What the first Covid tracker for St Helens 'post-Freedom Day' says

The tracker recorded 786 positive tests between Saturday, July 17 and Friday, July 23 in St Helens, of which 180 were from lateral Flow Tests.

This equates to an infection rate of 435.3 per 100,000 people.

This marks a decrease from the 880 cases recorded in the previous tracker for the week leading up to July 10.

It is hoped that the vaccination programme, which has been singled out for praise in St Helens, will sever the link between cases and serious illness, hospitalisations and deaths.

The latest data, for Sunday, July 18, shows four admissions to NHS St Helens Knowsley Trust hospitals in relation to Covid.

There were 37 patients in Trust hospitals as of Tuesday, July 20, a slight increase of seven from the week before.

There were four in ventilation beds on July 20. 

There were no deaths in St Helens in the latest daily figures, with July 19 currently the last recorded death in relation to Covid.

By date of specimen, Monday, July 19 saw the most number of cases in one day with 152, and Friday, July 23 saw the fewest with 64.

By ward, Newton saw the most positive cases with 69, with town centre and Thatto Heath next with 67 and 60 respectively.

By infection rate town centre ward had the highest with 573.2 per 100,000, with Newton next with 553.4.

Bold had the third highest with 524.2.

Rainford saw the fewest positive tests with 28, with Rainhill the second least recording 31 and then Eccleston with 35.

Rainhill had the lowest infection rate for the borough at 283.2 with Eccleston on 296.2 and Rainford's 363.4.

By age group children accounted for the most with 214 cases.

The 30 to 44-year-old group accounted for 195 while there were 189 among 18 to 29-year-olds.

For 45 to 59-year-olds there were 127 positive tests and 50 for 60 to 79-year-olds.

There were 11 among the over-80s.

By gender, 400 cases were in females (50.89 per cent) and 385 (48.98 per cent) males, with one of unknown gender.