ONE person has died of Covid-19 in Hampshire, the first death in the county for more than a month.

It was reported in the Portsmouth NHS area in the last 24 hours.

The number of new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Hampshire stands at 20, according to the latest figures released this afternoon.

There were 5,414 lab-confirmed cases of the virus in the Hampshire County Council area as of 4pm today, up from 5,394, which was nine up on the previous 24 hours.

Today there have now been 342,351 cases of the virus across the UK – an increase of 1,940 on the previous day.

The number of deaths in Hampshire hospitals is now 608, the first increase since July 29.

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 county trusts are Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust, 230, up one; 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 10 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in England to 41,524, according to the ONS website this afternoon.

The rate of infection in Hampshire stands at 391.6 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 525.2.

The number of confirmed cases in Winchester remains at 515, with a rate of 412.5 per 100,000 people.

In today's coronavirus news: 

A PUB has been forced to close after a local who visited over the weekend tested positive for Covid-19.

It was announced by The Crown Inn at King's Somborne, Stockbridge, that the local person had visited the pub on Sunday (August 30).

The pub decided to close on Monday for "an extra deep clean" and is set to reopen when they are "confident it is Covid-19 secure".

In a social media statement they wrote: "We have been informed that a local person who visited our premises on Sunday 30th August has since tested positive for COVID-19. As a precaution we have closed the pub from today 3rd Sept for an extra deep clean.

"We will reopen as soon as we are confident it is Covid-19 secure."

Read full story here 

The R number: explained

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.

The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission across the UK may still be above one.

Data released on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) shows the estimate for R across the UK is between 0.9 and 1.1.

The growth rate of coronavirus transmission, which reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, has increased slightly.

For the whole of the UK, the latest growth rate is between minus 1% and plus 2% per day, a slight change from between minus 2% and plus 1% last week.

The growth rate means the number of new infections is somewhere between shrinking by 1% and growing by 2% every day.

The most likely value is towards the middle of the range, experts advising the Government say.

The R number represents the number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.

In England, the R is between 0.9 and one, and the growth rate is minus 2% to plus 1%.

But the experts say the numbers should be interpreted with caution.

This is because when case levels are low, there is a high degree of variability in transmission and a single average value may not accurately reflect the way infections are changing throughout the region.

Local outbreaks, for example, can skew the numbers, even though overall transmission may be low across the region.

Scientists say that, when disease incidence is low, or there is a high degree of variability in regional transmission, the estimates of R and the growth rate "should not be treated as robust enough to inform policy decisions alone".

It is more appropriate to identify local hotspots through, for example, monitoring numbers of cases, hospital admissions, and deaths, the team behind the data said.

Recent changes in transmission are not yet fully reflected in the estimates because the data used to calculate R and growth rate reflect the situation from a few weeks ago.

Therefore, the figures published on Friday more accurately represent the average situation over the past few weeks rather than the current situation.

In the East of England, the growth rate is between minus 5% and zero, and the R number is 0.8-1.

In London, the growth rate is between minus 3% and plus 2%, and the capital's R rate is at 0.9-1.1.

The Midlands has a growth rate of between minus 6% and zero the region's R number is 0.8-1.

In the North East and Yorkshire, the growth rate is between minus 3% and zero, while its R value is 0.8-1.

The growth rate in the North West is between minus 3% and zero. The R value is 0.8-1.

In the South East, the growth rate is between minus 4% and plus 1%. The R value in the region is 0.8-1.

The South West has a growth rate of between minus 4% and plus 1%. Its R value is 0.8-1.1.