Animation shows rapid spread of coronavirus across Sussex - from early February to today

When fears around the coronavirus first appeared in February, sweeping social changes came thick and fast.
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Sussex's first 'super spreader' was identified at the beginning of February after returning from a trip to Singapore and the county began to register its first handful of cases.

Four months later and Sussex has now reported more than 2,500 confirmed cases, although the actual figure is likely to be much higher due to testing restrictions, sufferers recovering without being tested and carriers who do not show symptoms.

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As of June 5, 1,080 people have tragically lost their lives in Sussex, but this figure includes cases where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate as a suspected factor in their death, so not all are confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The animation shows the spread of coronavirus. Credit: FusionThe animation shows the spread of coronavirus. Credit: Fusion
The animation shows the spread of coronavirus. Credit: Fusion

This graph shows the spread of the virus from early February right up to the present day, as numbers grew and Government briefings became more grave and unsettling.

Full lockdown arrived, which the graph shows was followed by a sudden acceleration of cases in Sussex. With reported cases usually delayed by around two weeks, it shows the impact of hesitating by as little as a day or two to implement stricter measures.

The reopening of non-essential shops on Monday (June 15) signalled a major step in the UK emerging from lockdown, but with hundreds of deaths still being reported every day, the battle against coronavirus is far from over.

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The UK Government has attempted to launch a track and trace system, which identifies anybody who has come into contact with positive sufferers and asks them to self-isolate.

Confirmed cases figures are from Public Health England and coronavirus-related deaths were recorded by the Office for National Statistics.