A MAP predicting potential Covid-19 'flare up' areas has been developed.
The map, created by experts at Imperial College London, shows where cases are rising by local authority in England and Wales and predicts where new outbreaks may occur.
Imperial College London says hotspots are defined by local authority areas where weekly reported cases per 100,000 population exceed 50.
The map shows that Reading is currently very unlikely to becoming a hotspot area (with just a three per cent chance).
The likelihood is expected to rise in the town by October 11, but the predicted chances very low, at 24 per cent.
Meanwhile, Bracknell has a 37 per per cent probability of being a hotspot, and Wokingham has a 37 per cent chance.
Imperial College London said: “We define a local authority to be a hotspot if weekly reported cases per 100,000 population exceed 50. For past weeks we compare the reported cases to the threshold.
“For future weeks, we give probabilities based on our model, which assumes a situation in which no change in interventions (e.g. local lockdowns) occur. To define weeks we use specimen dates, ie the day on which tests are taken.
“We consider a local authority to have increasing new infections if our model estimates that the reproduction number R is greater than 1 with probability of at least 90 per cent.
“Likely increasing” indicates a probability between 75 per cent and 90 per cent. Decreasing and likely decreasing are defined analogously, but consider R less than 1.”
The map also shows that Reading has an 83 per cent probability of new infections increasing.
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Meanwhile, the number of recorded coronavirus cases in Reading increased by seven over the last 24 hours, official figures have shown.
Public Health England figures show that 968 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday (September 29) in Reading, up from 961 the same time on Monday.
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 Reading now stands at 598 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 680.
Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 7,143 over the period, to 446,156.
Reading's cases were among the 43,058 recorded across the South East, a figure which rose by 313 over the period.
Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.
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