While we do not know how many Omicron cases there are in our town, we do know cases in Macclesfield have been rising since the variant was first recognised by the World Health Organisation last month.

This is as figures for positive tests of the virus in Macclesfield for the seven days until December 5 have been revealed.

The latest GOV.UK data revealed there were 376 cases for the seven days to last Sunday, December 5 2021.

This is an increase of 63 cases from the 313 cases recorded across the 10 Macclesfield wards at the point of the previous seven days (November 28).

We'll know next week what the picture looks like for this week, AKA the week the government pressed the button on Plan B, to help fight the virus

The figures below show the latest recorded cases in Macclesfield for the last seven days until 5 December 2021.

Listed in Alphabetical Order

Brackets denote increase or decrease on cases from the point of seven days prior Bollington 31 (+2) Central Macclesfield 66 (+18) Gawsworth & Macclesfield Forest 40 (+19) Macclesfield Bolinbrook 38 (-7) Macclesfield East & Hurdsfield 29 (-7) Macclesfield South & Lyme Green 38 (+20) Macclesfield Tytherington 35 (-1) Macclesfield Weston 41 (+3) Macclesfield Upton Priory & Greenside 39 (+19) Prestbury & Adlington 19 (-3) At least 77.0% of people aged 12+ are double-vaccinated in Central Macclesfield up to and including 9 December 2021. Booster jab data for Macclesfield remains unavailable. Despite the doom and gloom in case rises, local hospitalisations and deaths are lower than where we were in October and November. Two people with coronavirus went into hospital on 5 December 2021. Between 29 November 2021 and 5 December 2021, seven went into hospital with coronavirus. This shows a decrease of -30.0% compared to the previous 7 days. There were 11 patients in hospital with coronavirus on 7 December 2021. Some people in the hospital need to use a special device called a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe. There were two coronavirus patients in hospital beds with a mechanical ventilator on 7 December 2021. There was one death within 28 days of a positive test for coronavirus reported on 10 December 2021. Between 4 December 2021 and 10 December 2021, there have been six deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. This shows a decrease of -14.3% compared to the previous 7 days. For data protection reasons, it is unknown how many of the hospitalised or those who passed were from Macclesfield. Following the announcement by the Prime Minister to move to Plan B on Wednesday evening, Macclesfield's largest form of local government, Cheshire East Council is asking residents and businesses to adhere to the new protective measures. Dr Matt Tyrer, director of public health at Cheshire East Council, said: "With cases of the Omicron doubling every two to three days, additional measures are being brought in. "These new precautions will provide more time to increase booster uptake as getting fully vaccinated is still the best way of protecting yourself and others against Covid-19. "Maintaining regular testing along with getting your booster as soon as it is offered to you, will also help to alleviate further pressure on the NHS over the challenging winter months. "Covid-19 will be with us for quite some time, and we can all look after each other by staying safe and managing the risks to ourselves and others. "It's in our hands to continue to play our part by understanding those situations where Covid-19 infection and transmission are likely to be higher and then doing the right things to reduce these risks." The new measures announced by the government, are: From Friday 10 December: Face masks are compulsory in most public venues, including theatres and cinemas. Face coverings will be required by law in most indoor public places and on public transport, including taxis. Please click here to see a full list of places where you must wear a face covering. From Monday 13 December: Guidance to work from home reintroduced. Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go into work - for example, to access equipment necessary for their role or where their role must be completed in person. In-person working will be necessary in some cases to continue the effective and accessible delivery of some public services and private industries. From Wednesday 15 December: NHS COVID Pass is mandatory for entry into certain venues and events and will be required by law to check that all visitors aged 18 years or over are fully vaccinated (currently a full course of vaccination without the need for a booster), have proof of a negative test in the last 48 hours, or that they have an exemption. This means that those aged 18 years or over must show their NHS COVID Pass, or an alternative proof of a negative test result, such as an email or text proof, to gain entry into these venues. Self-isolation to be replaced by daily lateral flow testing for contacts of Covid-positive people. Residents can access their NHS COVID Pass through the NHS App or NHS COVID Pass on their smartphones. For non-smartphone users A letter that can be obtained on NHS.UK or by calling 119. The NHS Covid Pass lets people share their Covid vaccination status and test results in a secure way for entry to domestic venues or events. For more information on the latest restrictions, please go to the government website on what you can and cannot do. Most people over 40 in Macclesfield have now been invited for a booster jab. You can book your coronavirus vaccination in Macclesfield here. See also: Macclesfield: Boris addresses the nation - what the changes will mean for you [I]Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our Friday weekly newsletter containing each week's top 10 Macclesfield news stories, and one FREE exclusive article? 970 of you have signed up already. Simply enter your email address into the shaded box below. Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 25-30 stories a week for our town. As well as Twitter, you can also find us on Facebook.