Covid: Blackburn overtakes Bolton with highest coronavirus infection rate in UK
NHS chief warns of hospital pressures due to care backlogs as PM faces decision on lockdown ending, ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent reports
Blackburn and Darwen is now the area in the UK with the highest rate of new Covid-19 cases - overtaking Bolton.
Both areas have reported some of the highest numbers of cases of the Indian Covid variant.
A total of 584 confirmed cases were recorded in Blackburn with Darwen in the seven days to May 26, according to Public Health England.
It equates to an infection rate of 390.1 cases per 100,000 people – the highest seven-day rate for the area since the start of February.
Meanwhile, the infection rate in Bolton is at 386.7 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from 452.8 on May 21.
Bolton, in Greater Manchester, shares a border with Blackburn with Darwen, which is in the neighbouring Lancashire county.
Bolton recorded a total of 1,354 Indian variant cases up to May 25 – the highest in the country – and Blackburn recorded 361.
Surge testing has been taking place in both areas, as well as surge vaccinations to boost the take-up of the Covid vaccines.
The borough of Rossendale, also in Lancashire, has the third highest rate of new Covid-19 cases in the UK, with 292.4 per 100,000 people. This is a rise from 63.0 per 100,000 a week earlier.
More than half of all areas in the UK - 230 of 380 local areas - are recording a week-on-week rise in Covid-19 case rates, as of May 26.
Just 130 areas (34%) recorded a fall and 20 (5%) had unchanged infection rates.
All case rates have been calculated by PA news agency from data published by Public Health England on May 30.
Data for the most recent four days (May 27-30) has been excluded as it is incomplete.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a difficult decision about whether to end England’s lockdown on June 21.
Coronavirus: What you need to know - Listen in for the latest information, advice and analysis on the pandemic
A health chief has warned that hospitals already under "worrying" pressure. As they were not expecting to be overwhelmed by a surge of Covid cases, they are already stretched by going "full pelt" on dealing with the backlog of cases built up during the pandemic.
A further 3,240 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24-hour reporting period. And six people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Sunday, according to government data.
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), also warned on Saturday that people should be "very concerned" about the spike in Indian variant cases.