No new patients have died in Essex after contracting coronavirus, latest figures show.

NHS England statistics show no deaths were recorded in Southend Hospital, Basildon Hospital, Broomfield Hospital, Colchester Hospital or the Princess Alexandra Hospital, in Harlow in the last 24 hours.

There were also no deaths in the trust which provides mental health care in Essex.

The latest figures cover the period leading up to 5pm yesterday. They are released daily by NHS England.

NHS England said 403 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 4,897.

The patients were aged between 35 and 106 years old.

Bosses say 15 of the 403 patients - aged between 52 and 94 years old - had no known underlying health condition.

In total, 66 people have lost their lives in Southend and Basildon hospitals after contracting the virus.

At Basildon Hospital, 49 people with the virus have died, while 17 have lost their lives at Southend Hospital.

Elsewhere in Essex, 46 people have died at Princess Alexandra Hospital, in Harlow, while 15 have died at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.

According to NHS England, a total of 43 people who tested positive for coronavirus have lost their lives at the trust which runs Colchester Hospital. While the number of deaths dropping to zero is cause for optimism, it comes as more than 1,000 positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Essex.

The latest figures show there are now 858 cases in the Essex County Council area, a further 118 positive cases in Southend and 120 in Thurrock.

The number of cases is a rise of 102 on the day before bringing the total to 1,096.

Meanwhile, speaking at the daily briefing at Number 10 yesterday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reiterated Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital “as a precaution only”.

He said: “He was admitted to hospital for tests as a precaution only.

“And that was because some of the symptoms that he had when he first tested positive had persisted.

“He’s had a comfortable night in St Thomas’ (Hospital), he’s in good spirits, and he’s being regularly updated.”

“And he still remains in charge of the Government and we are getting on with all of the various strands of work to make sure at home and abroad we can defeat the virus and pull the country through coronavirus and the challenges that undoubtedly we’re facing at the moment.”