CORONAVIRUS cases are continuing to rise in Herefordshire, latest figures show.

In the seven days to Wednesday, December 8, a UK Government heatmap showed the areas in Herefordshire with the highest number of new Covid cases.

And all but eight of the county's 23 areas saw the number of cases rise.

Current coronavirus hotspots in the county, those with the highest infection rates, include Credenhill, Weobley and Wellington; Penyard, Llangarron and Goodrich; Ross-on-Wye; and Hereford North East

The infection rate – the number of cases per 100,000 people – for those areas were all above the UK average of 505.5.

The map breaks Herefordshire down into 23 sections known as middle super output areas.

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These are used to try and improve the reporting of small area statistics, with an average population of around 7,200 people in England and Wales.

In total, Herefordshire reported 823 cases in the seven days to December 8, giving it an infection rate of 425.1 cases per 100,000 people.

That was 106 more cases than the week before when the infection rate was 370.3. A fortnight ago it was 365.2.

In individual areas, cases rose by more than 11 in Credenhill, Weobley and Wellington; Hereford South; Penyard, Llangarron and Goodrich; and Kington, Eardisley and Staunton.

Seven–day rates are expressed per 100,000 population and are calculated by dividing the seven-day count by the area population and multiplying by 100,000. This helps when comparing rates across the county.

It comes after changes to face-covering rules saw them become compulsory in theatres and cinemas, as well as on public transport.

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Entry rules to nightclubs and large events were also tightened on Wednesday, with the rollout of the booster Covid jab being accelerated in response to concerns over the Omicron variant.

Two suspected cases have been found in Herefordshire, acting director for public health Dr Rebecca Howell-Jones said, with more expected as it becomes the dominant strain.