A further 27 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in Britain today, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths during the pandemic to 45,300.
NHS England announced that eight people aged between 61 and 91, all with known underlying conditions, died in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.
Just one person died from the virus in Wales while Scotland reported no new deaths today. Northern Ireland no longer release updated figures on weekends.
Today’s figure is higher than last Sunday, when 21 people died after testing positive.
The all-settings death figures – which covers deaths in care homes, hospitals and the wider community – were published on the government’s coronavirus dashboard, but do not appear on the Department of Health’s daily coronavirus report.
This is because of the Department for Health’s decision on Friday to ‘pause’ releasing UK-wide figures across all settings amid accuracy concerns.
A further 27 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in Britain today, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths during the pandemic to 45,300
Matt Hancock has ordered a review into claims by academics that the number of coronavirus deaths recorded in the UK during the pandemic had been exaggerated
In a bid to better control any future outbreaks, it was today revealed that Mr Hancock will give in to local councils and allow access to the names and data of people in their areas who have tested positive for coronavirus , sources say. Pictured: A drive-through test centre in Chessington in May
A total of 726 people tested positive for the virus across the UK bringing the total number of cases to 294,792.
On Friday, Matt Hancock ordered a review into claims by academics that the number of coronavirus deaths recorded in the UK during the pandemic had been exaggerated.
Oxford University experts have claimed the Government’s official count of COVID-19 deaths has been inflated and fewer than 40 people per day are now dying.
They say that the way officials count the death of anyone who has previously tested positive for coronavirus – even if it is months ago – gives a misleading picture.
The low figures come the same day after a record-breaking surge in coronavirus cases was reported world-wide – as almost 260,000 people tested positive for the virus in 24 hours.
The most significant increases were noted in the US, Brazil, India and South Africa, as the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases surpassed 14 million.
On Saturday, the World Health Organisation reported 71,484 new cases in the US, 45,403 in Brazil, 34,884 in India and 13,373 in South Africa.
It comes as the global death toll reached 601,549, with the largest daily increase since May 10 reported on Saturday when 7,360 patients died.
However, experts believe true numbers around the world are much higher due to testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations.
In a bid to better control any future outbreaks, it was today revealed that Mr Hancock will give in to local councils and allow access to the names and data of people in their areas who have tested positive for coronavirus, sources say.
Local authorities are said to have been calling for full access to ‘named patient data’ in order to properly tackle local outbreaks.
And now the health secretary will announce that public health directors working with councils will be able to access the named data – as long as they abide by strict rules on data protection.
On Saturday, the World Health Organisation reported 71,484 new cases in the US, 45,403 in Brazil, 34,884 in India and 13,373 in South Africa. Pictured: Mumbai today
Medics tend to a coronavirus patient in the Intensive Care Unit at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital in New Delhi, India
An unnamed Government source told The Observer: ‘Subject to necessary data safeguards, we will enhance the level of this detail to ensure that local public health teams on the ground have the information they need to fight this virus.’
He added: ‘We’re providing more and more detailed data to local directors of public health who sign data protection agreements, to help them tackle local outbreaks and hunt down this virus.’
A spokesman from Public Health England said the paper’s report was ‘accurate’, adding: ‘We have been routinely sharing test data with local authorities and are continually increasing the level of detail.’
The report was welcomed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who said he had been pushing to access named patient data for ‘weeks’.
There are currently more than two million cases in Brazil, which has the second worst death toll at 78,772, and around one million infections in India. Pictured: Rio de Janeiro on July 15
A crew of a private ambulance service in Port Elizabeth wear personal protective equipment