SOUTHEND Hospital has reported NO coronavirus deaths for three consecutive days.

The total number of Covid-19 deaths recorded by the hospital stood at 129 people at 2pm yesterday afternoon but no further deaths were recorded for April 23, April 24 and April 25.

Meanwhile, Basildon Hospital reported one death on April 23, nine on April 24 and none for April 25.

In total, there are 222 deaths from Covid-19 at Basildon Hospital and 129 have died at Southend Hospital. Sunday’s figures will be released today.

At the Essex Partnership Trust, which runs mental health services in the county, 12 patients with Covid-19 have died.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told last night’s Downing Street briefing a total of 20,732 patients had died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK on Saturday, up by 413 from 20,319 the day before.

He said that 669,850 Covid-19 tests had been carried out in the UK - including 29,058 tests carried out on Saturday.

Mr Eustice added that some 152,840 people have tested positive across the country - an increase of 4,463 cases since the day before.

Mr Eustice added: “15,953 people are currently in hospital with the coronavirus in the UK, down from 16,411 on April 25

“And sadly, of those hospitalised with the virus, 20,732 have now died, and that is an increase of 413 fatalities since yesterday.

“We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these victims.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that social distancing measures will remain in place for “some time” to come.

Mr Raab, who has been standing in for Boris Johnson while he recovered from coronavirus, said people will have to get used to a “new normal”.

“We won’t just have this binary easing up of measures. We will end up moving to a new normal,” he told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show.

“We need to take a sure-footed step forward which protects life but also preserves our way of life. So we are very focused on doing the homework that can allow us to do that.

“We do want to look - when it is safe, when it is responsible - at ways to allow more outdoor activities to take place, but again we have got to have the evidence that that is a sure-footed step - doesn’t allow coronavirus to get a grip back on the country.”

The former deputy chief medical officer for England said a coronavirus vaccine might not be ready until “well into the next year”.

Speaking to Sophie Ridge on Sky News, Professor Gina Radford said: “Firstly we haven’t at the moment got a vaccine so we are having to start from scratch.

“We haven’t got a hugely good track record with vaccines for this particular virus, coronavirus, the family of viruses.

“But having said that everything is being thrown at it, there are researchers all over the world trying to identify a vaccine.

“We have never seen anything like the effort that is being put to discover this vaccine.”