TEN new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Hampshire, according to the latest figures.

There were 5,385 lab-confirmed cases of the virus in the local authority area as of 4pm today, up from 5,375 which was 17 up on the previous 24 hours.

There have now been 338,676 cases of the virus across the UK – an increase of 1,508 on the previous day.

The number of deaths in Hampshire hospitals remains the same today, staying at 607 where it has been since July.

The figure for fatal cases at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which includes the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester is 161, the same since June 29.

The figures for the other local trusts are Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust, 229; Solent NHS Trust, 2; Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, 17; University Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, 198.

Last week the Office for National Statistics, which has been collating numbers for all settings, including hospitals, care homes and the wider community, confirmed there had been no increase in the overall total.

Nationally, a further ten people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in England to 41,514.

The rate of infection in Hampshire stands at 389 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 519.

The number of confirmed cases in Winchester is 515, up one, with a rate of 412 per 100,000 people.

The R number - the number of people that an infected person can pass on the virus to, remains the same at between -2 per cent and +1 per cent. Such a growth rate means the number of new infections is somewhere between shrinking by 2 per cent and growing by 1 per cent every day.

https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/18690059.young-adults-winchester-area-test-positive-coronavirus-holiday/