Over 500 more infections in borough on grim day for UK

MORE than 500 people in East Staffordshire tested positive for coronavirus in the latest 24-hour period, figures have revealed.

It comes as a further 1,564 people died in the UK within 28 days of a positive Covid test - the biggest figure reported in a single day since the pandemic began.

It brings the total number of deaths by that measure to 84,767.

The figures come as the Prime Minister warned there was a “very substantial” risk of intensive care capacity in hospitals being “overtopped”.

Speaking to the Commons Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson said the situation was “very, very tough” in the NHS and the strain on staff was “colossal”.

He appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules, which require people in England to stay at home and only go out for limited reasons, such as for food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.

According to Public Health England, across Burton and North West Leicestershire, five more people died between Monday and Tuesday, all within 28 days of testing positive for the virus. South Derbyshire did not record any further deaths.

Here is the latest picture in the districts in our area:

EAST STAFFORDSHIRE

A total of 6,440 people in East

Staffordshire have now had confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, a rise of 64. There have been four more deaths announced, so the total stands at 278 since the pandemic began. The population of the borough is around 119,754.

Across Staffordshire, there have been 42,130 cases in total, a rise of 538.

There has been a total of 1,618 deaths in Staffordshire, a rise of 11. The county’s population is approximately 879,560.

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE

In South Derbyshire, there have been 52 new cases in the last 24-hour period, with the total since the start of the pandemic now standing at 4,956.

There have been no new deaths in South Derbyshire, with the total number remaining at 159. The district’s population is around 107,261.

The number of cases in Derbyshire as a whole now stands at 33,169 - a rise of 479.

The number of deaths in the county now stands at 1,156, with 11 new deaths since Tuesday. The population is around 802,694.

NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE

In North West Leicestershire, there have now been 3,769 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 53 new cases in the last 24 hours.

A total of 142 people have died within 28 days of testing positive with one death since Tuesday.

In Leicestershire as a whole, there have been 359 new cases, bringing the total to 30,700

Across the county, 857 people have now died, with 10 of those deaths coming in the most recent 24-hour period.