An older population, higher social deprivation and less access to hospital beds make the Isle of Wight more susceptible to a second wave of coronavirus, if one occurs, according to new research.

Compared to other parts of the country, the Island has been highlighted as a potential Covid-19 hotspot by a new online tool from Oxford University’s Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science.

Scroll down for a link to the tool...

Last night (Monday), the government announced emergency lockdown plans for Leicester - closing non-essential shops from today and schools from Thursday, because of a surge in cases in the city. 

However, there has not been suggestion of an imminent resurgance of the virus on the Isle of Wight. Last week, the Isle of Wight Council said our R number (the reproductive rate of coronavirus) remained low.

On Thursday, we reported that just a single new case of coronavirus had been recorded on the Isle of Wight and that it had been ten days since the previous confirmed diagnosis.

The total number of Island cases since the Covid-19 pandemic began has stood at 203. In all, 82 people have died on the Isle of Wight.

Read more: New Isle of Wight coronavirus case - but no others in ten days

Isle of Wight County Press:

Oxford University's online interactive tool aims to supplement test-and-trace technology by highlighting which regions and local areas are most likely to suffer disproportionate potential infections and hospital demand in case of future infection spikes.

The Isle of Wight's combined statistics make it a possible area of concern, say the programme's developers.

See the tool for yourself HERE.

The tool combines key data, including age, social deprivation, population density, ethnicity and hospital resources.

According to the report, rural areas in Wales as well as the North-East and South-West of England are also at risk if there is a second wave of coronavirus - where the numbers of people expected to need hospital treatment conbime with relatively low bed capacity.