THE number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Cheshire West and Chester since the pandemic began has officially passed 2,500.

A further 27 cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the area in the latest reporting period, according to Government data.

The increase in the period up to 7.06pm on Thursday, September 24, brings the total number for the borough since the pandemic began to 2,505.

However, the real total is likely to be significantly higher given the number of people with coronavirus symptoms who were not able to get tested in the first few weeks of the pandemic.

The number of positive Covid-19 cases recorded in west Cheshire last week (September 14-20) is 143, according to the Government data, but is likely to increase further as some tests take as long as a week to confirm a positive result.

That puts the infection rate for Cheshire West and Chester at around 40 cases per 100,000 people.

The figure of 20 cases per 100,000 is the threshold the UK's governments have used to judge whether returning travellers from foreign countries must endure a 14-day quarantine period.

Meanwhile, the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust once again did not record any deaths of a patient testing positive for the virus in the latest NHS England update.

It has, to date, not registered a death for nearly 10 weeks.

The total number of people who have died in Cheshire hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus stands at 728.

The Countess of Chester Hospital Trust has recorded 227 deaths (last recorded July 18), Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has recorded 214 deaths, the last on August 31; East Cheshire NHS Trust 146 (last recorded July 22), and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 141 (last recorded September 19).

In England, a further 30 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,838. Of the 30 patients, 12 were in North West hospitals.

Patients were aged between 18 and 101 years old. All but two patients, aged 53 and 82, had known underlying health conditions.

Date of death ranges from September 17-23.