UK's official coronavirus death toll rises by 155 to 43,730

30 June 2020, 19:37

A further 155 people in the UK have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the country's official total to 43,730.

The latest figures from the Department of Health and Social Care cover fatalities among those who have contracted Covid-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community.

Another 689 confirmed cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, from 133,467 total tests in the same period.

However, the number of people tested has been “unavailable” in official figures since May.

The latest deaths are the lowest Tuesday toll since 26 May, when 134 people died.

The hospital-only coronavirus death toll in the UK now stands at 33,255, after England announced that a further 37 patients died on Tuesday.

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Three new Covid-19 deaths were reported in Scotland, bringing the total to 2,485, Nicola Sturgeon said. It breaks a four-day run of no new coronavirus deaths logged in the country, but the First Minister said the weekly figures show a “sustained and significant ongoing reduction”.

Ms Sturgeon said 10 more people had tested positive for the virus since Monday, taking the total to 18,251.

A total of 885 patients are in Scottish hospitals with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, up 145 in 24 hours, she added, 19 of these in intensive care.

Public Health Wales said a further three people had died, taking the total number of deaths to 1,510, while the total number of cases in Wales increased by 24 to 15,743.

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It comes as the number of deaths registered in the UK in the week up to 10 June slipped below the five-year average level for the first time since lockdown began.

Of the 10,681 deaths registered in the week up to 19 June, 849 (eight per cent) mentioned coronavirus, eight below the five-year average and the lowest since the week of 13 March.

Four out of five local authorities in the UK have seen death rates align with or fall below normal levels, up from just 10 of 187 local authorities at the peak in mid-April.

But Leicester became the first area of the UK to enter local lockdown on Tuesday following a surge in coronavirus cases, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying the East Midlands city now accounts for around 10 per cent of new infections in the country.

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