Two more coronavirus deaths in Birmingham as delay in reporting sees cases spike
Two more coronavirus deaths have been recorded at a hospital in Birmingham, the latest NHS figures show.
The patients died in hospitals run by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust on Thursday.
Their deaths were confirmed in NHS figures released on Saturday, with no deaths at hospitals in the Black Country or Staffordshire.
It means the total number of deaths at the Birmingham hospital trust, which runs which runs Queen Elizabeth, Good Hope, Heartlands, and Solihull hospitals, stands at 1,010.
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The toll for the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire now sits at 2,618. A further 704 people have died in the region's care homes after contracting coronavirus.
Across England 42 hospital coronavirus deaths were announced by the NHS on Saturday, taking the total to 30,138.
The UK-wide death toll released by the Government, which includes deaths in and out of hospital, increased by 49 to 42,317.
Meanwhile 732 new cases were confirmed in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire on Saturday although the Government said the number of cases being reported would increase sharply due to a technical issue.
A delay in publishing the number of Covid-19 cases in England means the total reported over coming days will include extra cases that should have been reported between September 24 and October 1.
Of the new cases confirmed on Saturday, 40 were in Wolverhampton, 67 in Walsall, 39 in Dudley, 72 in Sandwell, 378 in Birmingham, 104 in Staffordshire and 32 in Stoke-on-Trent.
So far 359 people have died at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs Stafford's County Hospital, after contracting the virus.
At the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, 289 people have died, while 268 people have died at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital.
At the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, 391 people have died, and 230 people have died at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Walsall Manor Hospital.
A spokesman for NHS England said: "A further 42 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 30,138.
"Patients were aged between 44 and 100 years old. Three patients – aged between 49 and 82 – had no underlying health conditions."
