MORE than 330 new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Dorset in the past day.

Across the whole of the county, 336 people returned a positive result in the 24-hours up to 4pm on Friday, January 29.

In the BCP Council area, there were 223 new cases, bringing the total number cases recorded across the authority area since the start of the pandemic to 21,771.

In the Dorset Council area, there have been 113 new cases, bringing the cumulative total to 9,520.

Over the last seven days, there have been 2,264 cases in the BCP area giving a rate per 100,000 people of 572.7.

During the same period, the wider Dorset area saw 932 cases with a rate of 246.2.

Yesterday, 442 people tested positive for Covid across Dorset. 

Elsewhere, the New Forest has seen 36 new cases, which brings the total number reported since March to 5,212.

There have been 462 cases in the district in the past week, giving a rate of 256.5.

The Government said that, as of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 29,079 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,772,813.