Here are the key coronavirus updates from the last 24-hours.

  • The Government said that, as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 7,108 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, slightly down on the 7,143 reported on Tuesday, which was the highest daily figure recorded since the outbreak began. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 453,264.
  • It also said a further 71 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday. This brings the UK total to 42,143. Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
  • There were 312 Covid-19 patients in mechanical ventilator beds as of Tuesday, and 2,252 Covid-19 patients currently in hospital, as reported on Monday.
  • A further 43 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 30,005, NHS England said on Wednesday.
  • The Prime Minister, fresh from his apology on Tuesday for his stumbling explanation of the ban on households mixing in parts of the North-East of England, told the Downing Street press conference people should consult the Government website if they had “any doubts” about what restrictions were in place.
  • Mr Johnson said the country was “entirely dependent” on the public’s collective action in “driving down the virus”, when asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg for his “honest assessment” on whether further, nationwide, restrictions were on the way.
  • Here is a breakdown of the latest confirmed cases in the North-East and North Yorkshire:

County Durham: 4,807 was 4,735

Darlington: 832 was 807

Gateshead:  2,220 was 2,196

Hartlepool: 970 was 935

Middlesbrough: 1,502 was 1,471

Newcastle: 3,439 was 3,317

North Tyneside: 1,679 was 1,630

North Yorkshire: 3,766 was 3,699

Northumberland: 2,639 was 2,576

Redcar and Cleveland: 981 was 961

South Tyneside: 1,887 was 1,847

Stockton-on-Tees: 1,458 was 1,426

Sunderland: was 3,196 was 3,098

York: 1,309 was 1,272