NO new coronavirus related deaths have been recorded in Herefordshire this week, figures released by NHS England this afternoon show.

So far, a total of seven people have died with the virus while receiving hospital treatment in Herefordshire. The last reported deaths in the county were on April 2.

They were among 1,367 deaths recorded across the midlands, which is the second worst affected of England's seven NHS regions after London.

Of the 26 trusts across the midlands, the Wye Valley trust has the ​20th highest death toll.

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 last 24 hours 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 excluded, such as those in care homes.

Across England, the death toll hit 6,483 on Tuesday, up from 5,655.

Separate figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show 55,242 people had tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 51,608 on Monday.