Eight more coronavirus deaths in Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire hospitals
A further eight coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
The figures announced on Tuesday takes the Covid-19 death toll in the region's hospitals to 2,467.
While last week, 13 people with coronavirus died in care homes in the region– three in Birmingham, two in Dudley, three in Sandwell, one in Walsall and one in Wolverhampton.
In hospitals and care homes, a total of 3,047 people have died from Covid-19 in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
The UK-wide death toll, including deaths in and out of hospital, will be announced by the Government later today.
The number of deaths in hospitals in England went up by 79 to 28,061, in figures announced on Tuesday.
Of the new hospital deaths announced on Tuesday, four deaths were confirmed at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs Stafford’s County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital, where the total number of deaths now stands 327.
A further three deaths were reported at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, where the total is 260.
One death was confirmed at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, taking the total to 941. The trust runs Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.
No new deaths were reported at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, where the total remains 282, or at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in charge of the Manor Hospital, where the total remains 219.
There were also no new deaths recorded at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, where the total remains 369.
No new deaths were reported in Worcestershire, where the total death toll in the county’s hospitals remains 294.
A spokesman for NHS England said: “A further 79 people, who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,061.
"Patients were aged between 35 and 98 years old. Eight patients, aged between 35 and 92 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.
It came as pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ease lockdown restrictions intensified as new figures laid bare the damagebeing caused to the labour market.
Official statistics showed a sharp drop in the number of paid employees - down by 2.1% or 612,000 in May compared with March - and a huge increase in benefit claims.
Meanwhile, England striker Marcus Rashford has won his battle to force the Government to provide free school mealsduring the summer.
In a U-turn, Downing Street announced a £120 million fund which will benefit some 1.3 million children in England over the six-week summer period, Number 10 said.
