Reading is coronavirus epicentre where infection rate is higher than Manchester

Reading has been revealed to be the most coronavirus infected borough in Berkshire.

The infection rate in the borough stands at 359.7, with 587 people having tested positive for Covid-19.

The government's coronavirus tracker publishes both the number of coronavirus cases and the cases per 100,000 people for each local authority in the country.

As of Thursday, June 4, Reading's rate is higher than that of the much bigger city of Manchester, which is the fifth most populated area in the country, but has a rate of 291.6.

Liverpool's rate is also lower at 330.

This is in spite of the south east having one of the lowest R ratings in the country.

Slough was in second place in the county with a rate of 304.5 and 484 cases. The next highest rate was in Wokingham, with a rate of 266.7 and 448 cases.

West Berkshire as a rate of 239.1, with 379 cases.

The lowest rate of infection is in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, at 193.5 and 292 cases.

The 258 cases recorded in Bracknell Forest are the lowest in Berkshire, but the borough's rate of 212 is higher than its neighbours in the Royal Borough.

The latest figures in Berkshire

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust – 347 (one new death reported)
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust – 176 (no new deaths reported)
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 19 (no new deaths reported)

Nationally, Barrow-In-Furness, in Cumbria, has the highest infection rate of 835.6, and Torridge, in north Devon, has the lowest with 52.8.