UK coronavirus cases rise by 19,724, with deaths up 137
There have now been 58,500 deaths registered where Covid-19 was mentioned on death certificate
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Your support makes all the difference.Nearly 20,000 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the UK within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 654,644.
The government said there had been a further 19,724 lab-confirmed cases as of 9am on Wednesday.
It also said a further 137 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 43,155.
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.
Other figures show there were 4,146 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Wednesday, up from 2,944 a week ago, while 468 Covid-19 hospital patients were in ventilation beds, up from 376 a week ago.
A total of 647 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in England on Monday, compared with 472 a week earlier.
It came as the prime minister, Boris Johnson clashed with Sir Keir Starmer over the Labour leader’s call for a “circuit-breaker” lockdown.
Meanwhile, Wales’ first minister, Mark Drakeford, set out plans to ban travel into the country from high-risk areas of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 6pm on Friday.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, advised Scots against travelling to English coronavirus hotspots, singling out Blackpool as "associated with a large and growing number of Covid cases in Scotland".
And Northern Ireland's first minister, Arlene Foster, announced that pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks - with the exception of takeaways and deliveries - while schools will close on Monday for two weeks, one of which will cover the half-term break.
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