Why thousands more Hartlepool coronavirus cases have been suddenly confirmed

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Since January 31, the UK Health Security Agency has changed the way it reports coronavirus cases.

It means if one person tests positive for the virus more than 90 days after the first infection then two infection episodes will be recorded.

The change has led to a significant rise in the number of cases recorded across the UK.

A total of 29,509 cases had been confirmed in Hartlepool when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated on January 31.

That was up from 27,226 on Friday when reinfections were not included in the figures.

The rate of infection in Hartlepool now stands at 31,447 cases per 100,000 people, far higher than the England average of 26,252.

Across the UK, 17,315,893 coronavirus infections have been recorded since the start of the pandemic, an increase of 981,913 compared to Friday.

There was also one more coronavirus death recorded over the weekend in Hartlepool.

The dashboard shows 310 people had died in the town by January 31, up from 309 on Friday.

It means there have been five deaths in the past week, which is a decrease on six the previous week.

They were among 7,533 deaths recorded across the North East since the onset of the pandemic.

The figures include anyone who died within 28 days of a positive test result for Covid-19.

The figures also show that three-quarters of people in Hartlepool have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The latest figures show 65,000 people had received both jabs by January 30, equivalent to 77% of those aged 12 and over.

The next scheduled walk-in vaccine and jab clinic in Hartlepool takes place on Tuesday, February 8, at Victoria Road Medical Centre from 5.30pm-7pm.

First and second doses are available for people aged 12 and over with boosters available for people aged 16 and over.

Children aged 12-15 years must be accompanied by an adult with parental responsibility.