A “SUSTAINED” fall in Covid cases is being seen across Dorset – but fewer people are getting tested, the public health authority has said. 

Public Health Dorset said the decline in testing meant the latest data was unable to provide a complete picture of the situation across the county.

A spokesperson said: “We continue to see a sustained fall in case rates across Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, however with fewer people testing these numbers are unlikely to provide the complete picture.

“The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has fallen this week from 113 to 74.”

Latest weekly data shows the case rate in the BCP area fell from 575.1 to 385.1 in the seven days to February 26.

During the same period, the case rate in Dorset dropped from 509.0 to 365.2.

Meanwhile, the number of cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has fallen from 2,283 to 1,529 and 1,933 to 1,387 in wider Dorset.

The case rates for BCP and Dorset are both above the England average of 306.8 but below the south west average of 405.5.

Despite the legal requirement to self-isolate coming to an end, Public Health Dorset has urged any residents who test positive for Covid to continue to stay at home and avoid contact with other people in a bid to protect others who may be vulnerable to the virus.