Dozens of new coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Southend Hospital in the latest 24-hour period, official figures show.

NHS England figures show 440 people had died in hospital at Southend Hospital as of 5pm on yesterday.

That was an increase of 30 compared to Tuesday, when there were 410.

It means there have been 75 deaths in the past week, up from 23 the previous week.

The victims were among 5,557 deaths recorded across the East of England.

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.