THERE were 17 positive Covid-19 tests in Somerset in the latest 24-hour period.

All four districts in the county council area recorded more than one new confirmed case of the virus in the period to 5pm yesterday (Wednesday).

The most new cases were in Somerset West and Taunton (SWT), which reported seven new people confirmed to have caught the coronavirus.

There were five new cases in Mendip, three in Sedgemoor and two in South Somerset.

The overall figures for the districts with the rates per 100,000 of population in brackets are SWT 518 (333.9); Sedgemoor 461 (374.3); South Somerset 407 (241.8); and Mendip 223 (192.2).

The total number of cases recorded in the county council area has now risen to 1,609.