Seven more coronavirus deaths in Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire hospitals
A further seven coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
Today's announcement takes the Covid-19 death toll in the region's hospital to 2,455.
Meanwhile 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 region's full confirmed death toll is now 3,017.
The UK-wide death toll released by the Government, which includes deaths in and out of hospital, increased by 202 to 41,481.
The number of deaths in hospitals in England went up by 70 to 27,860, in figures announced on Friday.
The data shows that only once in the last 16 days have more than ten patients in the region died on the same day, although this could change as some deaths are not confirmed for several days or weeks due to testing and informing relatives.
At the peak of the virus 95 patients died on the same day in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
Of new the new hospital deaths announced today, two were at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, where 282 patients have now died.
A further two deaths were reported at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, taking the total to 369.
One 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 322.
No new deaths were reported at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in charge of the Manor Hospital, where the total remains 218, or at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, where the total is 257.
Two further deaths were recorded at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, taking the total to 938. The trust runs Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.
No new deaths were reported in Worcestershire, where the total death toll in the county's hospitals remains 294.
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A spokesman for NHS England said: "A further 70 people, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 27,860.
"Patients were aged between 24 and 102 years old. Three patients – aged between 78 and 102 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.
