EVENING UPDATE: Bedford records 42 new cases and one death

As of last night (November 5), Bedford has 42 new cases, with a total of 2,524 people now diagnosed with the deadly virus, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

There was one death in Bedford (177), no deaths in Luton (195), and no deaths in Central Bedfordshire (237).

In Central Bedfordshire, there were 51 new cases of Covid, with a total of 2,601, while Luton has 84, with a new total of 3,726.

Nationally, the death toll has been 'recalculated' by officials. The new count is based on a new definition of who has died from Covid-19.

Previously, people in England who died at any stage following a positive test, regardless of the cause of their death, were counted in the figures.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire now has 5,056 cases, Hertfordshire has 12,126 and Milton Keynes has 2,328 cases.

Previous data shared by Public Health England relied solely on Pillar 1 (testing from Public Health England and NHS Hospital Trusts), but as of Thursday, July 2, the information includes Pillar 2 (non-clinical and commercial testing).

It has seen a radical overhaul of how coronavirus infection data is presented across the country, with hundreds of new cases emerging in individual authorities.

The new figures are recorded between 5pm the previous day to 5pm.

Nationally, the number of coronavirus cases has risen by 24,141 and now stands at 1,123,197. The number of deaths has risen by 378 to 48,120.

The figures come from the Government website which is available for the public to view here