New figures will add to death toll

Coronavirus deaths have passed more than 1,800 across the country with at least 18 confirmed in Kent as experts warn the actual number is even higher than originally thought. Some 25,150 people have tested positive for the virus across the UK with 1,789 people in hospital succumbing to the disease.

At the time of going to press, it was confirmed 381 people in the Britain had died in hospitals in the previous 24 hours – the highest daily total so far in the pandemic.

Seven of those were recorded in Kent – one at the Medway NHS Trust, one at the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust and five at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

Exact figures for deaths at each hospital have not been released by NHS England.

But it is known at least two deaths have occurred under the Medway NHS Trust including one on Tuesday. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust recorded three on Sunday taking the total to eight overall.

So far only one death has been confirmed at the Dartford and Gravesham trust while there have been seven under the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust.

So far, 383 people have tested positive for the virus across Kent with another 78 in Medway. But a report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals the total number of deaths are likely to be far higher than those reported in the daily updates from the government and NHS. Figures show 210 people who died up to March 20 in England and Wales included mention of Covid19 on their death certificate.

It also includes those who had died at home or in care homes and has only just been published because these deaths take longer to be officially registered, the ONS says.

This is 40 (23.5%) more than the 170 recorded by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) for the same day, which is only based on data provided by hospitals to the government.

That takes the 1,789 UK hospital deaths announced on Tuesday to at least 1,829 known deaths in the UK.

ONS analyst Sarah Caul said: “It takes at least five days for most deaths to be certified by a doctor, registered and the data processed, so our figures are always slightly out of date.”

The ONS figures are the most complete and accurate set of data released so far with weekly updates now due to be released every Tuesday morning. Next week’s release will include numbers of deaths up to March 27 when 973 deaths were announced in England and Wales by the government.

If the 23.5% margin is replicated, the actual figure published by the ONS combining hospital deaths and total registrations could be as high as 1,201.