The rate at which Covid is rising in Oldham has gone up yet again – and is in line with the national average.

The latest data from Public Health England show that there were 75 positive tests in the area today.

Over the last week there have been 557 cases in the town, which is a rise of 29.8 per cent from the week before this.

Earlier this week the growth rate had lowered to around 15 per cent, but has now risen again and is closer to the rise nationally which stands at 34.9 per cent.

The number of people in Oldham with Covid per 100,000 stands at 223.1 which remains more than double the UK rate of 93.7.

There were no deaths in the town which came within 28 days of a positive test for the virus.

Across the UK there were 27 fatalities today, and the death rate is rising by 44.4 per cent.

In the north west region the r rate, the rate at which one person passes the virus onto another, stands at between 1.3 and 1.5.

When this figure is above one the virus spreads exponentially, when it is below one it dies out eventually, so the latest numbers means the virus is growing in this region.