Region's coronavirus death toll hits 1,000 as UK figure passes 10,000
More than 1,000 people have now died after testing positive for coronavirus across the region after the death toll increased by 43.
The deaths were among 657 new deaths confirmed across England on Easter Sunday.
It means the UK total of people to have died in hospitals has now passed 10,000 – hitting 10,621.
NHS England announced another 657 people had died and Public Health Wales confirmed another 18 people had died.
It means the death toll across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire now stands at 1,030.
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Of the 43 in the region, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs Sandwell General Hospital and Birmingham's City Hospital – recorded the highest number of deaths at 24.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, had 10 deaths.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, recorded six deaths whilst the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Russells Hall Hospital – recorded two.
A further death was recorded at the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The figures released each day refer to the number of coronavirus-related deaths confirmed in the previous 24 hours - not died in the last 24 hours - and always include patients who died some time earlier but who were yet to be added to statistics due to testing or informing relatives.
In Worcestershire, 15 more deaths were confirmed at the Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, bringing the overall total to 104 in the county – including four previously recorded at the Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.
NHS England said that 42 of the 657 patients had no known underlying health condition – the youngest of which was 30.
Public Health Wales confirmed 75 positive tests for patients in Powys, however the organisation has said that its figures do not include Powys patients tested in England, so the figure could be considerably higher.
The news comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from hospital a week after being admitted with persistent coronavirus symptoms.
But Downing Street said he would not be returning to work immediately on doctors’ orders and would instead head to his country residence in Buckinghamshire to recuperate.
In other news, comedic actor Tim Brooke-Taylor has died at the age of 79 after contracting coronavirus.
The Goodies creator died with Covid-19 after a lengthy and successful comedy career.
But leaders in intensive care medicine and anaesthetics also warned that people should obey social distancing rules in order to reduce the burden on NHS resources.
Their comments come amid reports key medicines at some intensive care units were in short supply.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has insisted MPs will return on April 21, the date agreed before the Easter recess.
MPs have been offered an additional £10,000 each by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) – the body that audits expenses of those in the Commons – to pay for increased costs as they and their staff move to working from home during the Covid-19 lockdown.
But some have expressed distaste at the decision to give MPs more funding while employees in the UK face being furloughed at 80% pay and others have lost their jobs due to the impact of coronavirus.
