UK Death toll Increases as Coronavirus Cases Surge to almost 50,000

Another 74 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total death toll to 46,193.

The figure includes patients who have passed away in hospitals, care homes and the wider community from the disease.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies suggest the UK total death toll could be more than 10,000 higher than the government figures show, with 56,400 deaths registered where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The UK has registered a total of 303,952 cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began earlier year. In England four more people died in hospital with coronavirus as the regional total hit 29,342, NHS England said. Patients were aged between 78 and 84 years old and all had known underlying health conditions.

The Department of Health and Social Care has paused publishing a daily number of coronavirus deaths because it no longer views it as reliable, but Public Health England still updates a daily data dashboard.

This data reflects when deaths were recorded, not when they actually happened. The rise comes as the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that “probably reached near the limit – or the limits – of what we can do in terms of opening up society”.