Seven more coronavirus deaths in Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire hospitals
A further seven coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.
The latest figures released on Thursday now means the Covid-19 death toll in the region's hospitals is now at 2,499.
An extra 591 people have died in care homes across the region, weekly figures released by the Office of National Statistics show.
The UK-wide death toll, including deaths in and out of hospital, increased by 149 to 43,230 today.
The number of deaths in hospitals in England went up by 55 to 28,490.
Of the new hospital deaths announced by the NHS on Thursday, three were confirmed at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, where the new total is 375.
Two further deaths were confirmed at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs Stafford’s County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital, where the total number of deaths now stands 339.
No new deaths were confirmed at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, where the total number remains 285; or at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in charge of the Manor Hospital, where the total remains 220.
There were also no further deaths reported at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, where the total is 261.
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A further two patients were confirmed to have died at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, where the total is now 952. The trust runs Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.
No new deaths were reported in Worcestershire, where the death toll in the county's hospitals remains 298.
A spokesman for NHS England said: “A further 55 people, who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 28,490.
"Patients were aged between 49 and 98 years old. One patient, aged 70, had no known underlying health conditions.
"Their families have been informed."
The daily hospital figures include Covid-19 patients whose deaths were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, not who died in that period.
It comes as it was revealed up to 61,000 jobs have been lost in the West Midlands during lockdown – with thousands more hanging in the balance.
Economic experts say the three-month shut down of businesses and trade has resulted in a catastrophic job shock, and could be far worse than the economic crash of 2008.
Meanwhile, authorities on the south coast have pleaded with people to stay away after services were “stretched to the absolute hilt” when thousands of sunseekers flocked to beaches amid the heatwave.
