Slight rise in new Covid-19 cases in Wigan

This is a rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people and represents a slight increase from the previous week’s figure.

However, Wigan’s numbers of new infections remain small, with the borough having the second-lowest rate of people contracting Covid-19 of the 10 town halls in Greater Manchester.

The borough rate per 100,000 residents is also significantly below the regional rate of 9.8 and the national one, which last week stood at 6.8.

Deaths with Covid-19 have also gone down, with two registered in the latest week compared to five the week before.

As of July 3 there have been 344 deaths involving the disease in the borough, with 76 per cent of those occurring in hospital, 21 per cent in care homes and two per cent in homes.

Health bosses said the picture in Wigan overall remained positive, with praise given both to the test and trace team in Greater Manchester and to the public for following health and hygiene guidelines.

However, it was also made clear to residents that remaining vigilant and obeying social distancing and other measures is still crucial.

Professor Kate Ardern, director of public health at Wigan Council, said: “We have been monitoring Covid-19 very closely for some time and will publish a weekly tracker on our website to provide a clear insight into the impacts of the virus in Wigan borough over the last week.

“Our positive position is down to the success of our local test and trace system and the public for keeping their distance and following hygiene practices.

“There is still a way to go and we continue to ask residents and businesses for their support and co-operation.”

Despite the number of new cases rising slightly, numbers remain at the lowest they have been since mid-March.

Overall there have been 2,153 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the borough, a rate of 655 per 100,000 people.

This is higher than both the Greater Manchester rate, which is 624 per 100,000 residents, and the North West one, which is 597.

The latest R rate figures for the region are between 0.7 and 1, which represents little change from previous data.

The R rate indicates if a disease outbreak is getting bigger or smaller, though it does not indicate how big it is.

The data also suggests the disease outbreak is shrinking in the North West.