FOUR new Coronavirus deaths have been recorded at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) in the latest 24-hour period, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures show 271 people had died in hospital at UHMBT as of 5pm on Monday.

That was an increase of four compared to Sunday, when there were 267.

It means there have been 19 deaths in the past week, down from 22 the previous week.

The victims were among 7,290 deaths recorded across the North West, which is the second-worst affected of England's seven NHS regions after the Midlands.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community, such as those in care homes, excluded.