There were no further coronavirus deaths recorded in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

Latest figures published on Tuesday afternoon confirmed none of the NHS Trusts in our region recorded new Covid-19 deaths.

Nationally, a further 37 people died in hospitals across England after testing positive for the virus.

A spokesperson for NHS England said: "A further 37 people, who tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,709.

Patients were aged between 48 and 94 years old. One patient, aged 80, had no known underlying health conditions.

  • There were a total of 9,339 deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to June 19, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 65 fewer than the five-year average of 9,404. This was the first time the number of weekly deaths was below the five-year average since the week ending March 13. The number of deaths in care homes and hospitals in the week to June 19 was also below the five-year average (49 and 782 deaths lower respectively), while the number of deaths in private homes was 827 higher than the five-year average. Of those deaths registered in the week to June 19, 783 mentioned "novel coronavirus (Covid-19)" - the lowest number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the week ending March 27.
  • The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 43,730 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday, up by 155 from 43,575 the day before. The Government figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 54,000. The DHSC also said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Tuesday, 133,467 tests were carried out or dispatched, with 689 positive results. Overall, a total of 9,426,631 tests have been carried out and 312,654 cases have been confirmed positive.
  • A health boss has urged the Government to give a clear plan for regular testing of NHS staff. Speaking at the Health and Social Care Committee, Chris Hopson, chief executive at NHS Providers, said staff were sent a letter on April 29 by Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive officer of NHS England, stating that there was an intention for regular staff testing as quickly possible. "I don't feel like we are in an entirely satisfactory position," he told the committee.
  • Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the Government will change the law to enforce the local lockdown in Leicester. He said: "We will be bringing forward a legal change very shortly, in the next couple of days, because some of the measures that we've unfortunately had to take in Leicester will require legal underpinning."Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said NHS England took its "eye off the ball" on infection prevention and control in healthcare settings earlier on in the pandemic.
  • Mr Hunt, chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee, said by the end of April around 20% of all infections were happening in healthcare settings. He told the committee that it was not until May 18 that the official NHS England and Public Health England guidance on infection prevention and control was updated to include the two-metre social distancing rule, which he deemed "too late". Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director at NHS England, denied this, stating: "That document was largely bringing together a group of existing guidance and measures, so it was providing further clarification to healthcare providers."
  • Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has suggested that ensuring the public feel safe to return to shops is more likely to restore demand and boost the economy than slashing VAT. She said: "Cutting VAT can be a way to boost demand, of course it was used at the time of the last global financial crisis that occurred 2008 to 2009. It did seem to have a bit of a positive impact on demand then, but I have to say in the absence of a sectoral approach, which recognises the particular issues for demand in certain areas, I don't think it would be delivering the boost that would be needed on its own."
  • Royal College of Physicians president Professor Andrew Goddard told the Health Committee that Covid-19 has created a new set of diseases which pose a challenge, particularly for the respiratory and rehabilitation medicine sectors of the health system. He stated that the workforce is "really tired at the moment" and everyone in the medical profession is worried about whether there will be increased pressure in winter. Prof Goddard told the MPs: "We could be hit with a double whammy of a big flu season and a big second wave from Covid and so how much that is going to impact on our ability to catch up where we have fallen behind during Covid is perhaps people's biggest concerns."