Coronavirus: UK hospital death toll rises to 12,107

Daily increase of 778 deaths reported, according to Department of Health

The UK’s hospital death toll from coronavirus has risen to a total of 12,107.

A further 778 patients with Covid-19 died as of 5pm on Easter Monday, according to the latest Department of Health and Social Care figures.

While the daily increase is higher than those reported over the Easter weekend, it is lower than the record of 980 announced on 10 April.

The number of people testing positive for the disease also increased by 5,252, as of 9am on Tuesday.

According to the figures the number of daily tests being carried out fell slightly to just under 15,000 from the record high of 18,000 announced on Sunday. It still remains well below the target of 100,000 a day by the end of April.

More than one in five deaths recorded in England and Wales are now linked to coronavirus, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Covid-19 was mentioned on 3,475 death certificates in the week ending April 3, including hospital, care home and community deaths.

It means the weekly number of deaths in England and Wales is now at its highest level since comparable official figures began in 2005.

Care home bosses have warned the UK’s daily death tolls were “airbrushing out” hundreds of older people who have died outside the hospital system.

Tory peer Baroness Altmann said some people from care homes had told her they felt elderly people were being treated like “lambs to the slaughter”.

On Monday, chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there had been 92 new coronavirus outbreaks in care homes across Britain in 24 hours, with 13.5 per cent of homes affected.