There has been a sudden spike in COVID-19 virus cases in one area of South East Cornwall – with new ‘clusters’ of cases also emerging locally in latest figures from Public Health England.

A ‘cluster’ is defined as three or more cases of the virus in an area of 750,000 people.

The cluster area showing the sudden and rapid rise in cases is Kingsand, Maryfield and Antony, where the latest figures for positive cases in the period October 16-21 show a sharp increase in the number of people infected of 23, meaning there are currently a total of 37 people with the virus in that part of the Rame Peninsula.

At the same time, a new cluster of four cases has emerged in latest figures in the town of Liskeard. The neighbouring cluster area of Dobwalls, Addington and Menheniot also has four people with the virus, an increase of one case compared to the last lot of figures.

The cluster area of Lostwithiel and Penwithick has also seen a rise of one cases to six people infected, and nearby Par has seen cases increase by two to make six in total there too.

In Mid Cornwall, two new clusters of cases have now emerged in the areas of Bodmin East and Bodmin West, each of which have three previously unrecorded cases.

In St Austell East and Carlyon Bay the number of cases has fallen by one to leave five people suffering with the virus; and in St Austell Central four people have COVID-19 – a situation unchanged from previous figures. However, yet another new cluster of four people with the virus has emerged in the latest figures in the nearby area of Mevagissey and Polgooth.

However, there is slightly better news in Saltash Latchbrook and St Stephens, where the number of cases in the cluster area has fallen by one to five people with the virus.