Cookham Discussion Board

More than 40 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the latest figures show.

Public Health England has recorded 42 lab-confirmed cases in areas including Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, West Berkshire, Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead.

These figures, correct as of Tuesday, March 2, at 4pm bring the latest total for the county to 53,233 cases.

The local breakdown for the past 24 hours as follows:

Bracknell - 3 cases, 6,815 total

Wokingham -8 cases, 7

Windsor and Maidenhead - 7 cases, 8,013

Slough - 13 cases, 14,607 total

There have now been 4,188,400 people across the UK who have tested positive for Covid-19 - a daily increase of 6,391.

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

Bracknell - 62.8

Wokingham- 59

West Berkshire - 64.4

Reading - 79.1

Slough - 154.5

Windsor and Maidenhead - 61.4

In today's national coronavirus news:

A 17-year-old with no known underlying health conditions is among the latest reported deaths of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in England.

On Tuesday, NHS England said 279 people who tested positive for Covid-19 had died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths to 83,529

Patients were aged between 17 and 102 and all except 11, aged 17-89, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were dated between December 3, 2020, and March 1, 2021, with the majority being on or after February 21.

Conservative chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Julian Knight called on the Government to introduce an insurance scheme for festivals and other cultural events.

Mr Knight told the Commons that even with the Prime Minister’s road map set out, “the industry still needs more than ever a Government-backed insurance scheme”.