There are "reasons to be optimistic" over Norfolk's stable coronavirus rates, the county's director of public health has said.

But Dr Louise Smith has said that optimism must be tempered by caution, and reminded people to keep taking precautions to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Dr Smith said: "I don't think we are out of the woods yet, but cases have been stable since late July. They were down to 220 cases per 100,000 at the beginning of August and we are back at that kind of level now. There are reasons to be optimistic.

"We have seen a day to day decrease in the last 10 days or so and that is a reason to be positive."

Record rates among schoolchildren

Eastern Daily Press: Pupils return to school on September 6 in Norfolk.Pupils return to school on September 6 in Norfolk. (Image: PA)

While there are record rates recorded among five to 14 year olds, the overall rate in Norfolk fell by 17.7pc in the seven days to September 17.

The case rate among children aged 10 to 14 was 668.8 cases per 100,000 and just under 500 per 100,000 among five to nine-year-olds.

Dr Smith said: "We are seeing high rates in younger people, but that is offset by much lower rates in older groups.

"That might be because of a combination in that older people have had both their vaccinations and are still taking more precautions."

Dr Smith said there had been a sharp increase in cases among schoolchildren since July, triggered by the new Delta variant.

But, unlike in previous waves, there are not the same widespread school closures happening this time.

Dr Smith said that was because national guidance has changed and the council was working with headteachers, particularly where schools have five or more cases, to reach decisions.

She said: "I am not ruling out more closures of classes or of schools, but we are working through the issues and putting in control measures.

"It's a case of balance and it has to be remembered that children have had a very rough year."

Should we be wearing masks?

Eastern Daily Press: Could Covid restrictions be here to stay beyond June 21?Could Covid restrictions be here to stay beyond June 21? (Image: Archant)

After Covid-19 rules changed on July 19, to make mask wearing a choice, rather than a requirement, people out and about in Norwich appeared to be taking a cautious approach to unmasking.

But a poll of shoppers in the city centre this week showed the balance might be tipping the other way.

Of a 100 shoppers coming out of a Primark on Gentleman's Walk, our reporter recorded saw a 60:40 split in favour of those not wearing masks.

But Dr Smith said she was still choosing to wear a mask when entering indoor places and in crowded areas.

She said: "My reason for doing so is that it is a simple thing for me to do. For most people it is not difficult to keep wearing the mask they have been wearing before."

She also urged people to keep using alcohol gel and recommended that shops keep their dispensers stocked up.

Will cases go up?

Dr Smith said: "A case rate of 220 per 100,000 is still markedly higher than this time last year when we had pretty much zero cases.

"We are not going to see a sudden reduction now, because previous ones were driven by lockdowns."

She said it was likely that numbers will increase between now and New Year and it was a question over how rapidly that would happen.

Dr Smith said: "We think that the vaccine is having a huge impact, but as many as one in four people in Norfolk still do not have protection, so there are significant numbers of people who are still at risk."

With football fans back at Carrow Road this season, Dr Smith said that was not leading to any cause for concern when it came to cases, at the moment.

How many are in hospital?

She said there were about 75 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the county's hospitals and that some were requiring critical care.

She said analysis was still being done on how many of those people had been double vaccinated.

But Dr Smith said: "It feels like the numbers are stable, which is good, but we are still seeing some cases where people do become severely ill."

And what about the flu?

Eastern Daily Press: People are being encouraged to get flu vaccinations.People are being encouraged to get flu vaccinations. (Image: Archant)

Dr Smith was also keen to encourage people to get another type of vaccine - against flu.

She said: "We saw a lot less flu last year, but with more of us mixing now, the concern is that we will see more cases this season, so people should take advantage of the offer of a flu vaccination."