OFFICIAL TALLY OF PEOPLE TESTING POSITIVE HOLDS STEADY ON 166 FOR THE DISTRICT

ATHERSTONE and North Warwickshire had no new cases of Covid-19 reported in the last 24 hours.

The official total of 166 lab-confirmed cases of the virus remained on the same figure from the previous day – the first 'freeze' on the stats for a number of weeks.

Newly-released figures put the cases of people testing positive in the district at a rate of 256 per 100,00 population.

The statistics are revealed in additional information on 'lower tier' local authorities provided by the Government via the Office for National Statistics more than 100 days since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the UK.

The borough sits fourth out of nine in terms of cases per 100,000 among the neighbouring local council areas bordering Atherstone.

North Warwickshire's case rate of 256 per 100,000 population is higher than the Warwickshire figure of 233.4 and England (248.5) while a shade under the West Midlands at 258.8. The UK figure of 338 per 100,000 population is bumped up by a Welsh rate of 373.

Solihull tops the cases per 100,000 table for authorities around Atherstone's North Warwickshire borough at nearly 300. It has recorded a total of 636 Covid cases.

Close neighbours Nuneaton and Bedworth have reported 369 cases at the second highest rate of 286.3 per 100,000 population.

With the inclusion of population, recorded cases and rate per 100,000 population, the full table of authorities which have a boundary touching North Warwickshire reads:

Solihull (population 214,909): Cases 636, at rate of 295.9 cases per 100,000;

Nuneaton & Bedworth (pop 128,902): Cases 369, at rate of 286.3 cases per 100,000;

Birmingham (pop 1.08 million): Cases 3,192, at rate of 279.7 cases per 100,000;

North Warwickshire (pop 64,850): Cases 166, at rate of 256 cases per 100,000;

Lichfield (pop 103,965:) Cases: 260, at rate of 250.1 cases per 100,000;

Coventry (pop 325,949): Cases 768, at rate of 209.4 cases per 100,000;

Tamworth (pop 76,678 ): Cases 158, at rate of 206.1 cases per 100,000;

Hinckley & Bosworth (pop 112,423): Cases 223, at rate of 198.4 cases per 100,000; and

North West Leicestershire (pop 102,126): Cases 137, at rate of 134.1 cases per 100,000.

Eight people in Atherstone have lost their lives to the virus, putting the town at a current rate of 75 deaths per 100,000, according to the Office for National Statistics, with only Birmingham above on 78.

The figures are relevant for coronavirus deaths between March 1 and April 17.

North Warwickshire, which finds itself surrounded by no fewer than eight other adjoining Midland authorities, has recorded 24 deaths in that timescale – with an ONS mortality rate of 35 per 100,000.

Warwickshire's confirmed cases now stand at 1,333, Staffordshire has crossed a new threshold and are on 2,004 with Leicestershire on 1,080. Midland cases total 23,190, the North West 22,853, while London is on 26,024.

The total of lab-confirmed UK cases of Covid-19 now stands at 229,705 which has risen by 3,242 in the last 24 hours of recording.

The UK death toll increased by 494 to 33,186 – the highest in Europe by more than 2,000 with Italy's tally on 30,811 fatalities.

And the unofficial UK death tally has already passed the 40,000 mark, the grim milestone being released by the Office for National Statistics in referring to all fatalities where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificates this year up to the beginning of May.

That data indicates some 8,300 deaths in care homes are virus-linked.

University College London experts claim shielding the most vulnerable is the only way to keep Britain's coronavirus death toll below 73,000 in the next year.

They are suggesting more than eight million high-risk people should remain indoors when lockdown is lifted

And they warn excess fatalities could still rise to 400,000 if current lockdown restrictions are lifted too fast.

UK now sits fourth in the world table of recorded cases, with Russia third on 242,271 but only recording 2,212 deaths.

Spain is second for cases – 271,095 with total deaths on 27,104.

The US sits in the most unenviable position with 83,644 deaths from 1.41 million people testing positive.

The death tally across the globe is closing in on the 300,000 milestone. Some 1.6 million have recovered worldwide out of 4.38 million recorded cases.