THE number of recorded coronavirus cases in Oxfordshire increased by 87 over the last 24 hours, official figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 5,946 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Friday (October 23) in Oxfordshire, up from 5,859 the same time on Thursday.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

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Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 20,531 over the period, to 830,998.

​Oxfordshire's cases were among the 63,340 recorded across the South East, a figure which rose by 1,248 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.