Another 24,957 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the Department of Health has confirmed.

It brings the country’s total number of cases since the pandemic began to 1,171,441.

The latest figures also show 413 more people have died within 28 days of testing positive, bringing the Government’s official death toll to 48,888.

But separate data from the UK’s statistics agencies, including fatalities where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, and deaths in recent days, brings the total to 64,000.

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Earlier today, data from NHS England revealed a further 283 people died in hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus between May 14 and November 6.

Patients were aged between 39 and 100. All except nine, aged between 39 and 88, had known underlying health conditions. Sixteen other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

Public Health Wales confirmed another 32 deaths today, while Scotland recorded 39 and Northern Ireland confirmed 15.

It comes after Professor John Edmunds, from the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned it could take months to get the ‘nightmare’ outbreak under control.

He said the four week national lockdown in England ‘probably will work’ but said restrictions would be needed afterwards.

Professor Edmunds added: ‘After we release from lockdown we will still have to have restrictions in place to stop it coming back.

‘The idea is to bring incidence down and hold it at that lower level, rather than the level it is now.

‘So we are not going to just be returning to Eat Out to Help Out – or I really hope we don’t – come December, because that would be really unwise.

‘We have to stay with some restrictions in place and keep the epidemic at a low level.’

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