Coronavirus is surging once again in Wirral, with more than 600 cases registered across the borough in the space of a week.

Some parts have been hit particularly badly.

Eastham, in the south of the borough, had 45 cases in the week up to June 19, the latest figures broken down to council ward level.

This is a huge rise on the 11 cases recorded in the area just a week earlier.

Other parts of the borough with high case levels include Upton (39), Claughton (37), Seacombe (30) and Leasowe and Moreton East (28).

In some of these areas cases have also risen dramatically in the space of a week.

Upton's 39 cases are up from 12 the week before for example, while Claughton now has 37 cases, compared to just seven in the previous week's figures.

The scale of Wirral's recent surge in COVID-19 cases is laid bare in figures for the borough as a whole.

As recently as the week up to May 25, Wirral's infection rate was nine per 100,000, with just 28 cases registered.

But by the week up to June 23, the rate had grown to 190 per 100,000, with 616 cases recorded.

Even compared to just one week ago, cases have risen significantly. In the week up to June 16, there were 394 cases recorded at a rate of 122 per 100,000.

Wirral is not alone in experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, across the rest of the Liverpool City Region infections have also increased.

Liverpool's rate was 306 per 100,000 in the week up to June 23, a rise from 192 the week before.

Knowsley has also seen its infection rate surge, from 118 last week to 290, while Sefton's rate of 234 is up from 173 the week before.

At 194, St Helens' rate is slightly lower, but it also climbed from 106 last week.

Halton has the lowest rate in the City Region at 172, a figure which went up from 124 in the previous week.

Despite these concerning numbers there are reasons to be optimistic.

There are clear signs that despite a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, vaccines are working well.

Previous surges in the virus have seen tens and even hundreds of people admitted to Wirral's hospitals.

The biggest of all these surges, in January, saw a peak of 279 people being treated for the virus in the borough's hospitals.

At the moment, Wirral's hospitals are dealing with seven patients who have COVID-19.

This is a rise, as during much of May there were no COVID patients being treated in the borough.

However there are currently no signs that hospitalisation numbers will get to the levels seen earlier in the year which put the NHS under severe pressure.

Last week, Wirral's Director of Public Health, Julie Webster, warned Wirral residents that 'one jab is not enough' and urged everyone to take up the offer of their second shot.