Cookham Discussion Board

MORE than 800 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Berkshire in the last 24 hours.

Public Health England has recorded 829 lab-confirmed cases in areas including Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, West Berkshire, Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead.

These figures are correct as of Wednesday, December 30.

The local breakdown for the past 24 hours as follows:

Bracknell - 148 cases, 3,402 total

Wokingham - 134 cases, 4,251 total

West Berkshire - 98 cases, 3,239 total

Slough - 197 cases, 6,999 total

Windsor and Maidenhead - 137 cases, 4,328 total

Reading - 115 cases, 4,982 total

There have now been 2,432,888 people across the UK who have tested positive for Covid-19.

The total number of deaths - those with Covid-19 listed on their death certificate - across the UK has now reached 82,624.

The latest seven-day rate per 100,000 people locally are as follows:

Bracknell - 526.3

Wokingham - 395.6

West Berkshire - 318.1

Slough - 650.7

Windsor and Maidenhead - 489.4

Reading - 420.9

In today's national coronavirus news:

Matt Hancock told MPs he wanted rid of the “blasted” coronavirus restrictions as he pledged to speed up the vaccine roll-out.

Tory former minister Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, noted AstraZeneca’s chief executive said the company could produce up to two million doses of its vaccine a week and asked the Government to match this ambition.

He said: “So we can get everyone over 65, which is nearly 90% of the (people at) risk of death and hospitalisation, done in seven weeks – by the third week of February – and then remove those restrictions?

“Every focus of Government now has to be on that task, it’s the central overriding task of the Government, and can I ask him to say the Government is up to doing that?”

Mr Hancock said he agreed with “every single word” said by Mr Harper, adding: “We need to roll out this vaccine as fast as possible. The NHS can deliver at the pace he mentions if we can get the manufacturing up to that speed as well.”

The Health Secretary said the Government is working with AstraZeneca to “make that happen” and noted how one dose of the vaccine can protect a vulnerable person, also telling MPs: “That way we can get rid of these blasted restrictions as soon as possible.”