Nearly 6,000 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in Yorkshire

The figure, accurate as of 9am today, is up by 149 cases from Wednesday's update.

Sheffield is the worst-hit local authority area, with 1,412 confirmed cases, followed by Leeds with 743 confirmed cases.

In the UK, 103,093 people have now tested positive for Covid-19.

Downing Street has said the UK now has the capacity to conduct 35,000 coronavirus tests a day - although fewer than half that number are currently being carried out.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said that in the 24 hours up to 9am on Wednesday, 15,994 tests were carried out across England, Scotland and Wales.

"We have been very clear that where there is spare capacity available that should be used on NHS staff, on their families, and in social care," the spokesman said.

The full list of confirmed cases by local authority area are as follows:

Barnsley - 415

Bradford - 460

Calderdale - 168

Doncaster - 239

East Riding - 272

Hull (Kingston upon Hull) - 175

Kirklees - 381

Leeds - 743

North East Lincolnshire - 86

North Lincolnshire - 142

North Yorkshire - 542

Rotherham - 407

Sheffield - 1,412

Wakefield - 344

York - 153

Editor’s note:

First and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson