Three more coronavirus deaths in region but IT problem means cases unreported for 10 hours

A further three coronavirus patients have been confirmed to have died in hospitals across the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.

It means the death toll in the region's hospitals is now at 2,297, however a national IT error meant no deaths were reported for 10 hours on Sunday.

The number of deaths in hospitals in England increased by 59 to 25,750 in figures announced on Monday.

The UK-wide death toll released by Government, which includes deaths in and out of hospitals, will be announced later today.

Among the new hospital deaths announced on Monday were two at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs Stafford's County Hospital and Royal Stoke University Hospital, taking the death toll 292.

One death was announced at the North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, taking the total to six deaths.

No new deaths were announced at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross and Cannock Chase hospitals, where the total remains 262, or at the Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in charge of the Manor Hospital, where the total is 205.

There were also no new deaths reported at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell General and City hospitals, where the total remains 336, or at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, in charge of Russells Hall Hospital, where the total is 245.

In Monday's figures, no new deaths were announced at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, where the total remains 896. The trust runs the Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals.

No new deaths were reported in Worcestershire on Monday, where the total death toll in the county's hospitals remains 270.

A spokesman for NHS England said: "A further 59 people, who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 25,750.

"Patients were aged between 44 and 98 years old. Four of the 59 patients – aged between 56 and 91 years old – had no known underlying health condition.

"Their families have been informed."

Accompanying the announcement was an explanation about the unusually low number which revealed that the system used to track the deaths had not been working for 10 hours.

The daily hospital figures include Covid-19 patients whose deaths were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, not who died in that period. Some deaths are not included in the statistics for several days due to testing or family members being informed.