ST HELENS saw 124 coronavirus cases recorded in the latest daily figures released.

Public Health England (PHE) figures show that there were 124 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the borough in the 24 hours leading up to 9am on Friday, October 30.

Meanwhile, the borough's latest published seven-day rate of infection was 402.6 per 100,000 between October 21 and 27 by date of specimen, says St Helens Council's COVID-19 tracker.

This is a reduction on the 434.1 per 100,000 (784 cases) recorded the previous week.

PHE is now including Pillar Two tests – those carried out in the wider community – alongside Pillar One tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

The 124 cases recorded on Friday compares with 138 the day before, with 131 in Wednesday's numbers and 133 recorded on Tuesday as figures remain consistent.

The borough was placed under Tier 'very high alert' level measures earlier this month.

It has been reported that England could be set to go under a 'national lockdown' from next week.

READ > England faces national lockdown under plans considered by PM

In total since the start of the outbreak, 5,640 people had been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19 in St Helens.

The overall rate of infection in St Helens since mid-March now stands at 3,123 cases per 100,000 people, more than double the England average of 1,492.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 24,405 over the period, to 989,745.

​St Helens's cases were among the 210,230 recorded across the North West, a figure which rose by 5,080 over the 24-hour period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, asymptomatic, have recovered and those that have died.