The number of new daily Covid-19 cases "seem to have stopped rising" but Cheshire East hospital admissions "have probably not yet peaked", according to Cheshire East council leader Sam Corcoran.

Infections are slowing because the impacts of Tier 3 and Tier 4 regulations are starting to take hold, he added.

However, the Sandbach Heath and East ward member said hospital admissions "lag about a week behind the number of new infections", meaning pressure was still high on NHS staff.

Cllr Corcoran, Labour, made the comments via a daily Twitter update: "The impact of new restrictions takes about two weeks to feed through to the number of infections.

"I predicted a few days ago that we should start to see the infection number plateau due to Tier 3 and then Tier 4 restrictions implemented after Christmas — and then the numbers should fall as the impact of lockdown is seen.

"That does seem to be happening, as the number of new infections per day seems to have stopped rising.

"However, 201 new confirmed cases in one day [Monday, January 11] is still very high. The numbers admitted to hospital lag about a week behind the number of new infections, so the numbers admitted to hospital have probably not yet peaked, and our hospitals are already under pressure.

"Please do take care and help protect the NHS."

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CEC saw 201 new cases yesterday (January 11), with the latest 7-day infection rate data from January 6 putting the borough's average at 450.1 cases per 100,000 residents.

This is a fall from two days previously, when CEC's average was 496.9, and below the UK average of 593.2.

However, four new deaths in CEC were confirmed yesterday, bringing the borough's total since the start of the pandemic to 548.