THERE have been 247 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

A further 12 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,631, NHS England said.

Patients were aged between 50 and 92 years old and all but one patient had known underlying health conditions.

The dates of the deaths were between August 27 and September 8, with the majority on or after September 6.

One other death was reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

Coronavirus cases in the region as of Wednesday, September 9, were: County Durham:
3,709 was 3,674; Darlington: 649 was 643; Gateshead: 1,497 was 1,473; Hartlepool: 708 was 697; Middlesbrough: 1,180 was 1,165; Newcastle: 1,867 was 1,839; North Tyneside: 1,060 was 1,049; North Yorkshire: 2,914 was 2,886; Northumberland:  1,756 was 1,746; Redcar and Cleveland: 800 was 790; South Tyneside: 1,147 was 1,131; Stockton: 1,089 was 1,081; Sunderland: 2,089 was 2,045 and York: 1,000 was 999.