Six more coronavirus deaths in Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire hospitals
A further six coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
The announcement on Wednesday means the Covid-19 death toll in hospitals across the region is now 2,443.
The number of Covid-19 deaths in the region's care homes increased by 17 to 569 in the weekly figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday – meaning the total number of deaths in and out of hospitals is now at 3,012.
However NHS data shows no more than 19 coronavirus patients have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire on the same day since May 4.
The UK-wide death toll released by the Government, which includes deaths in and out of hospital, increased by 245 to 41,128, although analysis of ONS and NHS data shows there have been almost 52,000 deaths in the UK involving Covid-19.
The number of deaths in hospitals in England went up by 88 to 27,707, in figures announced on Wednesday.
Of the new hospital deaths announced on Wednesday were three at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, taking the total to 935. The trust runs Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.
A further death was confirmed at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs Stafford's County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital, where the total is now 319.
One death was confirmed at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, taking the total to 280.
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And a further death was recorded at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, where the total is now 256.
No new deaths were recorded at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in charge of the Manor Hospital, where the total remains 218, or at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, where the total remains 366.
One new death was reported in Worcestershire, where the total death toll in the county's hospitals increased to 294.
A spokesman for NHS England said: "A further 88 people, who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 27,707.
"Patients were aged between 43 and 102 years old. Three patients – aged between 53 and 87 years old – had no known underlying health conditions.
"Their families have been informed."
The daily hospital figures include Covid-19 patients whose deaths were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, not who died in that period.
