Covid: What you need to know this Tuesday morning (October 20)

This brings the total number of cases recorded in the region to 55,943.

In other coronavirus related news:

• Thousands more people are dying at home from dementia, cancer and heart conditions as they struggle with isolation, fear of coronavirus and "disrupted" health services, new figures show. Deaths from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in private homes in England rose 79 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. There were 2,095 excess deaths from these conditions registered between March 14 and September 11 - up 79 per cent compared with the average for the same period over the past five years.
• First Minister Mark Drakeford said university students in Wales will have to remain in their university accommodation. "There will be no gatherings with people you do not live with either indoors or outdoors during this two-week period," Mr Drakeford said, "there will continue to be an exception for adults living alone and single parents will continue to be able to join with one household for support." Mr Drakeford said an extra economic resilience fund of almost £300 million had been created to support businesses.
• Projections produced by the Government suggested Manchester's hospitals risked being overwhelmed. "Cases in Greater Manchester continue to rise," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said. "In the over-60 age group cases have tripled in the most recent 15 days of full data - there were 89 cases per 100,000 on September 27 compared to 282 per 100,000 on October 12. Hospital admissions in Greater Manchester are doubling every nine days." Currently the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care is around 40 per cent of that seen at the peak of the first wave. But, assuming a 14-day doubling time - the "best case" according to the SPI-M modelling group - all free intensive care capacity would be used by October 28 and would pass the peak of the first wave by November 2.
• Downing Street said discussions about coronavirus restrictions were also taking place with leaders from the North East, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. With Labour demanding a national "circuit-breaker" and the Welsh Government announcing its own "fire break" lockdown, the Prime Minister's official spokesman defended the regional approach. "We keep all of our measures under review but the PM has made very clear that he doesn't want a return to something like a national lockdown and he believes that our three-tiered approach is the right way forward," the spokesman said.
• Trials of new tests are taking place across England, including in coronavirus hotspots. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "There are pilots taking place in the worst-affected regions, so that includes the North West, the North East and Yorkshire. Hospitals in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Basingstoke and Southampton will be able to test asymptomatic NHS staff." Three of them - Southampton, Manchester and Basingstoke - are already able to start testing staff while the other four will be able to shortly. The Lamp (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) tests give a result in 60-90 minutes. The spokesman added: "We will also be sending the lateral flow tests - the swab tests that don't require a lab for processing - to care homes, schools and universities in the areas which have been hardest hit."
• There have been a further 626 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 36,253. Public Health Wales said one further death had been reported, with the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic rising to 1,712. A further 76 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 31,047, NHS England said on Monday.
  Patients were aged between 47 and 99. All but one patient, aged 85, had known underlying health conditions. The deaths were between October 9 and 18. Two other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
• Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said he has written to the Government to ask for proof that gyms "significantly" contribute to the spread of coronavirus. He tweeted: "Give us proof that gyms in our region are more dangerous than anywhere else. Give us proof that gyms are significantly contributing to the spread of Covid in the region. If there is no proof, amend the legislation so that gyms can open as soon as possible."
• Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said Wales's "firebreak" lockdown should be used to build a "resilient" test and trace system. Mr Price said: "A firebreak is a last resort and should only be used in an emergency. We are now in an emergency. The time the firebreak buys us must be used to build up a resilient test, trace and isolate system in Wales, which means we can prevent being in the position we're currently in where the case numbers have risen to the point where they can overwhelm an already exhausted NHS. We also need to ensure the safeguarding of workplaces, and that sufficient financial support is available for businesses and their employees who will be directly impacted by this firebreak."
• The Government said that, as of 9am on Monday, there had been a further 18,804 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 741,212. The Government also said a further 80 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, as of Monday. This brings the UK total to 43,726. Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been 58,500 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Covid-19 is "on the offensive" as winter draws in, telling the Commons: "Weekly deaths in Europe have increased by 33 per cent and here in the UK deaths have tragically doubled in the last 12 days. The situation remains perilous."