Windsor and Maidenhead overtakes Slough as covid infection rate rockets

[Cookham v Coronavirus]

Windsor and Maidenhead has overtaken Slough to become the area with the highest coronavirus infection rate in Berkshire.

The Royal Borough now has the second highest infection rate for the virus in the South outside of London, after cases nearly tripled in a seven day period.

The infection rate stands at 86.5 cases per 100,000 people in the borough, after 131 new cases were recorded in the seven days leading to Monday, October 5.

The number of cases almost tripled from the 46 cases that were recorded in the previous week, to September 28 - when the infection rate stood at 30.4.

It means the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has the second highest infection rate in the south (excluding London), with the rate in Oxford standing at 116.8, with 178 cases recorded over a seven day period.

If the infection rate continues to spiral, the area could be placed onto the Government's coronavirus watchlist, which may lead to stricter lockdown measures.

So far, Windsor and Maidenhead have not met the requirements needed to be put on the list.

The Royal Borough has now overtaken Slough in terms of infection rates, with Slough avoiding being placed on the Government's coronavirus watchlist last Friday.

Messaging urging people to socially distance and follow strict hygiene practices have been put up in Slough.

In the rest of Berkshire, Slough has the second highest infection rate, at 84.9 with 127 cases recorded in the seven days leading to Monday, October 5.

The infection rates in West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest have almost doubled as cases have increased.

West Berkshire saw the rate increase from 25.2 in the seven days leading to September 28 to 43.5 in the seven days up to October 5.

While Bracknell Forest saw the infection rate climb from 23.7 to 43.2 over the same period.