The official UNited Kingdom (UK) COVID-19 death toll has increased by 4,419 after the government included deaths outside hospital for the first time.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, total of 26,097 patients had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, according to Public Health England.
The figures have been revised retrospectively by PHE since the first death on 2 March 2020. They include 765 deaths reported in the 24 hours to 5pm on 28 April.
The change comes after weeks of criticism of the way that the UK had been reporting its coronavirus death toll, which made effective comparisons with other European countries impossible.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at PHE, said:
“Every death from COVID-19 is a tragedy. Tracking the daily death count is vital to help us understand the impact of the disease.
“These more complete data will give us a fuller and more up to date picture of deaths in England and will inform the government’s approach as we continue to protect the public.”
The Guardian (UK)
