Cases in Reading and the rest of Berkshire have continued to rise dramatically in the last week of reported cases amid the spread of the coronavirus variant, which is believed to be 54 per cent more transmissible.

Tier changes are expected this afternoon, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock setting out the details of which areas will be affected in a Commons statement at around 3pm.

Reading is likely to remain in tier 4, where it is possible restrictions could increase, such as limitations on the re-opening of schools.

READ MORE: First Covid-19 death in four days recorded at Royal Berkshire Trust

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is due to make a Commons statement about the return of schools in England this afternoon.

The numbers of positive tests are at their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic in all areas of Berkshire.

The whole county has been in tier 4 since December 20, with all but Slough (which was already in tier 3) going into tier 3 just the day before.

Looking further in depth at Reading, Wokingham, West Berkshire and Bracknell, cases continue to rise at a worrying rate.

READ MORE: Should schools remain shut in January or reopen?

But early data shows hope there may have been a small fall in the rise in cases over the last week.

The latest week with full data (Dec 18-24) shows the following case numbers and rates for the four areas:

Reading: 732 cases with a rate of 452.5

Wokingham: 708 cases with a rate of 413.7

West Berks: 523 cases with a rate of 335.8

Bracknell: 697 cases with a rate of 568.8

This means in Berkshire Bracknell is only behind Slough, which has a rate of 646.7. Windsor & Maidenhead is just behind Bracknell with a rate of 509.8

While the numbers are very high, this is a small decrease in all four areas compared to data from December 16-22, showing a potential glimmer of light.

This is mostly due to there being a small drop in cases on December 23 and 24, the last two days with verified data.

Data from Christmas Day onwards is not yet ready to report on, with cases numbers reported with a five-day lag to ensure accuracy.

How case numbers have changed over the last four months – a timeline

Here is a look at how case numbers have changed since September in Reading, Bracknell, West Berkshire and Wokingham.

Figures are from the coronavirus.gov.uk dashboard.

Testing has increased over the last few months, which accounts for some of the increase in case numbers across the UK, while the new variant has contributed to an increase in cases across the south east.

September 2-8

Reading started the first week of September with the most cases, with Bracknell just behind.

Reading: 35

Wokingham: 21

West Berks: 11

Bracknell: 27

Sep 9-15

Figures fell in all four areas except Bracknell.

This week had the lowest number of cases of any week in the last four months, with 64 cases across the four authority areas.

Reading: 12

Wokingham: 15

West Berks: 10

Bracknell: 27

Sep 16-22

All four local authorities had very similar case numbers to each other this week, with Bracknell going from having the most cases to the least.

Reading: 30

Wokingham: 30

West Berks: 28

Bracknell: 25

Sep 23-29

Until this week’s figures, this was the last time Wokingham had more cases than Reading.

Reading: 46

Wokingham: 56

West Berks: 40

Bracknell: 24

Sep 30 – Oct 6

Reading’s numbers grew by almost 60 cases during this week, taking it back above Wokingham.

Reading: 103

Wokingham: 82

West Berks: 79

Bracknell: 65

Oct 7-13

Reading and Wokingham had a similar number of cases in this week, while West Berks remained largely the same and Bracknell’s increase slightly.

Reading: 121

Wokingham:120

West Berks: 78

Bracknell: 71

Oct 14-20

At the time, this week saw the biggest increase in cases in Reading, going up by 59.

Reading: 180

Wokingham: 168

West Berks: 109

Bracknell: 110

Oct 21-27

This week saw Wokingham’s cases fall after rising for five consecutive weeks.

Reading: 194

Wokingham: 147

West Berks: 136

Bracknell: 130

Oct 28 – Nov 3

Cases went up in each area except for Bracknell during this week.

Reading: 250

Wokingham: 159

West Berks: 166

Bracknell: 126

Nov 4-10

This week saw Reading’s cases fall for the first time in eight weeks.

Additionally, Wokingham’s cases surpassed Reading’s for the first time in six weeks.

In Bracknell, after an encouraging drop in cases, case numbers went up again, while West Berks figures remained on an upward trajectory.

Reading: 234

Wokingham: 251

West Berks: 195

Bracknell: 152

Nov 11-17

Reading’s case numbers rose again – to their highest level during the pandemic at the time – while the other three areas saw a fall in cases.

Reading: 262

Wokingham: 204

West Berks: 176

Bracknell: 140

Nov 18-24

Case numbers and rates fell in every authority during this week.

With the five-day time delay, these case numbers were published on November 29 and all four areas were put in tier 2 when the lockdown ended three days later.

Reading: 211

Wokingham: 180

West Berks: 108

Bracknell: 85

Nov 25 – Dec 1

Covid cases went back up again in all areas except West Berkshire.

Reading: 234

Wokingham: 193

West Berks: 82

Bracknell: 127

Dec 2-8

Each area saw a dramatic rise in case numbers, with Reading easily topping its previous highest case numbers of 262 in November.

Bracknell’s cases also reached numbers much higher than previously seen, with 152 in November the previous peak.

And Wokingham also had its highest case number week, with 28 more than its previous peak, also in November.

West Berks bucks the trend, however, with its peak week still in early November.

Reading: 322

Wokingham: 279

West Berks: 156

Bracknell: 245

Dec 9-15

Cases rose dramatically again in all four areas.

Reading: 550

Wokingham: 448

West Berks: 389

Bracknell: 393

Dec 16-22

In the latest week with up-to-date info, cases continue to rise, with the biggest increase in Bracknell. The latest estimates suggest the new variant of the coronavirus is 54 per cent more transmissible.

Reading: 764

Wokingham: 701

West Berks: 551

Bracknell: 687