A FURTHER 45 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Dorset, according to the latest government data.

The updated figures, which were published at 8.38pm on Saturday, October 3, say there were 28 new cases confirmed in the BCP Council area in the 24 hours up to 4pm on Saturday, October 3.

The total number of people to test positive in the conurbation since the start of the pandemic now stands at 1,290 with a rate of 326.3 per 100,000 of the population.

The data from Public Health England published on the government website also shows 17 new cases in the Dorset Council area for the same period.

In total, the number of people to test positive in the Dorset Council area is 815 with a rate of 215.3.

Ten new cases have been recorded in the New Forest, bringing the total number of positive tests in the district to 626. This means the rate is currently 347.6.

Across the UK, 12,872 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the latest update, however, the government's data portal published a notice to go with this figure that was almost double the previous day.

It said: "Due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there has been a delay in publishing a number of COVID-19 cases to the dashboard in England.

"This means the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between 24 September and 1 October, increasing the number of cases reported."

NHS officials said another 42 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 30,138.

Patients were aged between 44 and 100 years old and the dates of the deaths ranged from August 8 to October 2. Three patients (aged between 49 and 82) had no underlying health conditions.