NEW information for Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases has been made public, with new community numbers added in.

23 new deaths in Barrow care homes were recorded in the new information release.

'Pillar Two' data - which covers testing in the community, as opposed to the Pillar One figures for testing in health centres - have now also been made public and added to the count for Cumbria.

There is now a total of 2,651 confirmed cases in the county.

The overall number of cases for the North West stood at 42,489 as of yesterday evening - the highest number of any UK region.

Colin Cox, Cumbria's director of public health, cautioned readers against jumping to conclusions in light of the new data.

He told The Mail: "We have had some access to Pillar Two data over previous weeks.

"It's not always been the most useful index or set of data for us. It has been sufficient, however, to guide our decisions and let us know that there's not been a huge spike in cases or a huge change in recent weeks."

Commenting on the new Pillar Two data, he said: "I expect the figures will show a considerable increase in the number of cases across the county.

"However, that's not necessarily to say that we're seeing another big rise in numbers - rather, it's just adding the testing numbers in the wider community to those that have already been recorded in health centres.

"The picture is still positive - rates are still low and declining. And, with this in mind, I think it is still important people remember that the virus is still out there and, as we go into this crucial weekend.

"Our message to those who visit Cumbria is please respect the space, like those living here do, and help us get out of this ASAP."