FIVE new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) in the latest 24-hour period, official figures show.

NHS England figures show 442 people had died in hospital at UHMBT as of 5pm on Wednesday.

That was an increase of five compared to Tuesday, when there were 437.

It means there have been 23 deaths in the past week, up from 18 the previous week.

The victims were among 11,007 deaths recorded across the North West, which is the third-worst-affected of England's seven NHS regions - after the Midlands and London.

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, such as those in care homes, excluded.