UK records 3,105 new coronavirus cases as testing issues continue
For the fourth day out of the last five, more than 3,000 positive coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK.
In the last 24 hours, a further 27 people died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, according to the latest figures from the government.
The latest reported deaths from hospitals, care homes and the wider community, brings the UK death toll to 41,664.
Overall, there have been 374,228 Covid-19 cases confirmed in the UK.
Concerns over a lack of access to tests have been raised in recent days, prompting fears that the number of Covid cases could be higher.
Many schools in England have said they are experiencing delays in getting Covid-19 testing for pupils and teachers.
Earlier on Tuesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it could take "weeks" to resolve issues around coronavirus testing after he admitted there are "operational challenges" related to a surge in demand.
Meanwhile, separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 57,500 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
England
A further 14 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals to 29,676, NHS England said on Tuesday.
Patients were aged between 62 and 94 and all had known underlying health conditions.
The dates of the deaths were between April 17 and September 13, with the majority over the weekend.
One other death was reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Wales
Public Health Wales said no further deaths had been reported, with the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic remaining at 1,597.
The total number of cases in the country increased by 110, bringing the revised total of confirmed cases to 19,681.
Scotland
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, announced that one person who tested positive for coronavirus has died, taking the total number of deaths in the country to 2,500.
The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus has risen by 267, taking the total number of case to 23,016. But Ms Sturgeon cautioned that some of these results are likely from a few days ago as the system works through a backlog of tests.
Giving her daily coronavirus update, Ms Sturgeon said that the local lockdown restrictions in Greater Glasgow are succeeding in slowing the spread of the virus.
She also announced that she has had a call with Mr Hancock regarding concerns over the backlog and how it can be solved.
Northern Ireland
There has been one further death from Covid-19 reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health said.
The death toll in the country now stands at 571.
There have been a further 79 new confirmed cases of the virus in the last 24-hourreporting period, taking the total tally of coronavirus cases to 8,502