MORE than 70 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Sussex amid what Health Secretary Matt Hancock has described as a “concerning” rise in the number of cases.

Thirty more people have died with coronavirus nationally, the highest number for more than a month. The total is now 41,584.

Separate figures published by the ONS show 57,400 deaths have now been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The government's latest data does not include figures from Northern Ireland.

There were 2,948 new cases of the virus in England, Wales and Scotland and the total is now 352,520.

In Sussex, 71 further cases were reported today.

There were 12 further cases in Brighton and Hove, where 919 people have tested positive in the city since the start of the pandemic. The rate of infection has increased to almost 316 cases per 100,000 people.

In East Sussex, 35 cases were reported and the total is now 1,776. In West Sussex, 24 new cases were recorded, bringing the county’s figure to 3,082.

Almost 100 cases of the virus were reported in Sussex this weekend.

No new deaths were recorded in the county. Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has recorded 149 deaths. Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s total is 114.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has recorded 100 deaths, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has reported 260, and there have been 18 at the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.