Coronavirus latest: Luton has been battling 'dramatic' increase in deaths and rising cases

A meeting of the council's scrutiny health and social care review group discussed the rise in cases into January, which has gradually reduced over the past five days.

Labour South councillor David Agbley said: "It's incumbent on all of us to do it. Everyone in the town should be part of the solution."

The council's director of public health, Lucy Hubber, said Christmas was followed by "a very rapid rise in our case numbers in Luton" at 74 per 100,000 - nearly one per cent of the town's population testing positive for Covid every week.

There was also an increase in positive tests for people aged over 60, in addition to more deaths at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

"Both within the hospital and our community we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of deaths.

"We're working in an environment with this new variant which is incredibly virulent," said Ms Hubber.

The rising cases were among working age groups, "particularly very high rates in people aged 20 to 29", she explained.

"They are more likely to be flexible workers or young people, potentially on zero hours contracts, in agency type work or living in the more deprived areas of Luton, so very much our vulnerable population.

"It's those who can't work from home because of the nature of their employment.

"They have to go out to do their job, even through lockdown."

Councillor Agbley, who chairs the review group, said: "That's another really sad aspect, with people going to work on zero hours contracts in deprived areas."

There have been 35,000 tests through three rapid testing sites in Luton and some additional testing, which have identified more than 1,600 people who had no symptoms.

"Were it not for the rapid tests, they would have been circulating around and potentially infecting other people," Ms Hubber said.

"We need a big push towards encouraging our community who still have to leave home to be tested regularly at our centres.

"We've good capacity at the rapid test stations now. Those old key rules of 'hands, face, space' are even more important now."