Covid-19 infection rates have sky-rocketed in the Liverpool City Region and the combined authority region now has the fastest growing disease rates in the country.
The Liverpool City Region (LCR) reached a new record high figure in reported cases of 701.28 cases per 100,000 population for the week ending January 3.
Covid-19 infection rates for the region have tripled in a week - up from a rate of 217.2 for the previous week.
Cases are growing fastest in Halton and Knowsley, according to the latest data from Public Health England.
In Halton, the infection rate has quadrupled in the space of a week, standing at 996.1 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending January 3, which is up from 248.8 for the previous week.
Halton now has the fastest growing infection rate of any borough in England.
There were 1,289 cases in Halton for the week ending January 3 and that is 967 more than the previous week.
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Neighbouring Knowsley has posted the second highest week-on-week increase in the country, climbing to 929.3 cases per 100,000 people.
Sefton and Wirral are also among the ten areas in England where the virus is spreading the fastest, according to the latest government data.
While Sefton's infection rate is up from 228.6 to 745.6, Wirral 's is up from 271.0 to 778.1.
According to Public Health England's latest figures, in Halton cases have quadrupled in a week - up 300%.
Every borough in the Liverpool City Region, except St. Helens, now has a rate higher than the average for the whole of England which is 619.07 cases per 100,000 people.
- Knowsley is 929.3
- Liverpool is 724.0
- Halton is 996.1
- St. Helens is 588.1
- Sefton is 745.6
- Wirral is 778.1
- Liverpool City Region is 701.28
- England is 619.07
Infection rates started to rise dramatically in the first few days of 2021, which signals people were catching the disease over the Christmas period.
