COVID stats update: cases in Wirral down by 40%, with hospitals also coming under less pressure from the virus.

In the week up to May 1, Wirral's COVID infection rate was 122 per 100,000. That is 40% lower than last week's figure and well below the highs of more than 1,000 per 100,000 we saw near the end of March.

It is difficult to make direct comparisons between current figures and those from before the end of March, as free testing is no longer available. But the massive fall in cases is a good sign and is a clear pattern which has been emerging in recent weeks.

There is good news for hospitals also. In the week up to May 3, there were 48 people in Wirral's hospitals with COVID-19, down from 58 the week before.

In March, the picture looked worrying. At the start of the month the borough had just 15 COVID patients, but by early April around 100 people were being treated for the virus in Wirral's hospitals.

In recent weeks, things have dramatically improved. On April 12, the borough had 98 COVID patients, this then fell to 58 on April 26, before falling further this week.

These numbers may still be above the level seen at the start of March, but they are encouraging nonetheless. Looking at the figures for deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID test, a clear pattern is emerging.

The numbers remain low and once again did not reach double figures this week.