Covid-19 tracker shows rise in case numbers in Wigan

However, the weekly statistical bulletin produced by Wigan Council shows this rate is still the fourth-lowest out of the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester.

The three local authorities with lower rates include Bolton, which at one point had the worst figures in the country.

A total of 962 new cases were identified in Wigan in the latest seven-day period.

The highest figure in the city-region was the rate of 543.8 cases per 100,000 people in Manchester, which was also the largest total in England for that seven-day period.

Among neighbouring boroughs Wigan's case rate is higher than Warrington's but lower than those in St Helens and West Lancashire.

The North West's case rate is 307 per 100,000 residents.

The tracker also shows where the current coronavirus hotspots in the borough are.

The highest numbers of new cases between September 27 and October 3 were in Douglas, which had 66, and Winstanley, which had 43.

All but two of the 25 wards had an increase in confirmed cases compared to the previous week.

The lowest number of new cases were in Ince ward, which had 14.

Weekly case numbers have reached their highest total of the pandemic, with 740 recorded in the week ending October 2.

However, it should be noted that the testing system has expanded considerably since the spring.

Wigan remains at red alert level and is an area of concern on the national escalation framework.

Although no Covid-related deaths were recorded in the most recent week of Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, seven deaths involving the novel coronavirus have been recorded by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust between October 2 and October 7.

The local contact tracing teams have managed to reach 93 per cent of people in all the cases which have been escalated to them.