The true number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in Greater Manchester has been revealed after new testing figures were made public - and it's more than 6,000 cases higher than previously reported.
Government figures released last night now include historic 'pillar two' data - the results of swabs from fixed testing sites, mobile and home testing data.
New data shows the actual number of cases in Greater Manchester recorded since the outbreak began is 16,975.
The figure is 6,209 higher then previously reported (10,766) - an increase of 36.6pc.
Before today, figures of positive cases only included 'pillar one' figures from hospital and health care testing.
The true number of positive coronavirus tests in Greater Manchester since the start of the pandemic
*The below figures are not new cases. They are ' pillar two' test cases previously not included in official data sets
Manchester - was 1,744, now 2,835
Salford - was 986, now 1,297
Bolton - was 1,063, now 1,785
Bury - was 819, now 1,261
Oldham - was 1,163, now 1,811
Tameside - was 886, now 1,496
Stockport - was 1,093, now 1,612
Trafford - was 885, now 1,240
Rochdale - was 892, now 1,528
Wigan - was 1,235, now 2,109
The city of Manchester has had the highest number of COVID-19 cases by far, according to the updated figures, followed by Wigan and Oldham.
However, when the figures are adjusted for the size of the population, Oldham has by far the highest rate of infection - for the entire pandemic - at 490 cases per 100,000 people. Manchester has the lowest rate at 315 cases per 100,000 population.
Since the start of May, officials in Greater Manchester have been begging government to release ‘pillar two’ testing data.
The government then came under pressure to release more detailed data about coronavirus infections after local leaders in Leicester said they were left in the dark about the spike in cases there.
Last night (Thursday), the dashboard was finally updated to include the results of both pillar one and pillar two tests for the first time.
Though the addition of pillar two data reveals a greater number of coronavirus cases, the overall infection rate for Greater Manchester is starting to fall.
Public Health England figures show there were approximately 428 coronavirus cases in Greater Manchester in the week ending June 28, compared to around 581 the week before.
Bolton is the only borough in Greater Manchester where the number of infections went up week-on-week.
However, it is still way behind the level of infections in Leicester, where the government has imposed a local lockdown.
In the week ending June 28, the rate in Leicester was 141.32 per 100,000 of population - more than six times higher than the rate in Bolton.
However, without knowing the number of tests carried out in the area, it’s not possible to know if cases truly are falling or rising in any area, or if changes in the number of tests being carried out is finding more or fewer cases.
In recent days, a list of places being circulated by national media outlets has suggesting boroughs in Greater Manchester - including Wigan, Oldham, Bolton, Rochdale and Tameside - are among those at risk of 'local lockdown'.
Leaders across the region have slammed reports as unhelpful and irresponsible.
A press conference this week heard Greater Manchester is a ‘long, long way’ from having to introduce local lockdowns like Leicester, but leaders have stopped short of ruling them out entirely.
Mayor Andy Burnham said the region 'will be doing everything' to avoid local restrictions.
Asked if any of the ten boroughs were in imminent danger of a Leicester-style lockdown, he said said: “No, the gap between what’s happening here and in Leicester is pretty wide.
“But of course I’m not complacent, the picture can change quite quickly.
“We’re not ruling out that we won't be in a similar situation, but we will be doing everything we can to prevent it.”
NHS figures on Thursday showed 2,072 people had died at Greater Manchester hospitals having contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Those figures do not include deaths 'in the community' - at care homes, or people's own homes.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows 1,115 people living at Greater Manchester care homes died having contracted the virus between March 6 and June 12.
