Three new coronavirus-related deaths recorded at Royal Cornwall Hospital
As of Monday, 78 people with Covid-19 have died in hospital in Cornwall
Three new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust in the latest 24-hour period, the latest official figures show.
NHS England figures show 78 people had died in hospital at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust as of 5pm on Monday (December 21).
That was an increase of three compared to Sunday, when there were 75.
It means there have been seven deaths in the past week. The previous week there were no new deaths recorded.
The victims were among 2,164 deaths recorded across the South West.
Meantime, the number of recorded coronavirus cases in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly increased by 101 in the last 24 hours, official figures show.
Public Health England figures show that 4,508 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday (December 22nd), up from 4,407 the same time on Monday.
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.