THE council's weekly Covid tracker says the new variant of the virus accounts for the majority of the borough's new cases.
In the seven days from January 2 and 8, Wigan borough had 1,611 new coronavirus cases identified, a rate of 490.2 per 100,000 population, and the second highest rate of new cases of the 10 Greater Manchester areas.
This rate is lower than seen regionally (North West’s rate is 643.1 per 100,000) and nationally (England’s rate is 651.8 per 100,000).
The borough’s rate has increased for the latest three weeks, as have regional and national rates.
The council adds that the new variant of the virus is becoming increasingly common in the borough, and "now accounts for the majority of new cases".
Among Leigh and surrounding areas, Lowton East again had the highest rate of cases for the latest week (616 per 100,000 population).
Two other wards (Leigh East and Atherton) also saw their cases more than double in the latest week.
As of January 5, there were 118 COVID-positive patients in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh hospitals
There have been 19 COVID–19 deaths registered in Wigan borough in the latest week (ending January 1), the same number as the previous week.
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