COLCHESTER'S coronavirus infection rate has dropped by a third in the space of a week, with case numbers falling across north and mid Essex.

In Colchester the infection rate is now 594.7 cases per 100,000 people.

A total of 1,158 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the week to January 14.

The infection rate has dropped by a third on a week earlier, when it was 907 cases per 100,000 people.

In Tendring the infection rate is now 881.5 cases per 100,000 people.

There were 1,292 cases confirmed in the district in the week to January 14.

This is down just under a third from 1,267 cases per 100,000 people a week earlier.

Infections rates across north and mid Essex continue to fall.

Here are the latest infection rates for north and mid Essex compared with a week previously:

  • Tendring - 881.5 (1,292 cases) - 1267.0 (1,857 cases)
  • Chelmsford - 600.4 (1,071 cases) - 988.9 (1,764 cases)
  • Colchester - 594.7 (1,158 cases) - 907 (1,766 cases)
  • Braintree - 554.4 (846 cases) - 1,015, (1,549 cases)
  • Maldon - 511.4 (332 cases) - 890.2 (578 cases)

Of the 315 local areas in England, 14, or 4 per cent, have seen a rise in case rates and 301, or 96 per cent, have seen a fall.

Knowsley in Merseyside has the highest rate in England, with 1,712 new cases recorded in the seven days to January 15 – the equivalent of 1,134.8 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 1,464.9 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to January 8.

Slough in Berkshire has the second highest rate, down from 1,166.3 to 1,025.2, with 1,533 new cases.

Barking & Dagenham in London is in third place, down from 1,636.9 to 962.9, with 2,050 new cases.