More parts of the Warwick district now have very low Covid levels - but a neighbouring borough in the county is seeing a rise

More parts of the Warwick district have been classed as having very low levels of positive cases.

This is welcome news after some small increases across the district and the county in recent days.

Health officials say a small increase is inevitable due to schools returning and more people going back to work, as restrictions begin to lift.

But they will only be significantly concerned if this led to more people being treated in hospital - that so far is not the case and medical experts believe the vaccine will help to prevent this.

We reported earlier that Warwickshire residents were being urged to Covid tests following a slight increase in cases in key areas across the county.

The area of concern in Warwickshire is the Rugby borough - its Covid-19 cases are rising at the fifth-highest rate in the country, data sourced from Public Health England reveals. Click here to read our sister paper's story.

According to the latest data (which covers a seven-day period up to March 20), Warwick has recorded 11 new cases - all of them in one area (Warwick South West and Aylesford).

Kenilworth has recorded just three cases - all in the Kenilworth East area.

Leamington has recorded 24 new cases over the same time period - 13 of these were recorded in the Leamington Central and North ward (giving it a disproportionate 225 per cent rise in cases).

Eight areas in the Warwick district have recorded 0-3 cases over the past seven days up to March 20 (which is classed as 'nearly Covid free').

- Warwick North

- Warwick South East, Myton and Heathcote

- Whitnash

- Cubbington, Stoneleigh and Radford Semele

- Leamington West and Milverton

- Lillington

- Kenilworth South

- Kenilworth West

The rolling rate for the Warwick district is 43.1 - just a few cases over the national average (the rolling rate is the number of cases per 100,000 people, over a seven-day period up to March 20).

The rolling rate for the whole of Warwickshire is has gone up slightly to 66.4, with 384 new cases over the same seven-day period.