MORE than 700 new Covid infections have been confirmed across Dorset in the past day - but case rates are falling, latest figures show.

Data on the government website shows 395 people tested positive across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the 24 hours up to 4pm on Sunday, January 16, with 318 cases in the Dorset Council area.

This means since the start of the pandemic, 88,306 infections have been recorded in the BCP Council area with 63,921 in wider Dorset.

Over the seven days to January 11, 4,025 cases have been recorded across the conurbation giving a rate of 1,013.9 per 100,000 people.

During the same period, 3,207 tested positive in the Dorset Council area at a rate of 844.4.

In the New Forest, there have been 140 new cases in the past day with 1,539 in the latest weekly figures, giving a rate of 856.7.

The total number of infections in the district since March 2020 is 30,281.

Nationally, a further 70,924 lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Sunday, the Government said.

The Government also said a further 88 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total to 151,987.

No data for Scotland has been included due to an IT problem.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 176,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.