THE number of coronavirus cases in Sussex made a large leap yesterday as the number of UK coronavirus deaths in 24 hours more than doubled from the day before.

Public Health England said that 381 people who had contracted the illness had died in the 24 hours leading up to 9am yesterday, taking the nation's  overall death toll to 1,789.

A total of 159 patients had died the previous day, with 25,150 people having tested positive for the virus.

At 2pm today Public Health England provided an update on the national figures, saying 29,474 people had now tested positive for coronavirus in the UK - 2,352 patients have died.

>>>READ MORE: Latest coronavirus news in Sussex

In Sussex, the number of coronavirus cases also climbed steeply overnight - rising from 191 to 263.

Brighton and Hove saw its total rise by a third, increasing from 33 to 44, meanwhile West Sussex saw the greatest rise - jumping from 113 to 146.

There was also a large leap in the number of people to have tested positive for coronavirus in East Sussex, leaping from 45 to 73.

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund