ONE death was recorded at Royal Bolton Hospital over Easter weekend - bringing the new death toll in Bolton to 646, according to NHS statistics.

A further 22 people tested positive for coronavirus in Bolton today, April 7, bringing the total number of cases in the borough since the pandemic started to 25,772.

Before the most recent death, which was recorded on Easter Sunday, no deaths had been recorded at the Royal Bolton Hospital since March 25.

Nationally, 2,763 people tested positive for Covid-19 today, bringing the total number of cases to 4,367,291.

Although the infection rate is continuing to fall in Bolton, it is currently almost double the English average, and is the second highest in Greater Manchester.

In Bolton, there were 221 cases in the seven days up to April 2 - a rate of 76.9 per 100,000 people of the population.

Meanwhile, the English rate stands at 38 cases per 100,000 people during the same time period, which is the most recent figures that have been made availably by the NHS.

It comes as 31.7 million people across the UK have now had their first dose of the Covid vaccine, while 5.6 million have had their second dose.

As restrictions ease on Monday with hairdressers and beer gardens reopening alongside other non-essential retail, a rise in coronavirus cases is expected across the country.

However, with the vaccine rollout ramping up, it is hoped by the Government that the impact will be minimal.