UPDATE: Bedford has three new cases of coronavirus

As of today (July 23), Bedford has recorded three new cases, with a total of 1,305 people now diagnosed with the virus, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

Central Bedfordshire has seven new cases, with a total of 1,261 and Luton has three new cases, with a total of 1,522.

No new coronavirus deaths have also been recorded at Bedford Hospital Trust in the past 24 hours, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures reveal 223 people have died at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust from coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire now has a total of 1,721 cases, Hertfordshire has 4,215 and Milton Keynes still has 866 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 now stands at 297,146. The number of deaths has been recorded as 45,554.

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