Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The positivity rate of 29.8 per cent in the week leading up to December 24 placed Wigan as the region with the 16th highest rate in England.

The previous highest rate came in the previous seven days, and was 26.9 per cent.

A year earlier, the positivity rate for Wigan was just 8.8 per cent.

Almost than one in three people in Wigan who took a PCR test in the run up to Christmas turned out to have Covid

Wigan man forced to travel to Wales for PCR test due to shortage in England

The increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant is likely to account for such a significant increase.

In broader terms, across England one in five people who took a PCR test turned out to have Covid.

The latest UK Covid dashboard figures show 22.4% of people who took a PCR test in the week to December 24 got at least one positive result.

In London, the epicentre of the Omicron spread, one in four people (24.9%) tested positive. One of the city’s boroughs, Barking and Dagenham, saw the rate reach more than 30% and was the highest in England.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers.

Almost one in three people tested positive for Covid in Wigan in the run up to Christmas