THERE were 54 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in ther borough according to Sunday's daily figures.

The borough saw another 54 people test positive for COVID-19 up to 9am on Sunday, September 20 in the latest Public Health England data.

This is a slightly smaller increase than the 59 new cases found in the previous day's figures.

Meanwhile, there were 49 on Friday, 39 on Thursday and 52 recorded in Wednesday's numbers.

The health body includes in the statistics Pillar two tests – those carried out in the wider community – alongside Pillar one tests, which are analysed in NHS Hospitals or PHE laboratories.

These latest figures have yet to be included in the borough's weekly rate of new infections.

The borough's latest weekly rate of infection is 58.7 per 100,000 people with 193 cases confirmed in the week leading up to September 14.

However, the rate will have gone up significantly, based on the upsurge in cases over the past week.

The borough was placed on a "red alert" late last week due to its rising rates.

The latest figures mean that 2,840 people in the borough have been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The total rate of infection in Wigan borough since the start of the outbreak now stands at 864.1 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 603.9.

Cumulative counts include asymptomatic cases, patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.