One new coronavirus death at Milton Keynes Hospital

One new coronavirus death has been recorded at Milton Keynes Hospital Trust in the past 24 hours, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures show 93 people had died in hospital at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on Thursday.

That was an increase of one compared to Wednesday, when there were 92.

A week ago, there had been 84 deaths recorded.

The victims were among 2,346 deaths recorded across the East of England.

Of 23 trusts within the region, Milton Keynes Hospital trust has the 12th-highest death toll.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the last 24 hours may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community excluded, such as those in care homes.

Across England, the death toll hit 20,483 on Thursday, up from 20,131 on Wednesday.

Separate figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show 171,253 people had tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK as of 9am on Thursday, up from 165,221.