UK coronavirus deaths hit 143 on deadliest day in FOUR months and cases in third highest rise ever

CORONAVIRUS deaths today hit 143 in the UK's deadliest day in four months.

Another 17,423 more people tested positive for the deadly bug - the third highest increase ever.

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The last time fatalities in the UK were so high was on June 3, when 155 people died.

The following day, 134 Brits lost their lives - and the number then dropped over the summertime.

But today's figure is a 134 per cent rise on the 61 fatalities recorded just a week ago.

The worrying rise comes just as Boris Johnson introduces a new three-tier system to control the spread.

Today, 4,367 people are currently in hospital with the virus - higher than when lockdown was introduced in March.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: "The trend in Covid-related deaths is starting to rise quickly, which is hugely concerning.

"We have seen cases increasing, especially in older age groups, which is leading to more hospital admissions.

"This is a stark reminder for us to follow the guidelines."

It comes as:

• Boris Johnson faces attacks from all sides after 'dividing' the country into different corona zones
• Experts say the winter flu jab could be a 'new weapon' in the fight against Covid
• A vaccine trial has been halted after a participant suffered an 'unexplained illness'
• A woman has become the first person to die after she was reinfected with the virus
• The number of workers who have lost jobs since March has hit 673,000

A further 87 people died in hospitals in England. Patients were aged between 30 and 96, and all but six - aged between 72 and 86 - had known underlying health conditions.

In Scotland, 1,297 new cases were reported, and seven people died, while in Wales, there are 764 more infections, and five more deaths.

Figures for Northern Ireland aren't yet available.

At the height of the first wave, figures on a Tuesday were always slightly higher as a result of the lag in reporting deaths and cases from the weekend.

Meanwhile, despite Mr Johnson unveiling his new three-tier shutdown strategy just yesterday, critics are already saying it may not be enough.

Millions of Brits will go into tougher lockdown measures this week.

Liverpool will be the first area of England to go into the third tier of strict new measures.

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Pubs, bars and gyms will shut, while there will also be a ban on mixing households indoors or outdoors, and travel in or out of the area will be limited.

But this morning, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said there was "a lot of work to do" to battle the virus - after it was revealed SAGE wanted to introduce a lockdown three weeks ago.

The Prime Minister is said to have ignored warnings from the Government's top scientists that the 10pm curfew for pubs was unlikely to curb the rising tide of infections.

Documents have revealed SAGE had very little confidence in the new measures forcing venues to close early.

And Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty last night gave a sombre address to the nation during last night's Downing Street press conference - warning the notion that restrictions can be imposed "without causing harm is an illusion".

During the conference, the PM said: "These figures are flashing at us like dashboard warnings in a passenger jet."

He told Brits the number of cases has gone up four times in four weeks - and that there are already more Covid patients in UK hospitals today than there were on March 23, when the country went into lockdown.

Meanwhile, new stats show coronavirus deaths have risen in all but two areas of England.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals fatalities are up for the fourth week in a row - in all areas except the West Midlands and south-west England.

And Nightingale hospitals have been placed on standby across the North — where up to a third of critical care beds are already taken by Covid patients.

Around four in ten of all ­coronavirus cases are in the North West, health bosses say.

London - currently in the 'medium' tier one category - also looks set to head into further lockdown measures within days.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The virus is now spreading very quickly in every corner of London.

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"The number of cases is rapidly increasing and all indicators are moving in the wrong direction.

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“London is at ‘medium’ in the Government’s new alert levels.

"However, Londoners should understand this could change very quickly — potentially even this week.”

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