Scotland recorded 28 new deaths and 1,281 new positive cases, and Wales recorded 11 - with a rise of 1,737 new cases. There were an average of 51,900 new cases per day in private households in England between October 17 and 23. The latest infections data comes as vast areas of England's hard-hit North East including Teeside, wait to hear whether they will be next to be plunged into Tier 3 measures. The UK's coronavirus R rate has dropped for the second week in a row, despite case numbers rising. However, the R number is still as high as 1.5 in the South West - one of the shrinking numbers of areas without toughened Tier restrictions.

Source: Daily Mirror October 30, 2020 14:12 UTC