COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 400 people across Cumbria in all settings, new figures reveal.

According to the latest statistics released today by the government, the number of fatalities reported by the two NHS trusts which operate hospitals in the county has reached 280.

Some 126 of those patients were being treated at either The Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle or West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

North Cumbria Integrated Care Foundation Trust, which runs both hospitals, this week reported two more patient deaths.

During the last five days, patient deaths were not reported by the trust on three days.

At the NHS trust which runs Furness General Hospital in Barrow as well as a hospital in Lancashire, the death toll now stands at 154.

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust, which manages the south Cumbrian hospital, has reported 154 deaths.

Five of those deaths were in the last five days.

There were two days when no deaths were reported.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities in community settings - almost all of them in care homes - stood at 145, according to figures released by Cumbria County Council.

Of those, 54 deaths are confirmed as being caused by Covid-19, while 94 are currently classed as "suspected".

Thus, in all settings, the county's coronavirus death toll is 425.

There are currently 18 care homes in the county where there are Covid-19 outbreaks, though that number is said to be decreasing.

There are 258 confirmed cases in care and nursing homes, together with a further 54 suspected cases among residents.

Over the same period, since the outbreak began in Cumbria, there have been 170 non-covid deaths reported in Cumbria's care homes, say officials.

The government's official UK coronavirus death toll is 30,615.

The North East based trust which manages Carlisle's Carleton Clinic psychiatric unit has reported seven deaths.

Officials at the trust have not said where those patients were being treated.

In Europe the death toll has now passed 150,000 according to new figures - making the continent the worst-hit region globally.

The figure was released as The Bank of England warned of the economic impact of the public health crisis, with economists predicting that the pandemic could cause the deepest recession in living memory, with a contraction of 14% expected this year.