ALMOST 400 new cases of Covid have been confirmed across Cheshire East and West – as the recent slide in infection rates comes to a halt.

New figures from Public Health England cover the 24-hour period up to 9am today, January 13.

In that time there were 217 new Covid cases in Cheshire West and 175 in Cheshire East – a total of 392.

That takes the total number of Covid cases in Cheshire West to 15,628 since the pandemic began, along with 15,266 in Cheshire East.

Meanwhile, the seven-day infection rate for both boroughs had fallen for three days running this week, having hit an alarming peak on Saturday.

But that trend has ended today, with both boroughs seeing their infection rates rise in new figures from Public Health England.

In Cheshire West, the rate is now 574.2 per 100,000 people following 1,970 cases in the seven days up to January 8, having stood at 553.8 per 100,000 people in yesterday’s figures.

That is still below the peak of 624.7 per 100,000 people seen in Saturday’s figure, but remains higher than the rate of 510.1 per 100,000 people one week ago and 255 per 100,000 people a fortnight ago.

In Cheshire East, the rate is now 441 per 100,000 people following 1,694 cases in the seven days up to January 8, which is a small increase over yesterday’s rate of 438.9 per 100,00 people.

The borough’s peak on Saturday was 496.4 per 100,000 people, but the new rate remains higher than 431.1 per 100,000 people one week ago, and 228.6 per 100,000 people a fortnight ago.