A FURTHER 19 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been recorded for the Cheshire West and Chester area in the latest daily reporting period, according to Government data.

The increase in the 24-hour period up to 4pm today (September 13) is in addition to the 17 reported in the previous day's update, and brings the total number of cases for the borough recorded to 2,285.

The number of positive Covid-19 cases recorded in west Cheshire for the week of September 2-8 has now been increased to 90 on the Government data, with a few tests taking several days to confirm a positive result.

It means the infection rate for Cheshire West and Chester is now above 20 cases per 100,000 people over the most recent week of data available.

The figure of 20 cases per 100,000 is the threshold the UK’s governments have used to judge whether returning travellers from foreign countries must endure a 14-day quarantine period.

Despite the significant rise in coronavirus cases over the past few days, the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust has, to date, not registered a death for over eight weeks.

Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal across England from Monday (September 14) as the Government tackles the rise in coronavirus cases.

The total number of people who have died in Cheshire hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus stands at 726.

The Countess of Chester Hospital Trust has recorded 227 deaths (last recorded July 18), Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has recorded 214 deaths, the last on August 31; East Cheshire NHS Trust 146 (last recorded July 22), and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 139 (last recorded August 24).

In England, a further five people, who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,661. None were at North West hospitals.

In North West hospitals, NHS England data says that as of Friday, September 11, there were 180 coronavirus patients in hospitals, with 16 of them on ventilators.

There are about 25 new coronavirus patients in North West hospitals per day at present, which is higher than the single-figure admissions in mid-August, but a long way off the peak of the pandemic, when more than 400 coronavirus patients were admitted to North West hospitals in one day.