UK coronavirus death toll rises by 76 in 24 hours - as cases increase by nearly 15,000

In total, 42,445 people have died as a result of Covid-19, according to UK government

A further 76 people have died from coronavirus over the latest 24-hour period, the government has said.

Authorities also reported 14,542 new lab-confirmed cases as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 12,594 the day before.

In total, 42,445 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, according to the government, while the UK’s caseload stands at 530,113.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been 58,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

Earlier on Tuesday, a study released by the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of coronavirus-related deaths in England and Wales has risen for the third week in a row.

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A total of 215 deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate were recorded in the week to 25 September, according to data from the ONS.

The latest release shows the number of deaths rose by more than half the previous week's figure of 139.

Professor David Spiegelhalter, an expert in public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, highlighted the rise in deaths at home, which rose by nearly 30 per cent in the latest week.

“The latest data confirms that Covid deaths in the UK were doubling around every two weeks in September, although are still only comprised 2 per cent of deaths in the country," Prof Spiegelhalter said.

“Crucially, there is still absolutely no sign of any reduction in the 30 per cent increase in deaths occurring at home – if this is to be a long-term feature of deaths in this country, we need to be confident that appropriate end-of-life care is being made available.”

The week to 25 September saw more deaths in all but one region of England, the East midlands, where the weekly total fell from 14 to 11.  

 The number of related deaths in care homes was 1,931, up from 1,919 in the week to 18 September.

Amid this rise in cases, the government is expected to unveil a new three-tier lockdown system for England to keep the spread of coronavirus under control.

Leaked documents, seen by The Guardian, reveal plans for a traffic-light-style lockdown system that suggests tougher measures could be imposed on a local or national level if the number of Covid-19 cases are not brought under control.

The proposed plans have not been signed off by No 10 and a government source told the newspaper that the documents are an “early draft and proposals are still being considered by ministers”.

It is expected that health secretary Matt Hancock will unveil the details on the new system as early as Thursday.

The Scottish government is meanwhile set to announce new national restrictions on Wednesday, to come into effect from Friday.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon said the new measures will not include travel restrictions on the whole country - though such restrictions may sometimes be necessary in "hotspot" areas - and the public will not be asked to stay in their own homes.

Speaking at the daily briefing in Edinburgh, she said schools will not be closed "wholly or even partially", and the Scottish Government will not "shut down the entire economy" or "halt the remobilisation of the NHS".

"We are not proposing another lockdown at this stage," Ms Sturgeon said. "Not even on a temporary basis."