CHANGES IN REPORTING SEE 'TEST POSITIVE' NUMBERS LEAP FROM 217 TO 330 FOR THE BOROUGH

LATEST FIGURES MEAN MANY CASES PREVIOUSLY NOT ATTRIBUTED TO ANY DISTRICT ARE NOW INCLUDED IN AREA TOTALS

CHANGES in reporting confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Atherstone and district have seen the totals leap by a half overnight.

Last week figures of people testing positive for the deadly virus saw the borough over the 500 mark.[.L]

A new method of the Government recording the statistics "by testing in all settings" has seen the total jump from 217 to 330 – despite more than 30,000 previously reported cases across the UK being removed from the new table of analytics.

The latest figures mean many cases previously not attributed to any district are now included in area totals.

But the borough's 52 per cent increase sees the cases per 100,000 population at a far greater rate than recorded by neighbouring Midland authorities, including Coventry and Birmingham, or Warwickshire under the new arrangements.

The news comes as Nub News revealed thousands of lives across Atherstone and North Warwickshire could have been put at risk after at least seven people are thought to have contracted the deadly virus this week following five workers sharing a car journey from Leicester to the Birch Coppice Euro Car Parts complex at Dordon.

The methodology for reporting positive cases in the Public Health England coronavirus tracker changed on Thursday to remove duplicates within and across pillars 1 and 2, to ensure that a person who tests positive is only counted once.

The Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 data has formed the basis of the Government's latest approach to measuring Covid-19 incidence in the UK.

They signal a step away from the widely popularised blanket R infection rate used by officials as the pandemic swelled earlier this year.

The pillars extrapolate different kinds of data taken from Covid-19 testing with Pillar 1 coming solely from the tests carried out in a PHE laboratory and NHS hospital setting while Pillar 2 swabbing comes from out in the community, including care homes.

A statement in the tracker reads: "Numbers of lab-confirmed positive cases throughout this website (national, regional and local authority level) now include those identified by testing in all settings (pillars 1 and 2)."

Neighbouring borough Nuneaton and Bedworth have found themselves in the unenviable position of being the country's 'worst' virus hotspot.

And Atherstone's main hospital – the under-investigation George Eliot – has recorded 27 deaths in June after a mini spike in cases and in the seven days up to June 29 recorded the second highest number of fatalities – 12 – in an NHS trust in the UK (the highest being East Kent Hospitals Trust with 21).

The Nuneaton medical centre is in the middle of three-way investigation – headed by Public Health England – to establish what is behind an upsurge in cases which Warwickshire public health director Shade Agboola says is now "levelling off".

With today's lockdown easing bringing the reopening of pubs and clubs from 6am and restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas even earlier from midnight, Ms Agboola has repeated appeals for Atherstone and North Warwickshire's populations not to be complacent "in our drive to reduce cases to zero" – asking residents who think they might have Covid-19 to take a test.

On a similar theme, police and Warwickshire County Council have issued a joint statement urging Atherstone residents that while restrictions have eased from today, coronavirus is still prevalent in the community and people still need to "behave responsibly".

Under the new figures North Warwickshire has now reported 330 Covid-19 cases at one of the highest rates per 100,000 population of any of its neighbouring Midland authorities including Birmingham and Coventry.

Its rate is now 508.9 per 100,000 population (previously 334.6), compared with Nuneaton and Bedworth's 828 cases per 100,000 (previously 500) at 642.3 (previously 387.9), Solihull's 880 cases (previously 660) at 409.5 per 100,000 (previously 316.4), Birmingham's 4,762 cases (previously 3,339) cases testing positive at 417.2 per 100,000 (previously 292.5) and Coventry's 1,314 cases (previously 838) cases at 358.2 per 100,000 (previously 228.5).

Warwickshire's total of confirmed cases now stands at 2,453 (previously 1,592) with a rate of 429.6 per 100,000 (previously 278.8).

Cases rose by 544 in the last 24 hours to 284,276 – as the UK slipped down to eighth in the world table. Recorded deaths went up by 137 since yesterday to 44,131.

But the real number of fatalities involving the virus in the UK has passed 55,000, according to the latest available data.

And the Office for National Statistics said almost 20,000 care home residents have died with coronavirus up to June 12.

On a global note, confirmed cases have passed the 11 million mark with fatalities at 526,570.