Town's Covid infections nearly double in 7 days

SPIKE ACROSS REGION AS CASE RATE SOARS IN ONE BOROUGH

- SOPHIE HALLE-RICHARDS

THOUSANDS more cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Greater Manchester as the number of infections nationally has reached a three-month high.

The number of UK infections is up by 23 per cent in the space of a week, with another 45,140 cases recorded yesterday. Yesterday’s rise is the largest since July 20.

In Greater Manchester, rates are spiking in eight boroughs, according to the latest data from Public Health England. And infection rates in one area have nearly doubled in the last seven day period.

The number of cases per 100,000 people in Rochdale rose by 47 per cent in the week ending October 13.

Trafford still has the highest infection rate across the conurbation by some distance, with 707.6 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the last seven day period.

Cases are starting to fall there though, with the infection rate dropping by 10 per cent week-on-week. The area has dropped to number eleven on the list of national coronavirus hotspots.