COVID cases have continued their surge in Cheshire East as the threat of tougher restrictions over the festive period remains.

While it was said that a ban on indoor mixing and 8pm hospitality curfews were being considered by the government to stem the rise in cases of the Omicron variant, PM Boris Johnson did not announce any new measures last night (Monday).

But he said the situation was being reviewed hourly and many commentators predict some advance on the Plan B measures - which focused on mask wearing and working from home - will be put in place in the next few weeks.

Cheshire East's rolling rate of infection per 100,000 people has risen to 606 (latest figures on December 15), up from 456.5 in the previous week, but lower than the national figure of 716.

Yesterday (Monday) 379 people tested positive for coronavirus in the borough, while the number of positive tests over the last seven days total 2,779, a rise of 65 per cent on the previous week.

Across the UK the average number of cases recorded over the last week is 83,527 with a record daily high of 93,045 last Friday. The surge has been particularly marked in Greater London where two boroughs, Lambeth and Wandsworth, have recorded seven-day rolling rates higher than 2,000 per 100,000 people against a backdrop of low vaccination rates.

In Cheshire East there have been four deaths attributed to Covid over the last week.

While the latest figures show 11 people were admitted for hospital treatment at the Mid Cheshire Hospitals Trust/Leighton Hospital in the week up to December 12.

Meanwhile, vaccination capacity has been doubled across Cheshire with thousands more appointment slots available, says the Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

An extra 30,000 booster jabs were administered in the county last week compared to the week before.

Eligible residents are being encouraged to book ahead where possible via the National Booking Service or by calling 119.

Clare Watson, Accountable Officer of Cheshire CCG, said: "There has been a fantastic response from the people of Cheshire so far, who recognise the importance of protecting themselves and their families from Covid-19 and the Omicron variant."