Confirmed cases of coronavirus have risen by almost 2,000 in the largest daily increase on Merseyside.
Government-released data revealed a rise of 1,943 positive cases across the region on Sunday.
This was almost 1,000 more new cases than the number announced on Saturday, which was already a significant increase on previous daily figures.
The Government has said Saturday and Sunday's numbers are "artificially high" because of a technical problem.
Huge numbers of positive cases recorded between September 25 and October 2 are being added to the weekend's figures as a result, they said.
The figures released today showed an additional 899 people had tested positive for the condition in Liverpool.
On Wirral, the number rose by 246, in Sefton it was 319, in St Helens it was 177 and in Knowsley it was 302.
A total of 21,221 cases have now been confirmed on Merseyside since the beginning of the pandemic.
That figure is 1,722 in Halton, which saw 124 new cases announced today, and 2,767 in Warrington, where 157 new cases have been confirmed.
The NHS confirmed one new death linked to coronavirus in hospitals on Merseyside in Sunday's daily update, recorded at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
A total of 1,164 coronavirus-linked deaths have now been recorded at Merseyside hospitals, with a further 145 at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The full scale of tragedy will be much higher once deaths in other settings, including care homes, are taken into account.
