A FURTHER 25 new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Dorset over the last 24 hour period.

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in the Dorset Council area of the county has increased by 12, official figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 11,634 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday (March 23) in Dorset, up from 11,622 the same time on Monday.

And the number of recorded coronavirus cases in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole increased by 13 in the same time period.

Public Health England figures show that 25,054 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday (March 23) in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, up from 25,041 the same time on Monday.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 5,379 over the period, to 4,307,304.

The county's cases were among the 216,637 recorded across the South West, a figure which rose by 242 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.