THE number of coronavirus cases in Southend has risen by 50 over the past 24 hours, the latest figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 20,313 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 4pm on Saturday (November 28) in Essex, up from 19,973 the same time on Friday, a rise of 340 cases.

In Southend, the figures show that 2,437 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 4pm on Saturday, up from 2,387 the same time on Friday, an increase of 50 in a single day.

Over the past seven days, the rate of infection in Essex now stands at 141 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 187.

The rate of infection in Southend is better than the wider county and now stands at 115 cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 15,871 over the period to 1,605,172.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.