Three more coronavirus patients die at Shropshire hospitals
A further three people who tested positive for coronavirus have died at the county's major hospitals.
The latest figures from NHS England confirm another three people to have died at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which manages Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital Telford.
It brings the total who have died at the trust to 12.
Another person with the virus also died at a retirement complex in Shrewsbury earlier this month.
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The three latest Shropshire deaths were among 159 confirmed to have died by NHS England on Monday.
They died on Sunday, Saturday and last Thursday but have only now been included in the statistics due to testing and informing their families.
A statement from NHS said: "A further 159 people, who tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in England to 1,284.
"Patients were aged between 32 and 98 years old and all but 4 patients (aged between 56 and 87 years old) had underlying health conditions.
"Their families have been informed."
Meanwhile 14 more people have been confirmed to have died in Wales, bringing the total death toll there to 62.
One of the patients currently being treated for Covid-19 in Wales is Powys Councillor William Powell, who is in intensive care.
More than 9,000 people who have tested positive for coronavirus are being treated in hospitals across England, NHS England’s chief executive Sir Simon Stevens has said.
Speaking to the BBC on a visit to the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in London, Sir Simon said that the number of patients will increase, but explained that services set up to handle additional capacity will be available later this week.
Sir Simon also said that NHS England will be able to double the number of coronavirus tests it has available for staff by the end of this week.
It was announced last week that around 800 samples would be processed over the weekend at the first of three new hub laboratories set up by the Government for the duration of the crisis.
Around one in four NHS doctors are currently off work sick or in isolation, according to the head of Royal College of Physicians.
Meanwhile, Professor Neil Ferguson, from Imperial College London and author of a report which warned of mass deaths if the UK did not introduce strict controls, said there were signs the rate of hospital admissions was slowing.
It comes as Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s chief adviser, became the latest in Westminster to self-isolate after developing symptoms.
He joins Boris Johnson, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, who are all in self-isolation due to Covid-19.
