MORE than 200 cases of coronavirus have been reported across Dorset in the last 24 hours.

The latest figures from Public Health England show by 4.11pm on Sunday (Ocober 25), the number of Covid-19 cases in the Dorset Council area increased by 71.

The Dorset Council area now has 328 current cases of coronavirus and with an infection rate per 100,000 people at 86.7.

The new positive tests bring the total number of cases in the local authority area up to 1,665. 

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority area has jumped by 133 over the last 24 hours.

Figures show that 3,163 people in this area have tested positive for Covid-19, with an infection rate per 100,000 people now at 172.3.

In total, 204 people have tested positive for Covid-19 across the county over the last 24 hours. 4,828 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Dorset since the beginning of the pandemic.

Both Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council areas remain at the Tier 1 coronavirus alert level, the lowest of the three-tiered system.

South West currently has an R rate of 1.3 - 1.6, making it the region with the highest R rate in England.

The UK's coronavirus R number has dipped slightly to 1.2-1.4 according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).