South Ribble has seen a further day of its coronavirus infection rate edging up as Preston continues to fall week-on-week, and there are warnings of a ‘dangerous wave’ of new cases from a new Covid variant.

Preston recorded just one new coronavirus case during Thursday (15 April).

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South Ribble was up by three cases for the same day.

Wyre recorded four new cases, Ribble Valley saw no new cases, Fylde up by one and Chorley up by four cases.

Preston’s coronavirus infection rate dropped to 43.3 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to April 11, down from 60.1 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to April 4.

Data for the most recent four days (April 12-15) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

See the latest coronavirus cases and information near you

South Ribble’s Covid infection rate rose to 43.3, from 38.8 for the same two date periods as Preston.

Wyre’s infection rate was static at 11.6 and Fylde’s rose to 23.5, from 13.6.

Ribble Valley fell to 19.7, down from 39.4 and Chorley dropped to 43.1, from 51.6.

Read more: Prestonians urged to remain vigilant as restrictions ease in the city

Concern as the South African coronavirus variant spreads again

A senior public health official is urging caution as lockdown begins to lift.

Public Health England’s medical director Yvonne Doyle stressed the importance of following guidance as restrictions are eased.

Meanwhile efforts continued to limit the spread of the South African coronavirus variant following a cluster of cases being discovered in London.

England’s lockdown was partially lifted on Monday, with shops, hairdressers, pavement cafes and pub beer gardens reopening.

Dr Doyle said: “Our efforts over many months have helped to suppress the virus, but I want to stress how even more vital it is to follow guidance as we go back to doing the things we have missed for so long.

“Many countries, including those on our doorstep, are facing another dangerous wave.

“Following guidance continues to be a matter of high protection for us all.

“About half of us do not yet have protective antibodies from either recent infection or vaccination, so when you are offered the vaccine, do not delay.

“It has already saved more than 10,000 lives.”

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See the latest coronavirus vaccine stats and information near you

Dr Doyle’s colleagues were scrambling to contain the outbreak of the South African variant in the capital.

Mutant strains of coronavirus are concerning because they may be less susceptible to current vaccines.

Read more: What you can and can’t do as next lockdown easing step happens in Preston and Lancashire

A total of 600 cases of the South African variant have been detected so far in the UK, an increase of 56 in a week.

It is still too early for results on surge testing in response to outbreaks of the South African variant in London and Sandwell in the West Midlands to show up in the figures.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines