Twenty-six more coronavirus deaths are announced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland taking UK total to 1,440 fatalities with more than 22,000 positive tests
- 13 more deaths announced in Scotland, seven in Wales and six in N. Ireland
- England is the worst-hit country in the UK, with more than 1,200 deaths
- A new set of statistics launched today including deaths outside of hospitals
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Twenty-six more coronavirus deaths have been announced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland today, taking the UK total to 1,440 fatalities.
It has now been more than a month since the virus started to spread uncontrollably and more than 22,000 people have tested positive in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
England is at the centre of the UK’s ongoing crisis with 1,284 people there dying with COVID-19, followed by 69 in Wales, 60 in Scotland and 27 in Northern Ireland.
Today’s statistics added a further 13 deaths in Scotland, seven in Wales and six in Northern Ireland.
An official update for England is expected this afternoon.
It comes after government statisticians revealed today that the true death toll may be around 24 per cent higher than figures suggest when they released the first data set to include people who died outside of NHS hospitals.
An ambulance is pictured outside the ExCeL conference centre in London, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients
Dr Giri Shankar, director of the coronavirus response at Public Health Wales, said: ‘112 new cases have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,563, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.
‘It should be noted that while today’s number of cases is lower than numbers previously reported, this should not automatically be considered a trend as case numbers can be subject to daily fluctuation.
‘Seven further deaths have been reported to us of people who had tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the number of deaths in Wales to 69.
‘We offer our condolences to families and friends affected, and we ask those reporting on the situation to respect patient confidentiality.’
Increases in positive tests today pushed the number of diagnosed coronavirus patients in Scotland to 1,993 and in Northern Ireland to 586.