No new patient deaths at Royal Bolton Hospital have been linked to coronavirus.

Figures published by NHS England yesterday afternoon showed no patients had died after contracting covid-19.

The borough’s hospital has now seen 220 deaths linked to the deadly virus.

Almost 290,000 cases of covid-19 have been confirmed across the nation, with 1,038 people in the borough testing positive for the virus as of 9am on Tuesday morning.

The slowing death rate comes as Boris Johnson insisted the two-metre social distancing rule is “under review” after being challenged about the prospect of reducing it.

At Prime Minister's Questions, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford asked about the science behind any reduction, after a group of Conservative MPs have been pushing for changes to help the hospitality sector.

Mr Johnson told the Commons: “I believe that those measures, the two-metre rule, need now be kept under review.

“As we drive this disease down, as we get the incidence down, working together, I want to make sure we keep that two-metre rule under constant review.”

Scientific advice currently still supports the two-metre distancing to reduce spread.