UPDATE: Bedford records 17 new cases of coronavirus and one death in 24 hours

As of today (September 22), Bedford has recorded 17 new cases, with a total of 1,567 people now diagnosed with the deadly virus, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

There was one death recorded in Central Bedfordshire, which also has 10 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 1,485.

Luton has 12 new cases, bringing its total to 1,932.

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.

However, there is now a cut off point of 28 days from the first laboratory-confirmed positive COVID test.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire has 2,163 cases, Hertfordshire has 5,557 and Milton Keynes has 1,089 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 4,926 and now stands at 403,551. The number of deaths has risen by 37 to 41,825.

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