Coronavirus UK daily deaths hit 608 in highest daily jump since May
A further 608 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, the government has said - the highest daily jump since 12 May.
It brings the total number in the UK to 55,838.
The government said as of 9am on Tuesday there had been a further 11,299 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, bringing the total number of cases to 1,538,794.
Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been more than 71,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
It comes as England prepares to return to a tiered system of coronavirus restrictions when the national lockdown ends next week.
The government is expected to announce on Thursday which places will be placed under tiers 1, 2 and 3.
Meanwhile, ministers will hold a Cobra meeting bringing together the UK government and the devolved administrations on Tuesday afternoon to agree a four-nation approach to relaxing restrictions over the Christmas period.
Boris Johnson has acknowledged the risks involved in a Christmas relaxation, saying it is the "season to be jolly careful", but is determined to give families the chance to meet up at the end of a grim year.
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