THE number of recorded coronavirus cases in the borough increased by 465 over the weekend, a reduction on the week previously, official figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 465 people had been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19 by 9am on Monday (November 16) in Wigan borough since Friday.

This compares with 632 cases recorded for the corresponding three days up to Monday, November 9 last week.

As of Monday (November 16), PHE has updated the way it records the location of people who test positive or negative for the virus.

The address given at the point of testing will now be used to determine a person's area of residence, rather than that on their electronic NHS record, with the change retrospectively applied to tests carried out from September 1.

PHE said: "Due to reallocation of cases in this way, the number of cases reported by a local authority may be artificially high or low on November 16."

The health body is now including Pillar two tests – those carried out in the wider community – alongside Pillar one tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

In the seven days from October 31 to November 6, Wigan borough had 1,897 COVID-19 cases identified, a rate of 577.2 per 100,000 of the population and the second highest rate of new cases in Greater Manchester. THis does not take into account the more recent days' data.

The overall rate of infection in Wigan borough since the start of the pandemic now stands at 4,497 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 2,122.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 73,185 over the three-day period, to 1,390,681.

Wigan borough's cases were among the 277,818 recorded across the North West, a figure which rose by 11,384 over the period.

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