UK coronavirus death toll rises by 351
A further 351 people have died from coronavirus in the UK, taking the total to 36,393.
As of 9am today, more than 2.1m people have been tested, of whom 254,195 tested positive, according to the latest official figures.
The number is slightly higher than yesterday, when 338 new deaths were recorded. However, it continues the gradual downward trend of recent weeks.
While the government death toll now sits at 36,393, the true figure is likely to be at least 10,000 higher.
Data released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed there have now been more than 44,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the UK.
Almost 10,000 of these deaths took place in care homes in England and Wales, according to the statistics.
Yesterday the government said it has ordered 10m coronavirus antibody tests, which it hopes will help authorities to track the spread of the virus and enable the easing of lockdown measures.
The tests, from pharmaceutical companies Roche and Abbott, will first be administered to staff, residents and patients in healthcare or care home settings and will be available in the “coming months”.
Meanwhile the US has secured 300m doses of a potential new vaccine from Astrazeneca after donated $1.2bn to accelerate the pharmaceutical giant’s development of the drug.
But while some parts of the world are beginning to bring the virus under control, cases are continuing to surge elsewhere around the globe.
Yesterday the total number of global cases passed 5m, with more than 328,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.