COVID infections rates across Southampton have dropped since the start of lockdown, despte a new 'hotspot' emerging.

An interactive Government map has shown that, since the start of the third national lockdown on January 5, the city has gone from having 12 to now just two.

However, one of those two is a new one: the district of Hedge End, Wildern and Botley South.

Along with Coxford and Lordshill, the two areas are both deemed to be 'hotspots' because they have infection rates in the seven days to January 15 of over 800 per 100,000 - which means more than one in every 125 residents had coronavirus during that time period.

The map create by the Echo below, using Public Health England data, shows the comparison between the start of the national lockdown on the left, and the latest data on the right.

Click the map above to slide between the two images: Left: Jan 5. Right: Jan 15.

In the latest data shown above, the area of Hedge End, Wildern and Botley South recorded 58 cases in that seven-day period, up 45% on the seven days before. This left it with a rolling rate of 807.6.

Coxford and Lordshill recorded an infection rate of 852.1, but saw a 5.6% drop in cases, recording 51 in the seven days to January 15.

Since the start of the third national lockdown on January 5, the districts of Aldermoor and Lordswood, Bitterne East, Bitterne South, Bitterne West, Chilworth, Nursling and Rownhams, Freemantle, Hollybrook, Maybush, Redbridge and Millbrook West, and Sholing East, St Denys, Upper Shirley, and Weston have all seen their infections rates drop below 800.

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For reference, the map is divided into Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs), which are areas with an average population of 7,200.

It then colour-codes MSOAs depending on their seven day rolling infection rate, with areas placed into the boundaries of 0-9 (yellow), 10-49 (light green), 50-99 (dark green), 100-199 (light blue), 200-399 (dark blue), 400 to 799 (light purple) and 800 plus (dark purple).

Anywhere labelled '800 plus' is today deemed by the Government to be a 'hotspot'.