The NHS has been overwhelmed with patients and it is expected to get worse (Picture: EPA)

Thirty-seven people – aged between 18 and 102 – have died after testing positive for coronavirus in England, bringing the total there to 257, NHS England said.

All those who died were in vulnerable groups, including those with underlying conditions, the NHS said. They included five deaths at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, four at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and four at Croydon Health NHS Trust.

Across the UK the death toll currently stands at 281 and nearly 6,000 people have tested positive for the disease.

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Earlier today, Wales recorded a further seven new deaths, with the previous figure standing at 240. Scotland later reported an additional three deaths. It comes as 5,683 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the UK. Confirmed case numbers rose by 665 in a day.

The tally of coronavirus in the UK

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust said all five patients had died at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough and all had underlying health conditions.



In a statement, the trust said: ‘Their families have been informed and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

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‘The trust, DHSC, NHS England and NHS Improvement will not be giving out any further information on these patients.’

The latest figures come despite pleas for more social distancing, after the prime minister ordered pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants to close earlier this week in an attempt to curb the spread of the killer virus. Vulnerable people are being asked to isolate themselves for 12 weeks.

The Prime Minister said tougher measures would be introduced if people failed to heed warnings about social distancing.

He said: ‘Going outside now and taking exercise – you’ve got to take account of the medical advice and observe social distancing.

‘If people can’t do that, won’t do that, don’t do that then yes of course we’re going to have to bring in tougher measures.’

Responding to questions on the dangers to elderly people leaving their homes, Dr Harries said that the public had a responsibility to make outside spaces safer by not congregating.

People are treating the shut down of the UK like a holiday and heading to tourist hotspots, spreading the virus (Picture: SWNS)

‘There is a real balance point here – what we don’t want to find is that we grow mental health problems or we grow other physical problems because of such a strict imposition,’ she said.

‘The virus doesn’t last well outside for all sorts of reasons around temperature, UV light and everything else so actually an outdoor environment compared with an indoor one is generally a safer one – but the difficulty is if people are congregating outside or coming together.

‘A reasonably fit 70 year old who has been cooped up because he’s safely isolating at home for a number of nights and wants to go outside for a bit of fresh air, and does so at a distance of two metres from somebody else, will no doubt boost his mental health and he’ll no doubt feel able to tuck himself away perhaps for the next 23 and a half hours quite safely.’



Dr Harries added people who were congregating were ‘dangerous’ and making outside environments ‘unavailable’ to others.

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