The prevalence of Covid in Oldham has continued to plummet – even as five new deaths were recorded from the infection today.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics shows that there were just new 68 cases recorded, whereas last week the figure was persistently above 100.

The number means over the last week there have been 684 cases in the town, which represented a fall of 28.7 per cent.

The figure for weekly changes in the total amount of infections was as rising at as high a rate as 49 per cent last week, meaning the picture in terms of the infection rate has rapidly turned around.

However there were another five deaths recorded today, putting the weekly death total at 18 which was up 20 per cent from the previous seven days.

The new figures mean that the total number of deaths recorded in Oldham within 28 days of testing positive for Covid stands at 493.

There have been 538 deaths in the area which had the infection listed as the cause on the death certificate.

Across the whole of the country the weekly infection rate is down 22.3 per cent and the death rate is up 19.8 per cent.

This means Oldham is losing cases of the virus faster than the national average whereas its death figures are more or less in line with the overall picture across the UK.

Recent data also shows that the north west had the third highest rate of antibodies to the virus out of any region in the UK.

Its rate, believed to be around 15%, came in behind just London and Yorkshire and the Humber.

By contrast in the South West, which came bottom, the figure was below five per cent.

The figures mean while the area has had more people infected it is coming closer to achieving immunity as the vaccination roll out continues.

The R rate in the North West is now believed to be the same as the national average standing at between 1.2 and 1.3.

When the R rate is above one the virus spreads exponentially whereas below one is dies out eventually.

The recent strand of the virus which prompted the UK to enter a fresh national lockdown this month was believed to have the potential to increase the R rate by 0.4 however with infections now falling rapidly in Oldham it looks like this has been avoided in the area.