REVEALED: THE TRUE NUMBER OF VIRUS CASES

16,975 POSITIVE TESTS IN REGION – 6,000 MORE THAN PREVIOUS REPORTS

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 36.6 per cent.

Before, figures of positive cases only included ‘pillar one’ figures from hospital and health care testing.

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.

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.

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. Mayor Andy Burnham said the region ‘will be doing everything’ to avoid local restrictions.