Coronavirus: Nine more deaths in Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham
A further nine coronavirus patients have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
The NHS figures announced on Thursday mean the Covid-19 death toll in the region's hospitals is now at 2,141.
Meanwhile at least 427 more people have also died with the virus in care homes in the region, although these figures only cover April 10 to May 8.
The UK-wide death toll released by the Government, which includes deaths in and out of hospitals, increased by 428 to 33,614 today although the true figure is thought to be more than 40,000.
The number of deaths in hospitals in England increased by 207 to 24,159.
Among the new hospital deaths announced were three at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust which runs Stafford's County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital, taking the death toll to 255.
Two more patients were announced to have died at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, taking the total to 237.
One patient was confirmed to have died at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, where 256 have now died.
No new deaths were confirmed at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, where the total remains 316, or the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, where the total remains 186.
A further three deaths were confirmed at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, taking the total to 840. The trust runs Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.
One new death was announced in Worcestershire, where the overall hospital death toll increased to 252.
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As well as including patients who tested positive for the disease, the hospital statistics now also include patients who died in hospital and hadn't tested positive but for whom Covid-19 is documented as a direct or underlying cause of death on their death certificate.
This included three deaths in the Midlands – but it not known where in the Midlands these deaths took place.
A spokesman for NHS England said: "A further 207 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 24,159.
"Patients were aged between 33 and 100 years old. Of those, six of the 244 patients – aged between 35 and 95 years old– had no known underlying health condition.
"Their families have been informed."
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. Thursday's figures included patients who died between April 4 and May 13.
