UPDATE: Bedford has two new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours

As of today (July 15), Bedford has recorded two new cases, with a total of 1,277 people now diagnosed with the deadly virus, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

Central Bedfordshire also has two new cases, with a total of 1,236 and Luton has four new cases, with a total of 1,452.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire now has a total of 1,699 cases, Hertfordshire has 4,163 and Milton Keynes still has 861 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 291,911. The number of deaths has been recorded as 45,053.

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