the same period.

  • Due to formatting, white spaces may appear between each sliding map depending on your device