Portsmouth and Havant reach record high coronavirus infection rates
The latest infection rates published for Havant and Portsmouth are the highest on record so far.
Cases have increased across the county in December as a new strain of the coronavirus spreads through the south east.
At the start of the month, the infection rate in Portsmouth was 123.6 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to December 2.
It has now more than tripled to a rate of 436 in the week to December 23, according to the latest figures.
This is the highest rate on record in Portsmouth, the government data shows.
Prior to the increase in rates in December, the high had been in the seven days to November 13 when a rate of 314 was recorded – according to the figures.
The rate in Havant has also increased dramatically throughout the month.
In the seven days to December 3, there was a rate of 115.7 cases per 100,000 in the borough.
This rate has now quadrupled to 469 in the week to December 23.
The highest rate in Hampshire continues to belong to Rushmoor, where it has climbed to 598.3 cases per 100,000 as of the latest update.
One of the most dramatic increases came on the Isle of Wight, with the rate increasing almost tenfold between December 3 and December 23, rising from 19.8 to 195.4.
Despite the rapid rises in rates in Portsmouth, Havant and Hampshire throughout December, they are still significantly lower than the current highest rates in England.
Brentwood in Essex has the highest rate, with 1,111 new cases recorded in the seven days to December 23 – the equivalent of 1,442.5 cases per 100,000 people.
This is up steeply from 886.8 in the seven days to December 16.
Epping Forest, also in Essex, has the second highest rate, up from 971.2 to 1,388.1, with 1,828 new cases.
Thurrock, again in Essex, is in third place, where the rate has risen from 1,066.9 to 1,330.7, with 2,320 new cases.