MORE than 100 people a day on average in Bolton are contracting coronavirus as the infection rate increases at an alarming rate.

Detailed figures released to The Bolton News revealed a huge spike in the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in the borough – and the pressure Royal Bolton Hospital is under as it experiences an increase in the number of those being admitted to critical care.

The number of people contracting the virus has risen by almost 65 per cent in a week.

Bolton Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Helen Lowey, said: “The number of cases are rising rapidly across the borough and we all need to stick to the lockdown rules to save lives.

“Bolton and the Greater Manchester region have not yet seen the full effect of the new variant. We know that the new variant is more contagious and once it is present widely here, we will start seeing even higher case rates.

“This is why it is critical that we stay at home as much as possible to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Please limit your contact with other people and only leave home for essential reasons."

Bolton has seen an average of 107 new cases a day for the last seven days, an increase of 42 per day from last week.

Dr Lowey added:“Remember the importance of hands, face, space – wear a mask, keep your distance from other people and regularly wash your hands. We need to keep following these measures.

“The vaccination roll out is underway with more people receiving the vaccine every day. If you are invited for a Covid 19 vaccine jab please take it to protect yourself, your family and your community.

“We all need to keep doing everything we can to help control the spread of the virus, to protect the NHS and save lives.”

As of January 1, Bolton had 17,609 with Covid-19 and towards the end of last week, the number of new daily cases started to rise again.

In one 24 hour period, five people had been admitted/diagnosed with Covid-19 in the hospital. There have been 478 deaths in the hospital linked to the virus since the outbreak as of January 4.

Andy Ennis, Chief Operating Officer said: “Our hospital is extremely busy at the moment which is to be expected for the winter months. We are seeing an increase in the number of patients who need to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and have plans in place to deal with this. Our staff are incredible and I am confident that collectively, we have what it takes to get through a third wave of the virus.”

The figures were released just a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the country into the toughest lockdown measures since March, because of rising infection rates and concerns over the spread of the new variant of the disease.

Schools are shut to all but vulnerable pupils and children of key workers and people are being told to stay at home, unless they are buying groceries or providing care.

Non-essential retail has been closed and entertainment venues remain shut in Bolton.

People are being told to work from home where they can.