TEN new coronavirus deaths have been announced at hospitals in England, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures released today (September 21) show there was one death in the east of England, one in London, one in the midlands, four in the north east and Yorkshire and three in the north west.

Of those, three deaths occurred on September 20, five on September 19, one on September 18 and one on September 17.

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There have been no new coronavirus deaths recorded at Wye Valley NHS Trust since July 15, meaning the number of deaths in Herefordshire hospitals stands at 57.

The new deaths reported today come as the government's chief medical office Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance warned of a potential surge in deaths, and brings the total number of coronavirus deaths in English hospitals to 29,757.

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 excluded, such as those in care homes.