Here are the key coronavirus updates from the last 24-hours.

 

  • No new deaths were announced in the North-East and North Yorkshire yesterday. Figures published on Friday afternoon confirmed no NHS Trusts in the region had reported new Covid-19 deaths. But across England, a further 67 people died after testing positive for the virus. A total of  1,724 people have died the hospitals in the region since the start of the outbreak, while there have been more than 12,000 cases.
  • Experts say the proportion of Covid-19 patients in hospital who are dying is falling. The University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine studied deaths in hospital in England and found that the number of people in hospital with coronavirus is reducing by 2.4 per cent every day – halving every 29 days. The number of deaths is also reducing by 4.3 per cent per day – halving every 16 days.
  • The financial impact of coronavirus is continuing to bite. Yesterday, Metrocentre owner Intu fell into administration. The company had been struggling under a £4.5b debt burden and was hammered by significantly lower rent payments from retail tenants during the outbreak.
  • Elsewhere, Darlington’s Rockliffe Hall announced it might have to make 20 redundancies as a result of the pandemic and its impact on the hospitality industry.
  • Council leaders of 12 North-East authorities have written to the region’s MPs amid a £272m shortfall in funding. The authorities have so far received £166m to help them meet the costs of the pandemic, but say they have incurred a combined estimate of £438m in costs and lost income by March 2021.
  • People are being urged to maintain social distancing. Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned people against “taking liberties” with social distancing rules as he said it could lead to the danger of a “serious spike” in coronavirus infections.