MORE than 700 new Covid infections have been confirmed across Dorset in the past day, latest figures show.

Data on the government website shows 416 people tested positive across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the 24-hours up to 4pm on Saturday, January 15, with 318 cases in the Dorset Council area.

This means since the start of the pandemic, 87,911 infections have been recorded in the BCP Council area with 63,603 in wider Dorset.

Over the last seven days, 4,640 cases have been seen across the conurbation giving a rate of 1,168.8 per 100,000 people.

During the same period, 3,862 tested positive in the Dorset Council area at a rate of 1,016.9.

In the New Forest, there have been 150 new cases in the past day with 1,747 in the past seven days, giving a rate of 972.5.

The total number of infections in the district since March 2020 is 30,141.

Nationally, a further 74,576 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases have been recorded in England as of 4pm on Saturday, the Government said.

The Government also said a further 287 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 174,233 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.