UK coronavirus cases surge by 17,540 overnight with daily infections up by more than 3,300 in 24 hours

Watch: England's new infection hotspot revealed - as hospital patients rise by 1,000 in a week

The UK has recorded another 17,540 new coronavirus cases overnight.

This marks an increase of 3,378 on the previous daily figure of 14,162.

It takes the total number of lab-confirmed Covid-19 infections in Britain to 561,815.

A further 77 deaths from the disease were also reported in the past 24 hours, taking the country's official death toll to 42,592.

However, separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have now been 58,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The latest data was released as Public Health England (PHE) expressed concern about rising hospital admissions.

Today, the number of coronavirus patients in British hospitals rose to its highest level since June 22, according to Department of Health data.

There were 3,044 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Thursday – up from 1,995 a week ago.

Of these, 368 patients were in ventilation beds, up from 285 a week ago.

A total of virus 524 patients with confirmed were admitted to hospitals in England on Tuesday, compared with 310 a week earlier.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director for PHE, told the NHS Providers annual conference: “We are seeing a definite and sustained increase in cases and admissions to hospital.

“The trend is clear and it is very concerning.

“It remains essential that we all continue to socially distance, wash our hands regularly, wear a face covering when needed and follow the guidance if living in an area with additional restrictions.

“Numbers of deaths from Covid-19 are also rising, so we must continue to act to reduce transmission of this virus.”

Earlier in the day, NHS England confirmed a further 43 fatalities among Covid-19 hospital patients.

This brings the total number of deaths reported in the country's hospitals to 30,323.

Patients were aged between 32 and 99. All but one, aged 71, had known underlying health conditions.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the country had reached a “perilous moment” in the course of the pandemic.

He told the NHS Providers conference: “I am very worried about the growth in the number of cases, especially in the North West and the North East of England, parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and parts of Yorkshire.”

He added: “In parts of the country the situation is again becoming very serious.

“Hospitalisations in the North West are doubling approximately every fortnight. They have risen by 57 per cent in just the last week alone.

“Unfortunately we’re seeing hospitalisations in the over-60s rising sharply and the number of deaths from coronavirus also rising.”

Watch: Why are coronavirus cases rising but deaths remain relatively low?

His warnings come as pubs and restaurants in virus hotspots look set to face fresh restrictions.

Downing Street said that a “range of measures” is being looked at, with a particular focus on northern England, where infection rates are rising fastest.

Leaked Government documents disclosed that a new three-tier system for restrictions will be announced on Monday before measures come into force on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “We are seeing coronavirus cases rise across the entire country but they are rising faster in the North East and the North West.

“We are keeping the data under close review and we are considering a range of options to reduce the spread of the virus in order to protect communities and to protect the NHS.”

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