Another 938 coronavirus patients have died in UK hospitals, taking the total to 7,097.

The Department of Health said as of 9am on Wednesday, 232,708 people have been tested, of which 60,733 tested positive.

Overall, 282,074 tests have been carried out, with 14,682 tests on Tuesday.

In England, there have been 828 more deaths, with the total now 6,483.

The latest figures, released by NHS England, count newly-confirmed deaths of hospital patients who have COVID-19, reported up until 5pm on Tuesday.


Patients were aged between 22 and 103, and 46 (aged 35 to 96) had no known underlying health condition.

The highest number of coronavirus fatalities came in London, with 201, followed by 171 in the Midlands, where a temporary mortuary is nearing completion at Birmingham Airport.

Also reporting three figures were the North West with 128 the South East with 120, and the North East with 101.

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There were 70 deaths recorded in the East of England and 37 in the South West.

It is the largest overall increase reported by NHS England so far.

Image: The NHS Nightingale has taken on its first patients

The other home nations have also reported increases in deaths:

70 in Scotland - a rise to 366

33 in Wales - total is 245

Five in Northern Ireland - total is 78

Those figures combined with NHS England's total took the nationwide daily rise to 936.

But the different home nations collate their figures at different times throughout the day, so there are sometimes discrepancies between the UK government's total when adding up the individual numbers.

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The latest increase came amid a growing sense that the UK lockdown will be extended beyond its original timeframe, which comes to an end on Monday.

Britons have been living under stringent restrictions on movement in the last few weeks since the prime minister announced unprecedented measures in a bid to halt the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Health minister Edward Argar told Kay Burley@Breakfast it was "not the right moment" to make changes, with any decision likely to be made by the cabinet in the absence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He remains in intensive care but is said to be responding to treatment for his coronavirus symtoms.

Wales' devolved government has already confirmed its measures will remain in place beyond the Easter weekend, taking the lockdown further than the three-weeks laid out by Downing Street last month.