THE number of coronavirus cases in Winchester increased by 61 in the last 24 hours, official figures show – and one more death was recorded.

It was the first Covid-related death in the Winchester district since March 3, 170 days previously.

A total of 7,690 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 in Winchester when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on August 20 (Friday), up from 7,629 on Thursday.

The rate of infection in Winchester now stands at 6,107 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 9,918.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 36,987 over the period, to 6,429,147.

There was also one more coronavirus death recorded in the latest 24-hour period in Winchester.

The dashboard shows 179 people had died in the area by August 20 (Friday) – up from 178 on Thursday.

They were among 17,578 deaths recorded across the South East.

The figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19, and whose usual residence was in Winchester.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

Across the district Covid was rising in eight areas, with the fastest rises in the city. The figures are the number of cases in the week to Sunday August 15, compared to the week before: Winchester West 34 cases, up 16 (89 per cent), 341.1 per 100,000; Winchester East 29, up 15 (107 per cent) 356.0; Winchester Central/South 33, up 13 (65 per cent), 300.1; Stanmore, 21, up six (40 per cent) 309.6; Colden Common and Twyford, 23, up one (4 per cent) 241.4; Springvale and Itchen Abbas, 11, up one (10 per cent), 160.0; Bishop's Waltham and Waltham Chase, 28, up one (4 per cent) 289.4; Denmead and Southwick, 38, up five (15 per cent), 370.5.

Numbers are falling in five areas: Winchester North and Sparsholt, 12, down seven (37 per cent), 123.6 per 100,000; Oliver's Battery and Hursley, 12, down eight (40 per cent), 146.8; Alresford, six, down nine (60 per cent), 70.9; Swanmore, Hambledon and West Meon, 14, down one (7 per cent), 238.2; Whiteley Knowle and Wickham, 33, down eight, (19 per cent), 281.9.

There was no change in South Wonston, Sutton Scotney and Micheldever, 14, 238.2.

The figures also show that more than three-quarters of people in Winchester have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The latest figures show 84,835 people had received both jabs by August 19 (Thursday) – 78% of those aged 18 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.

Across England, 76% of people aged 18 and above had received a second dose of the jab.

Unlike at local level, the national rate was calculated using mid-2020 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.