THE coronavirus infection rate in Southampton has fallen, following an earlier spike.

The city saw coronavirus infection rates stay the same, at 1.2 new cases for every 100,000 residents in the seven days to July 19, from 5.1 the week before.

But the latest figures released by Public Health England show the rate has fallen in Fareham from 5.2 to 1.7, and Test Valley, which has dropped from 2.4 to 0.

While infection rates in the New Forest have also increased from 1.1 to 2.2, while Eastleigh has risen from 1.5 to 3.0.

Meanwhile, the rate in Winchester has gone from 1.6 to 0.8 and in Portsmouth from 2.8 to 1.9.

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 18, 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.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the rate has jumped from 47.7 in the seven days to July 11 to 78.6 in the seven days to July 18, with 117 new cases recorded.

Second on the list is Leicester, where the rate has gone down from 125.6 to 73.8, and where 262 new cases have been recorded.