THERE have now been more than 3,100 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Oxfordshire.

Public Health England figures show 3,154 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday in the county.

It is an increase of 25 cases compared with a week ago.

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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 most cases reported continues to be in Oxford, which has 856 positive tests and an infection rate of 554.7 per 100,000 people.

Cherwell has 698 confirmed cases and an infection rated 468, while West Oxfordshire has 524 positive tests and rate of 477.2. South Oxfordshire has 606 cases and a rate of 431.3, with Vale of White Horse having 470 and the lowest rate at 351.4.

It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced due to cases falling care home visits would be allowed to resume in England.

Government guidance states prior to visits being allowed in care homes in a local authority area, the director of public health will 'assess the suitability of a specified level of visiting guidance for that area'.

For Oxfordshire it will take into account the infection and growth rates of Covid-19 in the county.

The overall rate of infection in Oxfordshire as of Tuesday stood at 459 cases per 100,000 people, slightly higher than the England average of 455.

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A further ten people, who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, were announced today bringing the total confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,212.

Patients were aged between 50 and 97 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

The most recent death recorded at Oxfordshire's hospitals was on June 30, with the current death toll 181.