THE number of south Essex hospital patients to die after contracting Covid-19 has increased by 23.

NHS England figures show 576 people have now died at Southend Hospital after another 13 fatalities were recorded today (Thursday, January 21).

It means there have been 59 deaths in the past week, down from 77 the previous week.

At the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a further 10 deaths have been announced, taking the total to 727.

It means there have been 75 deaths in the past week, up from 55 the previous week.

The victims in south Essex are among 7,172 deaths that have now been recorded across the East of England since the pandemic began.

NHS England has announced another 789 deaths in hospitals across the country today.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community excluded, such as those in care homes.

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