Coronavirus: 367 more COVID-19 deaths in UK

Covid-19 was involved in 49 deaths in the West Midlands in the seven days up to October 16 - the highest weekly figure since early July.

The number of Covid deaths in England and Wales has doubled every fortnight, up from 139 in September to 321 two weeks later and, now, 670 on Tuesday.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today (Tuesday) says that the person died in a hospital in the week ending October 16, with the death registered up to October 24.

The UK has recorded a further 22,885 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 367 new Covid-19 related deaths have been reported. With four more deaths recorded, there have now been 3,103 deaths attributed to the virus.

It came as British analysis of more than 21,000 hospital admissions showed that, between March and June, death rates in intensive care from Covid had halved from 41 per cent to 21 per cent.

Overall, the number of deaths from all causes registered in the United Kingdom in the week ending October 16 was 11,928, which was 726 deaths higher than the five-year average, the equivalent of about 7 per cent.

Greater Manchester, Merseyside and swathes of Lancashire and Cheshire have been forced into Tier Three lockdowns because of spiralling cases in the region.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, 87 deaths were registered: the highest since the week to June 19. Covid-19 is a disease that thrives in densely populated areas where it can jump between people.

In north-east England, 93 Covid-19 deaths were registered in the week to October 16, which is also the highest since the week to June 5.

The South East was the only region to have fewer deaths from all causes than the average for this time over the past five years.

Together, these totals mean that so far 61,116 deaths involving Covid-19 have taken place in the UK.

Hospitals are also still scrambling to get services back up and running and cut down record waiting lists after months of operating at a fraction of their capacity, meaning many people are struggling to get appointments, tests and operations.

There are no active outbreaks in long-term care or retirements homes, while there has yet to be an outbreak reported in a school or daycare in Grey-Bruce.

The biggest rise was in those aged over 90, with Covid-19 deaths nearly doubling - 132 deaths in the week ending October 16, up from 67 deaths the previous week.

About one in eight of the 4,346 registered hospital deaths in the week ending October 16 involved coronavirus.

Overall, 85 per cent of the excess deaths in private homes were of those aged 70 years and over (662 excess deaths).

A further 13 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to the Health Department.

The ONS data shows that 64 people from West Berkshire have died with coronavirus in care homes, 64 in hospitals, six at home, one death recorded as elsewhere and one in a hospice.