Coronavirus death toll reaches 2,068 at Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire hospitals
Fifteen more coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
Saturday's announcement took the confirmed Covid-19 death toll in the region's hospitals to 2,068.
Across England, the hospital death toll increased by 207 to 22,971 on Saturday, with the youngest patient a 19-year-old with underlying health conditions.
This figure does not include deaths in care homes or the wider community, which are not released on a local level on a daily basis.
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The official UK-wide Government figures, which include deaths outside of hospitals, put the country's death toll at 31,587 although the latest combination of ONS and NHS statistics suggests the true figure is actually more than 36,000.
Of the deaths announced on Saturday, six patients were in the care of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation trust where the death toll now stands at 818.
The trust is the region's largest and runs Queen Elizabeth Hospital along with three other hospitals in Birmingham and the Nightingale Hospital at the NEC.
Four more patients were confirmed to have died at the University of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs hospitals in Stoke and Stafford, where 239 patients have died with the virus so far.
Two more patient deaths were announced at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and Cannock Chase Hospital, taking the death toll there to 251.
One more death has been reported at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, taking the death toll at Russells Hall to 231, along with one more at the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.
That takes the death toll at the trust, which runs Sandwell General in West Bromwich and City Hospital in Birmingham, to 304.
A fifth death has also been announced at the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs mental health, social care and learning disability services.
No new deaths were announced at Walsall Manor, where 177 patients have died, or in Worcestershire where 243 patients have died.
The daily figures include Covid-19 patients whose deaths were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, not who died in that period.
Some deaths are not included in the statistics for several days due to testing or family members being informed. Saturday's figures included patients who died between March 12 and Friday but all but 47 of the deaths took place in the last three days.
Boris Johnson will reveal on Sunday the Government’s “road map” on how it will lift restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the Government has stressed it wants all parts of the UK to move together in easing the measures, decisions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be for leaders there.
Changes which could be implemented include:
Travellers coming in to the UK could be expected to quarantine for 14 days after their arrival, reports suggest. However, a trade body has warned a 14-day quarantine period for all travellers coming to Britain would have a devastating impact on both the UK aviation industry and wider economy.
Garden centres will be allowed to reopen to customers from Wednesday May 13, Boris Johnson will announce.
Employees in non-essential industries who have been operating from home may be allowed to return to work – but they might be encouraged to wear face masks and opt for a bike ride to avoid public transport where possible.
Fast food franchises including McDonald’s and KFC have already announced they will begin opening locations for delivery services, with more sites likely to reopen in the coming weeks. Before reopening, the restaurants will be deep cleaned while new safety measures will be introduced such as Perspex screens and floor markings. The reopening of pubs and bars however is unlikely to happen any time soon, with some reports claiming they will not return until August and September.
According to some reports, unlimited outdoor exercise will be allowed from Monday, however gyms and playgrounds are expected to remain closed.
Bus and train timetables are likely to be adjusted and increased to help the system cope with an increase in passengers.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said it is still too early to reopen religious services, with no date for when that could happen.
It includes extra money for deep cleaning and personal protective equipment (PPE) and local powers to close schools if clusters of Covid-19 infections break out in a particular area.
Last week, an NHS chief warned the Government it should be wary about reopening schools too early as scientists do not fully understand the extent of coronavirus transmission between children.
