After New York’s health department amended how coronavirus deaths were counted, another 3,700 people who had fallen victim to the disease were added to the city’s total.

Officials confirmed on Tuesday that the death toll now included people who were not diagnosed with the coronavirus but were presumed to have died from it.

The sharp increase in reported deaths came as health department data confirmed a backlog of 3,700 presumptive coronavirus deaths.

That sent the city’s total number of deaths beyond the 10,000 mark, and according to New York Times analysis, increased the overall US death count by 17 per cent to more than 26,000.

Doubts around testing for the disease caused city health officials to record the unconfirmed coronavirus deaths between March 11 and April 13, which were then added to the total on Tuesday, reported The New York Times.

Mayor Bill de Blasio had been briefed on the presumed coronavirus death toll before deciding to publish the statistics on Tuesday.

“We know we’re not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve got a lot more to do. And we also know that the impact of this disease is being felt right now,” said Mr de Blasio.

The mayor’s press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, added that “As soon as the issue was raised, the mayor immediately moved to release the data.”

New statistics showed 60 per cent of presumptive coronavirus deaths occurred in hospitals, whilst 22 per cent were recorded in the victim’s home and 18 per cent in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

Last week, the mayor cautioned that “It is way too early to draw any definite conclusions” on an apparent flatlining in hospital admissions.

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Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said in a statement: “As a city, it is part of the healing process to be able to grieve and mourn for all those that have passed because of COVID-19.”

“While these data reflect the tragic impact that the virus has had on our city, they will also help us to determine the scale and scope of the epidemic and guide us in our decisions,” added Ms Barbot.

Another 744 new coronavirus deaths were confirmed in New York City for Monday and Tuesday.