KEEPING track of the ups and downs of the pandemic can be tiring, with new information and changes on a regular basis.

In case you missed anything along the way, we’ve put together the Covid-19 headlines (good and bad!) in Basingstoke this week to help you get caught up:

South African Covid variant detected in Bramley

On Saturday, a positive case of the South African variant of Covid-19 was detected in the Bramley area, north of Basingstoke.

Hampshire County Council has quickly introduced rapid local testing, known as surge testing, in areas where cases of new COVID-19 variants have been detected.

The test will be delivered in an envelope to people residing near the positive case of mutant variant.

  • Aged over 65? You can now book your vaccine

On Friday, it was announced that people over the age of 65 who have not yet been offered a Covid jab are being encouraged to contact the NHS to arrange an appointment.

The health service in England has changed its messaging from “we will contact you” to “contact us” for those over the age of 65.

  • Breaking travel rules could land you a £10k fine

Holiday makers breaking Covid restrictions could be slapped with a £10,000 fine and 10-years in prison in new legislation designed to stop new variants entering the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that new fines and prison sentences for travel rule breakers will be introduced, alongside a cost of £1,750 for all arrivals who are required to quarantine in hotels.

New £10,000 fines will be dished out to international arrivals who fail to take Covid-19 tests and those who lie on their passenger locator forms now face up to 10 years in jail.

  • Former Mayor sends message to BAME communities

A former mayor of Basingstoke and Deane has called on people that have a BAME background to get the Covid vaccine when it is offered to them.

Cllr Dan Putty, who was born in Mauritius before settling in Basingstoke in 1970, received his first dose of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine at Basingstoke Fire Station on February 4.

On Tuesday, The Gazette reported that he is now urging people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to take up the offer of the jab.

Last week, The Guardian reported that black people over the age of 80 were half as likely to have had a Covid jab compared to white people.

  • Basingstoke no longer a Covid ‘hotspot’, says map

Basingstoke is set to be the least infected area of Hampshire by next week.

A tool, devised by Imperial College London, predicts the parts of the country likely to see more than 50 cases per week, which it classes as a 'hotspot.'

On Wednesday, the map indicated that the Basingstoke and Deane local authority area has a 43 per cent chance of recording more than 50 cases per week by February 21.

This week, ending on February 14, Basingstoke and Deane has an 89 per cent chance of recording more than 50 cases.

If the predictions are correct, it would make Basingstoke the least affected region in Hampshire, tying with the New Forest.

  • New symptoms revealed

A number of new symptoms could be a sign of infection for Covid-19 according to new research from Imperial College London reported on Thursday.

From June last year up until last month, more than one million people were subject to swab tests and questionnaires as part of Imperial College London’s REACT study.

Those who recorded chills, loss of appetite, headache and muscle aches were more likely to test positive for coronavirus, according to the study.

  • 100k patients in a month

Hospitals in the UK admitted more than 100k Covid patients in January alone, new figures reported on Thursday have revealed.

This was almost one third of all patients who have needed hospital treatment for Covid since the pandemic began last year.

The total number of patients who were admitted to hospital for Covid is 242,307, which compares with 101,956 in January alone.

  • Basingstoke cases are falling

Coronavirus cases across Basingstoke and Deane are continuing to fall, the latest statistics revealed on Thursday.

The number of new cases recorded in the borough in the seven days to February 5 fell by just over 35 per cent compared to the week before.

The borough's rolling rate, the number of cases recorded per 100,000 of the population, is now lower than the UK average and also below the Hampshire average.

  • 4,000 vaccines in county

Nearly 400,000 Covid vaccine doses have been administered in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, statistics revealed on Thursday.

Healthcare professionals across the two counties have administered 397,827 doses since December.

The number increased by 94,624 in the last week, and are correct as of February 7, 2021.

The region has seen the fifth highest number of doses given, sitting behind Cumbria and North East, Cheshire and Merseyside, Great Manchester, and West Yorkshire and Harrogate.

  • 88% of contacts reached

Figures reported on Thursday show that 88 per cent of people transferred to the NHS Test and Trace system were reached in Hampshire in the space of eight months.

Between May 28, 2020, and February 03 this year, 54,419 people were transferred to the contact tracing system.

Of these, 47,705 were reached by the Test and Trace system, equating to 88 per cent.