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UK coronavirus death toll rises by 21 to 44,819

NHS workers in PPE at Queens Hospital: Getty Images
NHS workers in PPE at Queens Hospital: Getty Images

The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen by 21.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said 44,819 people had died in the nation's hospitals, care homes and across the wider community after testing positive for the disease as of 5pm on Saturday.

Today's increase is the lowest to be recorded on a Sunday since lockdown began in March.

Of the 21 fatalities, 15 occurred in hospitals in England. No new deaths were recorded in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

However, Government's official figures do not include all deaths involving Covid-19 in the country, which are thought to have passed 55,000.

The DHSC also confirmed that another 650 people had tested positive for the virus in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Saturday.

This takes the total number of cases in the country to date to 289,603.

The UK's individual death tolls now stand as follows:

– England: 40,234

– Scotland: 2,490

– Wales: 1,541

– Northern Ireland: 554

England remains the hardest-hit of the four nations, with 249,510 confirmed cases of the virus compared to 18,359 in Scotland; 15,962 in Wales, and 5,772 in Northern Ireland.

Across the UK, the North West is the region with the highest rate of infection, followed by the North East, then the East Midland, followed by London.

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