Latest figures show there have been more than 2,500 fewer cases of Covid-19 recorded in south Essex in the past week.

Much of the county has been a coronavirus hotspot for the past month, but there are no longer any Essex boroughs or districts inside the top 10 worst affected areas in England.

The latest data shows infection rates are plummeting across south Essex, with the number of new coronavirus cases dropping by thousands.

Southend has seen 606 few cases recorded in the last seven days.

There were 1,778 new cases reported this time last week but that is now down to 1,172.

This means the infection rate has also dropped from 970.9 cases per 100,000 people to 640.

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The number of new cases in Basildon has reduced from 2,024 this time last week to 1,071 – that’s down 953.

The town’s infection rate is now 572.1 compared to 1,081.2 a week ago.

Castle Point now has the second worst rate of infection in Essex at 857.5 after 775 new Covid cases were recorded.

It has the 14th highest rate in England, despite seeing cases drop by 287 seven days ago.

Thurrock has the 19th highest infection rate in the country, having been top of the list at the start of January.

It has seen the number of new cases reduce from 2,326 to 1,451 in the last seven days – that’s down 875.

Thurrock’s infection rate stands at 832.3. It was 1,334.1 this time last week.