110 coronavirus cases diagnosed in Cornwall over weekend following data error

The number of positive Covid-19 cases in the Duchy has now passed 1,500

Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 6th Oct 2020

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly jumped by 110 over the weekend, as official figures across the UK were revised up by thousands due to a data error.

Public Health England figures show that 1,507 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Monday (October 5th) in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, up from 1,397 the same time on Friday.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

The rate of infection in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly now stands at 264 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 784.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 48,425 over the period to 515,571, following the addition of nearly 16,000 cases that went unreported because of problems in handling an Excel spreadsheet.

PHE said that the error resulted in 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 being left out of the reported daily coronavirus cases.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly's cases were among the 19,790 recorded across the South West, a figure which rose by 1,544 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.

You can find the source data here.