THE number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in Berkshire is closing in on 20,000.

Latest figures from Public Health England show 383 lab-confirmed cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours in areas including Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, West Berkshire, Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead.

These figures, correct as of 5.12pm on December 18, bring the county's lab-confirmed positive Covid-19 tests to 19,202, according to Public Health England.

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The local breakdown for the past 24 hours as follows:

  • Reading - 96 cases, 3,687 total
  • Bracknell - 53 cases, 2,143 total
  • Wokingham - 53 cases, 2,963 total
  • West Berkshire - 48 cases, 2,263 total
  • Slough - 84 cases, 5,180 total
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 49 cases, 2,966 total

There have now been 1,977,167 people across the UK who have tested positive for Covid-19 - an increase of 35,383 cases in the past day.

The latest seven-day rate per 100,000 people locally are as follows:

  • Reading - 251.6 (compared to 181.7 on Dec 12)
  • Bracknell - 262.8 (compared to 172.2 on Dec 12)
  • Wokingham - 206.9 (compared to 147.3 on Dec 12)
  • West Berkshire - 193.1 (compared to 64.4 on Dec 12)
  • Slough - 405.2 (compared to 253.4 on Dec 12)
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 169.1 (compared to 107.6 on Dec 12)

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In today's national coronavirus news:

Half of adults across the country said they were planning to form a Christmas bubble, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This compared to 38per cent who said they were not planning to form a bubble over the festive period and 12per cent who said they did not know, according to an ONS survey between December 10 and 13.

The survey also showed that just over half (56per cent) of adults in Great Britain reported they felt it was very easy or easy to understand rules for forming a Christmas bubble.

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The ONS said this understanding seemed to increase with age, with 48per cent of those aged between 16 and 29 reporting this, compared with 55per cent of adults aged 30 to 49, 58per cent of 50 to 69-year-olds and 61per cent of people aged 70 years and over.

The ONS survey also showed that the most frequently reported planned social activity over the Christmas period was staying at home with their household, at 55per cent of all adults.

This compared to 48per cent of adults saying they had done this during last year's Christmas and New Year period.

Only four per cent of people said they planned on meeting up in restaurants, cafes or bars over this festive period compared with 44per cent who said they had done this last year, the ONS added.