More than a dozen new coronavirus deaths at West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust

More than a dozen new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust over the weekend, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures show 664 people had died in hospital at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust as of 5pm on Sunday (January 24).

That was an increase of 16 compared to Friday, when there were 648.

It means there have been 66 deaths in the past week, up from 56 the previous week.

The victims were among 7,707 deaths recorded across the East of England.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community excluded, such as those in care homes.