STARK figures show one in 18 people have coronavirus in Essex, public health bosses have confirmed.
Mike Gogarty, the director of public health for Essex, revealed the worrying figure this morning, while also saying south Essex had seen a rise in asymptomatic positive results in recent weeks.
This comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed one in 50 people have the virus in the UK.
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In an interview with BBC Essex, Mr Gogarty, whose remit covers the Essex County Council area, said: "We've found that nearly 6 per cent of people we tested using lateral flow tests in south Essex came back positive.
"That's three times the national average of two per cent.
"This is because there is a lot of the disease in the population. It's very common and prevalent in the population.
"We believe that in parts of Essex, and soon in all of Essex, one in 18 people of the population will be infectious."
The director of public health for Southend, Krishna Ramkhelawon, also revealed that more than 8 per cent of the population in Southend have tested positive but were asymptomatic.
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