A FURTHER 6 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Essex.

Five people in the Essex County Council area have tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, while one new case was confirmed in Thurrock.

The number of people in the county council region to have contracted Covid-19 since the pandemic began in March now stands at 5,627.

In Southend, 701 residents have now had the virus, while in Thurrock 571 positive tests have been carried out.

This means the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Essex has reached 6,899.

In the UK 299,426 people have now tested positive and of those having tested positive for coronavirus, 45,752 have died.

NHS England reported the deaths of three patients diagnosed with Covid-19 in the East of England within its daily announcement.

One was reported at the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one at Bedford Hospital NHS Trust and one at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.