NEARLY 200 cases of coronavirus have been reported across Dorset in the last 24 hours.

Public Health England figures show by 9am on Friday (October 23), the number of COVID-19 cases in the Dorset Council area increased by 77.

The new figures bring the total number of cases in the local authority area up to 1,526. 

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority area jumped by 120 over the last 24 hours.

Figures show that 2,876 people in this area have tested positive for Covid-19.

In total, 197 people have tested positive for Covid-19 across the county over the last 24 hours. 4,402 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Dorset since the beginning of the pandemic.

The figures come as Dorset residents and businesses have been reassured the county is ‘prepared’ if the area moves to a higher tier of coronavirus restrictions - but health bosses warned transmission rates were rising among workers getting ‘complacent’ at the end of their shifts.

Sam Crowe, director of Public Health Dorset, and Matt Prosser, chief executive of Dorset Council, held an online coronavirus update where they said we remained ‘really lucky’ in Dorset to have among the lowest rates of Covid in the country, but urged people to not get complacent.

They said the main cause of transmissions was within households.