WARWICKSHIRE'S CONFIRMED CASES UP 17 AT 1,395 WITH TOTAL FOR MIDLANDS RISING BY 387 – MORE THAN LONDON'S AT 92

ATHERSTONE and North Warwickshire had another four new cases of Covid-19 out of 66 additionally reported across neighbouring local authorities in the last 48 hours as global numbers passed the five million mark today.

The official total of 179 lab-confirmed cases comes as there were 106,000 new cases of new coronavirus infection recorded worldwide in the last 24 hours – the most in a single day yet.

And the World Health Organsation expressed concern for the capacity of poorer countries to cope during the pandemic, while richer nations gradually emerge from lockdown.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference: "We still have a long way to go in this pandemic and we are very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries."

The latest statistics reveal nearly 1,000 deaths in the UK in the last two days including Atherstone-born retired-MP Bill Olner .

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden new analysis published today suggests Britain's overall death toll from the virus is far higher than the total reported by the Government so far –and has already passed 44,500.

And he added: "Staying alert for the vast majority of people still means staying at home as much as possible."

At the moment some 9,953 people are currently in hospital with coronavirus, down 13 per cent from this time last week.

MPs should return to London and work in person from June 2, according to leader of the House of Commons Jacob rees-Mogg.

Ireland reported 64 new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Wednesday – the fifth day in a row that the daily tally in the country has been below 100. Meanwhile, newly-released figures put the cases of people testing positive in the North Warwickshire district at a rate at 276 per 100,00 population. The statistics are revealed in additional information on 'lower tier' local authorities provided by the Government via the Office for National Statistics more than 100 days since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the UK. The borough sits fourth out of nine in terms of cases per 100,000 among the neighbouring local council areas bordering Atherstone. North Warwickshire's case rate of 276 per 100,000 population is higher than the Warwickshire figure of 244.3 and England (260.5) and the West Midlands at 272.7. The UK figure of 366.7 per 100,000 population is bumped up by a Welsh rate of 404. Close neighbours Nuneaton and Bedworth now tops the cases per 100,000 table for authorities around Atherstone's North Warwickshire borough – passing the 300 barrier at 305.7. It has recorded a total of 394 Covid cases. With the inclusion of population, recorded cases and rate per 100,000 population, the full table of authorities which have a boundary touching North Warwickshire reads: Nuneaton & Bedworth (pop 128,902): Cases 394 at rate of 305.7 cases per 100,000;

Solihull (population 214,909): Cases 653, at rate of 303.8 cases per 100,000;

Birmingham (pop 1.08 million): Cases 3,340, at rate of 292.6 cases per 100,000;

North Warwickshire (pop 64,850): Cases 179, at rate of 276 cases per 100,000;

Lichfield (pop 103,965:) Cases: 278, at rate of 267.4 cases per 100,000;

Tamworth (pop 76,678 ): Cases 168, at rate of 219.1 cases per 100,000;

Coventry (pop 325,949): Cases 784, at rate of 213.7 cases per 100,000;

Hinckley & Bosworth (pop 112,423): Cases 236, at rate of 209.9 cases per 100,000; and

North West Leicestershire (pop 102,126): Cases 143, at rate of 140 cases per 100,000. Eight people in Atherstone have lost their lives to the virus, putting the town at a current rate of 75 deaths per 100,000, according to the Office for National Statistics, with only Birmingham above on 78. The figures are relevant for coronavirus deaths between March 1 and April 17. North Warwickshire, which finds itself surrounded by no fewer than eight other adjoining Midland authorities, has recorded 24 deaths in that timescale – with an ONS mortality rate of 35 per 100,000. Warwickshire's confirmed cases now stand at 1,395 (up 17 in the last 48 hours), Staffordshire is on 2,119 (a rise of 29 in the same period), Leicestershire on 1,184 (increase of 32) and Birmingham on 3,340 (up 37). Midland cases total 24,637 (up 387), the North West 24,312, while London is on 26,579 – up only 92 in the last 48 hours. The UK death toll increased by 908 over the last 48 hours with 363 recorded in the last 24 hours and 545 the previous day. The tally now stands at to 35,704 – the highest in Europe by more than 3,000 with Italy's tally on 32,330 fatalities. Overall a total of 2,962,227 tests have been carried out, and 248,818 cases have been confirmed positive – up 2,472 cases from yesterday. UK now sits fifth in the world table of recorded cases, behind Brazil on 275,382, Spain on 279,524 with Russia moving up into second place on 308,705 but only reporting 2,972 deaths. The US in the top position – on 94,167 fatalities and with 1.58 million people testing positive. The death tally across the globe from coronavirus stands at 327,448. Almost two million have recovered worldwide out of 5,044,814 million recorded cases.