ONE new coronavirus death has been recorded at The Dudley Group Trust over the weekend, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures show 745 people had died in hospital at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm yesterday (Sunday June 13).

That was an increase of one compared to Friday, when there were 744.

It means there have been two deaths in the past week, the same number as the previous week.

The victims were among 18,066 deaths recorded across the midlands, which is the worst affected of England's seven NHS regions.

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.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of around 450,000 people from three hospital sites at Russells Hall Hospital, Guest Outpatient Centre in Dudley and the Corbett Outpatient Centre in Stourbridge.