Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire death toll increases by 36 per cent in one day
The coronavirus death toll across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire has jumped by 36 per cent in one day after 76 more deaths were confirmed.
The news was announced on Thursday as the local death toll hit 288 and UK death toll increased by 569 to 2,921.
It means one in 10 people who have died in the UK after contracting Covid-19 have died in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
Of the deaths confirmed on Thursday, 561 were patients in England and were aged between 22 and 100.
Forty-four of those, including a 25-year-old and 100-year-old, had no known underling health conditions.
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In the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire, a further 76 new deaths were announced today, bringing the total in the region to 288.
Included in the 76 were three at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust which were included in the national figure provided on Wednesday but not confirmed as local until today.
Today's figures included seven in Wolverhampton, seven in Walsall, one in Dudley, 54 across Sandwell and Birmingham and four in Staffordshire.k
In total, 65 people have now died at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, 42 at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, 22 at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, nine at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and 150 across all the Birmingham NHS trusts – including 59 at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust which runs Sandwell General and City Hospital.
A total of 27 people have died in Worcestershire, where no new deaths were confirmed today.
The death figures released each day refer to the deaths of coronavirus patients confirmed in a 24-hour period, and include patients who died several days ago but whose families had not been informed or who needed further testing.
NHS England said in a statement: "A further 561 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 2,698.
"Patients were aged between 22 and 100 years old. A total of 44 of the 561 patients – aged between 25 and 100 years old – had no known underlying health condition.
"Their families have been informed."
Meanwhile Boris Johnson is still showing signs of coronavirus, Downing Street said, as it confirmed the Government is working with nine potential suppliers over a new Covid-19 antibody test.
The Prime Minister’s seven days of self-isolation end on Friday but it is unclear whether he plans to leave the Downing Street flat where he has been staying.
An antibody test would enable people to get back to work quickly and some experts say this type of testing is the quickest way out of the current lockdown.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We are working as quickly as we can on that and as soon as a test is approved then we will announce it publicly.”
He said the Government had previously been offered tests that had not met the required levels of accuracy “and therefore would not have been safe to use”.
It was also suggested that immunity certificates to identify people who have had coronavirus are being considered by the Government.
