Windsor and Maidenhead Covid-19 infection rate hits 100 for first time

[Cookham v Coronavirus]

A Berkshire borough has become the first to record a coronavirus infection rate of more than 100.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's infection rate has now reached 104.3 of every 100,000 - the highest rate ever recorded in Berkshire.

It is also the first time the rate has reached over 100 anywhere in the county.

New data collated by the PA news agency for the seven days up to Thursday, October 8, shows a big rise in cases from 60.1 per 100,000 people in the days leading to Friday, October 2.

The next highest number in Berkshire is in Slough, where the rate has reached 91.6 per 100,000 people - a rise from 83.6 the previous week.

Cases are also rising in Reading, from 32.8 to 59.6 per 100,000 people.

Bracknell Forest also saw a big rise in some relatively small numbers, more than doubling from 22 cases to 53 per 100,000 people.

The numbers in Berkshire are rising and will be causing concern to health bosses and council chiefs. However, they remain far lower than the worst areas in the country.

For example, Nottingham is the worst area and has 830 cases per 100,000 people and 2,763 new cases. Knowsley in Merseyside saw a massive rise from 485.9 to 669.5, with 1,010 new cases.

Liverpool itself also recorded a rate of 598.5 and 2,981 new cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to reveal a raft of new measures at a press conference this evening (Monday, October 12) when he is expected to introduce a "tier" system of lockdown measures depending on the severity in individual areas.

Last week, it was revealed Slough would've been on the government watchlist had it not been given additional goverment help in dealing with cases.

With cases in the Royal Borough now higher than than those in its neighbouring area, government officials will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the situation.

The infection rate in every Berkshire borough

It reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to October 8; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to October 8; rate of new cases in the seven days to October 1; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to October 1.

Windsor and Maidenhead 104.3 (158), 54.2 (82)
Slough 91.6 (137), 83.6 (125)
Reading 59.3 (96), 32.8 (53
Bracknell Forest 53.0 (65), 22.0 (27)
Wokingham 50.3 (86), 35.6 (61)
West Berkshire 44.2 (70), 32.8 (52)