THE number of coronavirus cases in the Braintree district increased by 49 in the last 24 hours, official figures show.

A total of 15,364 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 in Braintree when the UK coronavirus daily dashboard was updated last night, up from 15,315 on Wednesday.

The rate of infection in Braintree now stands at 10,036 cases per 100,000 people, lower than the England average of 11,107.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 26,326 over the period, to 7,339,009.

The latest figure does not include cases for Scotland, due to a technical issue.

There were no new coronavirus deaths recorded in the latest 24-hour period in the Braintree district, where the death toll since the start of the pandemic stands at 400.

The figures also show that four in five people in Braintree have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.