More than 700 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Berkshire in the past 24 hours, according to the latest figures.

Public Health England has recorded 760 lab-confirmed cases in the past day in areas including Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, West Berkshire, Slough, and Windsor and Maidenhead.

These figures, correct as of 4pm on Saturday, January 16, bringing the county's lab-confirmed positive Covid-19 tests total to 41,944.

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The local breakdown for the past 24 hours as follows:

  • Bracknell - 102 cases, 5,410 total
  • Wokingham - 117 cases, 6,399 total
  • Reading - 170 cases, 7,933 total
  • West Berkshire - 54 cases, 4,600 total
  • Slough - 213 cases, 11,034 total
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 104 cases, 6,568 total

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

  • Bracknell - 578.5 (Compared to 819.3 on January 9)
  • Wokingham - 426.6 (Compared to 602.5 on January 9)
  • Reading - 754 (Compared to 717.6 on January 9)
  • West Berkshire - 311.1 (Compared to 421 on January 9)
  • Slough - 1,049.9 (Compared to 1,174.3 on January 9)
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 539.6 (Compared to 727.8 on January 9)

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There have now been 3,357,361 cases of Covid-19 across the UK – as of Saturday, January 16, at 4pm. An increase of 41,346 in te past 24 hours.

In today's national coronavirus news:

A concerning new strain of coronavirus is likely to already be in the UK despite the Government imposing a travel ban from affected countries, a leading epidemiologist has warned.

Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he would find it "unusual" if the second of two new variants from Brazil was not already present, despite it not yet being detected.

The first variant has a small number of mutations and eight genomically confirmed cases of this variant have been identified in the UK.

The second, which has been detected in Manaus and in travellers arriving in Japan, has not been detected in the UK so far.

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The Government banned flights from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde on Thursday in response to the emergence of the new variant, having previously banned travel from South Africa because of a new Covid strain.

In addition, all quarantine-free travel into the UK will be suspended on Monday in a bid to keep out other variants.

The new policy means arrivals from every destination will need to self-isolate for 10 days, or receive a negative result from a coronavirus test taken at least five days after they enter the UK.

Prof Edmunds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In terms of the South African one, we had imported cases already by the time we put in additional restrictions for South African travellers.

"For the Brazilian one... I don't think there is evidence that we've imported cases of the Manaus strain, as far as I'm aware at least, but it is likely that we probably have quite honestly.

"We are one of the most connected countries in the world so I would find it unusual if we hadn't imported some cases into the UK."

More than 3.5 million people have now received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK.

The Government has set a target of vaccinating 15 million of the most vulnerable people in the UK by mid-February.