A TOTAL of 1,252 new coronavirus cases have been recorded across Dorset within the last 24-hour period, according to latest statistics.

The latest Government figures show 1,252 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the county in the 24 hours leading up to 4pm on Thursday, December 23.

In the Dorset Council area, 520 new cases were reported. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 50,757 cases confirmed across this area.

The rolling seven-day period for the Dorset Council area is 2,259 cases, with a case rate of 594.8 per 100,000 people.

There has been a total of 732 new cases recorded across the BCP Council area, taking the total number of coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic to 71,949.

The rolling seven-day period for the BCP is 3,177 cases, with a case rate of 800.3 per 100,000 people.

During the course of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been 122,706 cases of Covid-19 confirmed across Dorset.

Elsewhere, the New Forest area recorded 283 new coronavirus cases. The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic stands within the New Forest at 23,868.

The seven-day total for New Forest is 1,329 with a case rate of 739.8 per 100,000 people.

Across the UK, there have been 119,789 new cases bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 11,769,921.