THERE have been nearly 700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bury according to the latest statistics- with 416 deaths confirmed in the Pennine Trust.

The trust covers Fairfield Hospital in Bury, as well as other hospitals including Salford Royal and North Manchester General Hospital.

There have now been a total of 693 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Bury.

Neighbouring Bolton has seen 970 confirmed cases, giving Bury a higher rate of infection in relation to population size.

Yesterday, the Department of Health said 36,042 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Wednesday, up by 338 from the day before.

Over 3m tests have now been carried out in the UK, confirming over 250,000 cases of covid-19 across the nation.

New figures have also shown that Bury is one of several local authorities in England where at least one in 20 people are on the Covid-19 "extremely vulnerable" shielding list.

9,830, or 5.2% of the population, are on the list.

Nationally, one in 25 people are currently on the Covid-19 shielding list.

Data from NHS Digital shows that 4% of the population in England, or 2,213,950 people, have been verified by GPs and hospitals as suffering from conditions that mean they should be fully hidden from exposure to coronavirus.

The Government is currently advising people on the list to stay at home until the end of June, though this is being reviewed and may be extended.

Doctors have said those on the shielded list are at greatest risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 and should have been sent a letter or received a call from their GP about their risk.

Clinically extremely vulnerable people include those who have had an organ transplant, people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy and those with lung cancer undergoing radical radiotherapy.

People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of their treatment are also included, as are those with cancer who are having immunotherapy or other targeted treatments.

Patients who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last six months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs, should also not leave their homes, alongside those with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).