THE coronavirus death toll rose to 6,159 and Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care last night. These are among a few of the key coronavirus updates from the last 24-hours.

• The latest figures available from Public Health England revealed that as of yesterday, there have been a total of 55,242 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK and 6,159 deaths. The Department of Health reported 786 deaths yesterday and 3,634 new coronavirus cases.

• Latest available figures show the following number of cases confirmed in our region to date: County Durham, 303, Darlington 55, Middlesbrough, 169, Sunderland 285, North Yorkshire 285, Stockton 123, Redcar and Cleveland 112, South Tyneside 101, Gateshead 188, York 75.

• As of last night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care at St Thomas’s Hospital in London. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the Prime Minister as first secretary of state, told the nation in yesterday’s daily briefing: "He's receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance, he's not required any mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support. He remains in good spirits and in keeping with usual clinical practise his progress continues to be monitored closely in critical care."

• There are signs that the rate of infection could be slowing. The Government's chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance said the number of new cases "could be moving in the right direction" but it would not be clear "for a week or so". He said yesterday evening: "It's possible that we're beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit. We won't know that for sure for a week or so.”

• One of the biggest dates in the horseracing calendar, Royal Ascot, will be held behind closed doors “for public health and safety reasons”, if it goes ahead as planned in June. And this year’s 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas, Derby and Oaks will not take place on their originally scheduled dates “due to the ongoing public health emergency”, Jockey Club Racecourses announced.

  • The British Army has loaned units to help the Welsh Ambulance Service which has been struggling to cope with staff shortages. Soldiers have been partnered up with ambulance teams to help bolster the NHS' emergency response during the coronavirus pandemic.

• With the long Easter Bank Holiday approaching, the emergency services are urging people to adhere to lockdown measures and not to take day trips out. Police across the region are issuing fines to people found leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.