Coronavirus: Another 24,405 COVID-19 cases and 274 deaths recorded in last 24 hours

A further 24,405 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK and another 274 have died, according to the latest government data.

It comes after 23,065 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and another 280 deaths were recorded.

It brings the total number of deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test to 46,229 - and the total number of coronavirus cases now stands at 989,745.

More than 560,000 people have tested positive for the virus in England last week, with the number of infections rising steeply among secondary school children, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggest.

New coronavirus cases increased by around 51,900 in England each day last week, according to ONS estimates.

North West, and Yorkshire and The Humber currently have the highest COVID-19 infection rates in England.

The rates continue to remain high for the North East but have now levelled off, leaving a larger gap with the other two northern regions.

The South East, South West and eastern England, currently have the lowest rates.

Meanwhile, the UK's coronavirus reproduction number has dropped slightly from a maximum of 1.4 to a maximum of 1.3, according to the latest figures.

The latest R number was confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic.

The latest data shows the R number has fallen slightly for the second week in a row.

Government scientists have also said the estimated rate of growth has slowed.

This looks at how quickly the number of infections are changing on a daily basis.

The growth rate is currently between plus 2% and plus 4% in the UK.

A breakdown of the R number across regions in England

  • East: 1.2 - 1.4

  • London: 1.1 - 1.3

  • Midlands: 1.2 - 1.4

  • North East and Yorkshire: 1.1 - 1.3

  • North West: 1.0 - 1.2

  • South East: 1.2 - 1.4

  • South West: 1.2 - 1.5

From Monday, one in five people in England will be living under the toughest coronavirus restrictions as West Yorkshire moves into Tier 3.

A total of 58% of the population will be living under either Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions.

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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has defended the government's three-tiered localised lockdowns, despite facing growing pressure for further national measures.

He told Sky News that a short "circuit break" national lockdown is "something of an enigma" and a "blunt tool" in dealing with rising cases.

He added: "The most important thing is to keep targeting the virus where it is picking up, where it is gathering momentum, which is why the targeted, localised, focused, approach - not just with restrictions but with the financial support - is the right approach and that's the way we'll avoid the rather blanket, blunt tool of a national lockdown."