HERE is an update on the number of coronavirus cases recorded across Cheshire East and West in the past seven days.

In Cheshire East, 2,683 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in the week up to March 15 – equivalent to a rate of 513.1 per 100,000 people.

Cheshire West recorded 2,633 cases, or a rate of 594.8.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday that a rise in infections was to be ‘expected’ following the easing of coronavirus restrictions in England.

“We are now open as a country and there’s more social mixing, but there’s nothing in the data at this point in time that gives us any cause for concern,” he told Sky News.

The number of Covid-19 patients with symptoms serious enough to be placed in mechanical ventilation beds has yet to show signs of an increase, figures show.

But the number of people with Covid-19 in hospital in England has climbed back above 10,000, with all regions now recording a steady rise in patients.

A total of 10,576 people were in hospital as of 8am on March 14, up 19 per cent week-on-week, according to NHS England.

The last time the number was above 10,000 was almost a month ago, on February 15.

The total dropped to nearly 8,000 towards the end of February, but has been rising again in recent days.

Patient levels in England are still some way below the peak reached at the start of this year during the Omicron wave of infections and well below the peak of the second wave in January 2021.