The latest Covid-19 case information for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has now been published this afternoon.

As of 4pm today, (Monday, January 4) there have been 265 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours.

The total number of cases in the local authority area since the start of the pandemic is now 6,917.

There were 1,578 cases recorded in the seven days leading up to December 30. Data from the most recent five days is not shown due to being incomplete.

This represents a weekly rate of 276 cases per 100,000 people.

The UK had 58,784 new cases reported in 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,713,563 nationally since the start of the pandemic.

There have been no new hospital deaths in Cornwall today, with the last death taking place at the Cornwall Partnerships NHS Trust on Christmas Day (December 25) and reported in Saturday's figures by NHS England.

It followed two new deaths being recorded at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day last week, and reported in Thursday's update.

There have been 81 deaths registered to the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and 28 to the Cornwall Partnerships NHS Trust, bringing the overall total number of hospital deaths in Cornwall to 109.

The overall total number of deaths in Cornwall – including deaths in care homes and other settings – remains at 191.

Nationally a further 376 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in hospitals in England, bringing the total number to 51,813.

Patients were aged between 26 and 102 years old. All except 18 – aged 34 to 102 years old – had known underlying health conditions and their families have been informed.

The dates of their deaths ranged from December 20, 2020 to January 3, 2021 with the majority being on or after December 29.

Of these, 22 deaths were in the south west.

Across the whole of the UK there have been 407 further people to have died within 28 days of their first positive test result, bringing the total number of UK deaths to 75,431. This figure includes people in care home and other settings.

In other coronavirus-related news:

News has been coming from journalists at Downing Street this afternoon that schools are to close and the entire country will be placed under Tier 4.

Boris Johnson is to address the nation tonight over the further steps to be taken to tackle the rise in Coronavirus cases.

Read the full story here.

Cornwall Council has issued a list of of schools that are closed or partially closed today as fears about reopening continue.

The council says all schools have their own arrangements to contact parents and carers should there be a need to close the school at short notice, for example in the event of severe weather.

Read the full story here.