MORE than 670 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed across Dorset in the past day.

Latest data on the government website shows 675 people have tested positive across the county in the 24-hours up to 4pm on Saturday, January 9.

A total of 480 positive results were recorded in the BCP Council area, bringing the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 13,998.

In the last seven days, there have been 2,960 new cases giving a rate of 748.7 per 100,000 people.

In wider Dorset, there have been 195 cases with 1,332 recorded in the past week, giving a rate of 351.9.

The total number of infections recorded in the Dorset Council area during the pandemic stands at 6,396.

Elsewhere, there have been 98 new cases in the New Forest bringing the cumulative total to 3,706.

There have been 752 new cases in the district in the last seven days. The rate is 417.6.

The Government said that, as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 59,937 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,017,409.

The three million figure has been passed just three weeks after cases passed the two million mark on December 19.

The one million lab-confirmed case mark was previously reached on October 31, although the Government did not start mass testing until last May, meaning many earlier cases will have been missed and the true number of total cases since the start of the outbreak will be higher.