A FURTHER 242 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 124,025.

As of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 6,573 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. It brings the total to 4,201,358.

A further 184 people who tested positive have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 83,917.

A total of 18,469,922 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between December 8 and March 3, according to provisional NHS England data, including first and second doses, which is a rise of 275,003 on the previous day’s figures.

Of this number, 17,785,702 were the first dose of a vaccine, a rise of 231,002 on the previous day, while 684,220 were a second dose, an increase of 44,001.

In the North East and North Yorkshire the number of cases is: County Durham: 36,215, was 36,147; Darlington: 6,981, was 6,961; Gateshead: 13,226, was 13,210; Hartlepool: 8,418, was 8,394; Middlesbrough: 11,903, was 11,882; Newcastle: 22,461, was 22,427; North Tyneside: 11,776, was 11,757; North Yorkshire: 28,222, was 28,190; Redcar and Cleveland: 8,939, was 8,923; South Tyneside: 10,896, was 10,879; Stockton: 14,872, was 14,801; Sunderland: 21,084, was 21,041; York: 11,917, was 11,906. A total of 206,910, was 206,518, a rise of 392.