Cases of Covid-19 in Halton have barely changed since the end of lockdown last week.
In the week up to December 7, there were 155 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Halton.
Although this was less than the 174 recorded in the previous week, the pattern since the end of lockdown on December 2 is less encouraging.
When the restrictions were lifted and Halton went into Tier 2, its infection rate was 117.5 cases per 100,000 people. By December 7, its infection rate had actually risen to 119 cases per 100,000 people.
This development will worry local public health chiefs, especially as it is too soon for the rise to be attributed to the end of lockdown.
The concern will be that the looser Tier 2 restrictions will mean an even bigger rise in cases just before Christmas, when families are set to travel across the country to visit loved ones.
The last week has also seen a plateau in the number of patients at Warrington and Halton Hospitals with Covid-19, although numbers did start to fall on Friday.
For most of the week, there were between 145 and 150 patients on the hospital wards with Covid-19. But by Friday, that had fallen to 135 patients, the lowest number since the end of October.
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Unlike the rest of the Liverpool City Region, Halton did not begin mass testing asymptomatic residents this week, but is set to start on Monday (December 14).
Residents without coronavirus symptoms will be able to get a test at Ditton Community Centre and Grangeway Community Centre and receive a result within 30 minutes.
It is hoped that this will help drive down cases by identifying asymptomatic cases so they can self-isolate and not unwittingly infect others.
