TWO more coronavirus deaths have been confirmed at a south Essex hospital trust over the weekend.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced one death on Friday and another on Saturday.

Both had tested positive for Covid-19. They had died earlier in the week.

No other hospital deaths have been recorded in Essex.

It comes as official figures show that five more cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Essex.

Public Health England figures show that 3,414 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am Friday morning in Essex, up from 3,409 the same time on Thursday. A week before, there were 3,375 cases.

It means cases have increased by less than 0.5% over the weekend, on a par with the rate of increase across the UK.

They were among the 15,172 cases recorded across the East of England, a figure which rose by 18 over the period.

Another case of coronavirus has been recorded in Southend, official figures show. A total of 457 people have now tested positive there.

There has also been another case in Thurrock bringing the number there up to 386.

With pubs and restaurants gearing up to open on Saturday, the Government is expected to announce summer holidays will be a possibility from July without the need for quarantine.

Negotiations are underway with a number of countries to create so-called air bridges.

The list of countries is likely to be made public next week.

However, there could be the UK's first local lockdown in Leicester after a sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.