UPDATE: Huge jump in cases as 40 people test positive in Bedford

As of today (October 28), Bedford has recorded 40 new cases, with a total of 2,277 people now diagnosed with the deadly virus, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

There was one death in Central Bedfordshire (235) and no deaths in Bedford (174) or Luton (191).

In Central Bedfordshire, there were 43 new cases of Covid, with a total of 2,251 while Luton has 80, with a new total of 3,145.

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 4,223 cases, Hertfordshire has 10,446 and Milton Keynes has 1,967 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 24,701 and now stands at 942,275. The number of deaths has risen by 310 to 45,675.

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