Preston and South Ribble’s coronavirus infection rates continue to rise in the days after the Christmas holidays.

New Covid-19 cases for Thursday (7 January) for Preston went back above the 100 mark, at 102.

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South Ribble’s new cases recorded were 71 for the same day.

Wyre recorded 104 new cases, Ribble Valley was up by 63 and Fylde recorded 39.

Latest infection rate data from the Public Health England dashboard shows Preston’s infection rate is now 366.1 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to January 3, up from 213.1 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to December 27.

See the latest coronavirus cases near you

The figures don’t include the most recent four days of cases, January 4-7, as cases are often re-assigned or data changed.

South Ribble’s infection rate is now 393.5, up from 173.3, for the same two date periods as Preston.

Wyre’s rate is 379.2, up from 173.1 while Fylde is 274.8 up from 165.9.

Ribble Valley has a rate just below the average for England and has now topped 600, at 601.1 up from 361.3.

Read more: Full list of rules in force for lockdown 3

Vaccine roll-out update given by Prime Minister

Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a press conference during Thursday late afternoon to update on the ‘unprecedented effort’ to roll-out the Covid-19 vaccine.

Mr Johnson said: “Let’s be clear, this is a national challenge on a scale like nothing we’ve seen before and it will require an unprecedented national effort.

“Of course, there will be difficulties, appointments will be changed but… the Army is working hand in glove with the NHS and local councils to set up our vaccine network and using battle preparation techniques to help us keep up the pace.”

You can watch the full press conference below

He said he wanted everyone to have a vaccine hub within a radius of 10-miles from them.

Vaccine supply has been raised as an issue by GPs as they begin to dish out the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said family doctors and their teams were ready to vaccinate patients.

But he warned: “There still appear to be some issues with delivery of vaccine supply to some surgeries.

“We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge that NHS England are facing getting supplies to vaccine sites across the country.

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“What’s important is that communication to practices about when they will receive a supply of vaccine is clear and reliable, with as much notice as possible – and that any last-minute changes of plan are minimised.”

He said having to change appointments if there were delays was “frustrating and demoralising for GP teams – not to mention confusing and disappointing for patients.”

See where coronavirus vaccine hubs are near you

He continued: “A vaccination programme being delivered at this pace and scale is bound to face teething problems.

“It’s vital that GPs and their teams on the ground, running vaccination clinics, are communicated with clearly and listened to – and that any concerns they have about the rollout taken seriously, so that they can be addressed.”

The Covid-19 death rate stayed above 1,000 people per day, with 1,162 deaths reported within 28 days of someone testing positive for Covid-19.

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