THE coronavirus infection rate has dramatically fallen in Southampton.

The city saw rates decrease to 2.0 new cases for every 100,000 residents in the seven days to July 31, down from 7.1 the previous week.

But the latest figures released by Public Health England also show that rates in Test Valley have gone down to 1.6, from 2.4 before.

In Eastleigh, infection rates have dropped from 5.3 to 1.5. However an increase has occurred in the New Forest, which went from 1.7 to 3.9.

In Fareham, rates have also gone down, at 0 cases for every 100,000 residents, from 1.7 the week before.

Meanwhile, coronavirus infection rates have gone down in Portsmouth from 2.3 to 1.9 and up to 3.2 from 0.8 in Winchester.

New data is released each week and shows how rates of positive coronavirus tests are changing in each area.

The figures show the rate of new cases in the seven days to July 31, and are based on tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community.

The rate is expressed as the new number of new cases per 100,000 population.