According to a new study, the Isle of Wight has seen a 40 per cent ‘Covid baby boom’, with one of the highest number of ‘lockdown baby’ registrations.
Office for National Statistics births data, combined with local Register Office figures sourced from a Freedom of Information request reveals that between December 2020 (nine months after the start of the pandemic) and July 2021, birth registrations on Isle of Wight were up 40 per cent when compared TO data for the same period over 2019 and 2020.
Seeking biggest birth boom areas
The research was carried out by Reassured to see how the number of registered babies compared with pre-pandemic, as well as where in the UK saw the biggest ‘boom’ in births.
Overall, nearly 1,300 babies have been registered on the Isle of Wight since the start of the pandemic, while more than 500 were conceived and subsequently born here since the UK first went into lockdown.
Peak birthday month
According to the data, June 2021 was the peak birthday month for ‘Covid baby’ registrations specifically on the Isle of Wight.
Working back nine months, September 2020 came out as the month when the most ‘Covid babies’ were conceived in the region.
Many took the big step of having a child in lockdown
A spokesperson for Reassured commented,
“With all Covid-19 restrictions now lifted, we’re finally able to look back and explore any more positive outcomes of such a challenging time.
“Our analysis shows many took the big step of having a child in lockdown, with nearly a quarter of a million new-born babies registered by parents from December 2020 – nine months after the restrictive Covid-19 measures were put in place.”
Further information about the national picture can be found on the Reassured Website.
Image: Filip Mroz under CC BY 2.0
