Covid cases in Cambridge have more than doubled in a week due what’s been described as a “double whammy” of high infection rates and low vaccination uptake.

The infection rate in the city has increased to 273 cases per 100,000 people, up from 131 on 28/06, with Cambridge having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the UK.

Jyoti Atri, director of public health for the area, has linked the spike to transmissions in schools and to the night-time economy, stating that “we know when alcohol is consumed adherence to protective behaviour goes down.”

She also expects rates to rise when restrictions are fully lifted in July as per the government’s roadmap plans.

At present, 59% of adults in Cambridge have had one dose of the vaccine, and 34% have had both. This rate is amongst the 15 lowest in the country, and outside of London only Oxford has a lower vaccination uptake.

A reason for this low uptake is Cambridge’s young population, who have only just become eligible for vaccines.

Atri fears that increased transmission could lead to high hospitalisation rates, and suggests that the many unvaccinated young people present a “double risk”.