Covid cases could be plateauing in Sefton two weeks after the Rule of Six was reintroduced in the UK.
Cases in the borough fell only slightly in the week ending April 13, with 52 new cases confirmed over the week.
With a rate of 18.8 cases per 100,000 residents, this was just 10% down on the previous week and the same rate recorded in the week up to April 5.
Sefton also recorded two Covid deaths, roughly the same as the borough saw during the previous week.
The fact there has been little change in Covid figures suggests that the earlier rapid decline in cases may have stopped or at least slowed considerably.
Even so, the number of Covid cases in the borough is significantly lower than at the start of the year and the success of the vaccination programme should mean fewer people are vulnerable to catching the virus.
Sefton’s success in driving down infection rates is also shown in the fact that most neighbourhoods have so few cases that they don’t show up on the government’s infection map.
Only parts of Southport, Crosby and south Bootle have enough cases to appear on the map, with Marshside the area with the highest infection rate at 71 cases per 100,000 people.
In the city region as a whole, infections have fallen to just 15.3 cases per 100,000 residents - 50% of the number recorded two weeks earlier when the Rule of Six returned.
Local public health bosses will hope that this trend continues despite the reopening of non-essential shops and outdoor hospitality on Monday (April 12).
This further easing of lockdown will bring more people into contact with each other, so officials have warned the public to keep following the rules on masks and social distancing.
