UK records a further 367 coronavirus deaths in biggest daily rise since May
27 October 2020, 16:18 | Updated: 27 October 2020, 17:01
A further 367 people in the UK have died with coronavirus in what is the largest daily rise in five months.
The government said those 367 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, which brings the UK total to 45,365.
It means that on average there have been roughly 200 coronavirus deaths reported every day in the UK over the past week, with the total for the past seven days standing at 1,398.
During a press conference on 21 September, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that average could be reached by mid-November.
Separate figures published by Britain's statistics agencies for deaths where coronavirus has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data, show Britain's tally now stands at 61,000.
The number of deaths reported on Tuesday is the highest daily figure since 27 May, when 422 deaths were reported.
Read more: Covid-19 antibodies 'only last for months', study finds
Watch: James O'Brien defends PM over calls to provide lockdown roadmap
Boris Johnson under pressure to detail ‘road-map out of lockdown’
Meanwhile, another 22,885 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK, taking the total number to 917,575.
In England, a further 207 people who tested positive for coronavirus died in hospital, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 32,117, NHS England said on Tuesday.
Patients were aged between 36 and 101. All except six, aged between 60 and 93 years old, had known underlying health conditions.
The deaths were between 24 September and 26 October, with the majority being on or after 20 October.
Fourteen other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
Read more: Number of deaths involving Covid-19 rises for sixth consecutive week
Read more: Andy Coulson - the Covid crisis will define Boris Johnson's legacy
"What is the way out of these tiers and restrictions?"
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, warned that the rising death toll from Covid-19 was likely to "continue for some time".
She said in a statement: "We continue to see the trend in deaths rising and it is likely this will continue for some time.
"Each day we see more people testing positive and hospital admissions increasing.
"Being seriously ill enough from the infection to need hospital admission can sadly lead to more Covid-related deaths.
Meanwhile, in Wales, there were 1,207 more cases of Covid-19, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 45,046.
Public Health Wales said seven further deaths had been reported, with the total rising to 1,790.
Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify
