Just one area across Basingstoke and Andover recorded more than two Covid cases last week as virus rates continue to decline.

Only South Ham in Basingstoke (3 cases) had more than two cases of Covid-19 in the seven days to Saturday, May 8. When there are fewer than three cases in an individual area, the government suppresses the data to protect people's identities.

Cases are low

In total, Basingstoke and Deane saw 14 new Covid cases in the week to May 8, meaning its case rate - the number of cases per 100,000 people, was just 7.9 - the second lowest out of all of Hampshire's districts.

Test Valley saw 13 new cases, and had a case rate of 10.3.

It comes as restrictions are set to ease on Monday, seeing people able to hug family and friends again and meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors.

Indoor hospitality can resume whilst theatres, cinemas and sports grounds can reopen, with reduced capacities and social distancing in place.

Elsewhere, there is a cluster of cases in Crookham West, Ewshot and Crondall, near Fleet, with 11 new cases there in the last seven days.

Over the Wiltshire border, in Tidworth and Ludgershall, there were seven new cases in the week to May 8, up three on the previous week.

One death in the last week

There was one Covid death in Basingstoke and Deane reported on Thursday (May 13), the only one in the past seven days.

No Covid deaths were recorded in Test Valley in the last week.

A Covid death is classified as someone dying with 28 days of testing positive for the virus.

No new hospital admissions

And at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester hospitals, there have been no new Covid admissions in the last seven days.

As of May 11, two patients remain at the Trust's hospital being treated for the virus.

Zero patients are on ventilators, as of May 11.

Concern rises of Indian variant

It comes amid rising concern about the Indian Covid variant, believed to be behind a rise in cases in Bolton.

There have been calls for Covid vaccines to be offered to all over-18s in the area.

Currently, 38-year-olds are being offered a first dose, the same as across the rest of the country.

Bolton has seen 553 new infections in the seven days to May 9, up from 137 in the week to April 24.

Government ministers are said to be considering the request, according to the Guardian, although the director of public health in neighbouring Blackburn with Darwen, Dominic Harrison, said his request to do the same was refused by NHS England.