CORONAVAIRUS case rates have fallen in most parts of Leigh and its surrounding areas, the latest council Covid tracker has shown.

In the seven days from February 6 to 12, Wigan borough as a whole had 574 new cases identified, a rate of 174.6 per 100,000 population and the second lowest rate of new cases of the 10 Greater Manchester areas.

This rate is lower than seen regionally (North West rate was 182.8 per 100,000) but higher than the national rate (England’s rate was 142.4 per 100,000).

But the borough's rate has reduced since last week, as have regional and national rates.

The Kent variant has become increasingly common in the area, and now accounts for the majority of new cases in the borough.

Meanwhile, in the breakdown by ward, only Atherleigh among Leigh and surrounding areas saw an increase on the previous week, with all others seeing rates decreasing.

Courtesy of Wigan Council

Courtesy of Wigan Council

As of February 16, there were 51 COVID-positive patients in Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh hospitals

Meanwhile,there have been 23 COVID–19 deaths registered in Wigan borough so far in the latest week (ending February 5), which marks a

decrease from the previous week.

The tracker adds that 93 per cent of all contacts of new cases escalated to local contact tracing teams have been successfully managed.