Wirral's infection rate has fallen to levels not seen since early September, as the borough continues to get on top of the virus.

In the week up to March 4, Wirral had 165 cases at a rate of 51 per 100,000.

Not only is that a marked fall from the 295 cases registered last week, it is a decline which means Wirral is less infected than it was at the end of the second national lockdown in early December.

The last time the borough's virus figures were as low as they are now was in the week up to September 3, when 156 cases were recorded at a rate of 48 per 100,000.

It is a remarkable decline, given Wirral's rate increased from just over 50 per 100,000 on December 3, to 214 on Christmas Day and a huge 980 on January 8.

However, case numbers are still far higher than the levels recorded in July, when the rate per 100,000 was regularly in single figures.

On hospital numbers, Wirral is also progressing.

On January 22, there were 279 virus patients in the borough's hospitals, in the latest figures which cover March 2, there were just 30.

Crucially, just six of those are on ventilators.

Between late January and mid-February, as COVID-19 hospital admissions started to fall, the numbers of virus patients on ventilators barely changed, remaining in the mid-to-late teens.

There is a risk that today's reopening of schools to all pupils could cause cases to rise once again, although the government hopes more mask wearing and testing will prevent this.

Experts will be watching the numbers closely over the next few weeks to see what impact this first easing of the national lockdown has on the spread of the virus.