The Herts health supremo has warned the Covid situation across our county including Hitchin is 'still quite volatile' – with infection rates doubling every nine to 18 days.

However, public health chief Jim McManus says the increase is not translating into cases in the more vulnerable over-60s or leading to patients needing hospital treatment – with very few cases in care homes.

Nevertheless, says Mr McManus, hospitals remain busy – caring for non-Covid patients and with 143 patients rehabilitating from Covid – with no spare capacity.

He warned: "There is still enough people not vaccinated to cause a serious wave of illness and hospitalisation."

Cases are concentrated, and rising, amongst those in the 17-24 age group – where there are still high numbers who have not yet been vaccinated and where there is said to have been quite a lot of social contact.

But, says Mr McManus, it is already clear that quite high numbers of young people want to be vaccinated – wanting to be able to socialise into the autumn and Christmas.

"That's a worrying sign about the significant rise in young people – but equally a welcome sign that they want to get the vaccine," he said.

Across the county 771,000 people had a first dose of the vaccine – and 556,000 have had both, which Mr McManus welcomes as "really good".

He says: "The virus hasn't gone away. And its quite clear our that residents are doing what our residents usually do – which is trying to do the right thing about the virus and they are queuing up to get vaccinated."

Mr McManus added the Delta plus variant – which has an additional mutation – "doesn't seem to be getting much of a foothold' in Herts".