MORE than 55,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Berkshire during the pandemic.

Public Health England has recorded 54 lab-confirmed cases in areas including Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, West Berkshire, Slough and Windsor and Maidenhead.

These figures, correct as of Sunday, March 21, at 4pm, bring the county's lab-confirmed positive Covid-19 tests total to 55,051, according to Public Health England.

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The local breakdown for the past 24 hours as follows:

  • Reading - 12 cases, 10,682 total
  • Bracknell - 5 cases, 6,932 total
  • Wokingham - 8 cases, 8,046 total
  • West Berkshire - 2 cases, 6,220 total
  • Slough - 18 cases, 14,959 total
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 9 cases, 7,218 total

There have now been 4,296,583 people across the UK who have tested positive for Covid-19 - a daily increase of 5,312

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

  • Reading - 44.5 (Compared to 127.3 on February 16)
  • Bracknell - 31 (Compared to 110.2 on February 16)
  • Wokingham - 44.4 (Compared to 84.2 on February 16)
  • West Berkshire - 29 (Compared to 107.9 on February 16)
  • Slough - 81.6 (Compared to 209.3 on February 16)
  • Windsor and Maidenhead - 38.3 (Compared to 102.4 on February 16)

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In today's national cooronavirus news:

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has issued a warning to the European Commission that any attempt to block coronavirus vaccine exports to the UK would be "counterproductive".

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has ramped up the rhetoric this weekend, saying the EU has the power to "forbid" exports, adding: "That is the message to AstraZeneca."

The warning reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the British-Swedish manufacturer.

Ireland's commissioner Mairead McGuinness said no decisions have been taken but EU leaders will consider the matter when they meet on Thursday.

"European citizens are growing angry and upset at the fact that the vaccine rollout has not happened as rapidly as we had anticipated," she told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

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"Both the EU and the UK have contracts with AstraZeneca and my understanding is the company is supplying the UK but not the European Union.

"We are supplying the UK with other vaccines, so I think this is just about openness and transparency."

Mr Wallace, however, hit back by warning the manufacture of the Pfizer vaccine depends on supplies from the UK.

"The grown-up thing would be for the European Commission and some of the European leaders to not indulge in rhetoric but to recognise the obligations that we all have," he told The Andrew Marr Show.

"We will all hold each other to our contracts. Making a vaccine is like baking a cake. We all have different ingredients and the European Commission will know that.

"You pointed out the point about Pfizer. They will know you wouldn't want to cut off your nose to spite your face."