THE latest figures show there have been ten new Covid deaths have been recorded across south Essex hospital trusts.

At both Southend hospital trust, and Basildon and Thurrock hospital trust, five deaths were reported at each, as of 5pm on Tuesday.

Figures show that 489 people have now died in hospital at Southend hospital trust, while 645 have lost their lives to Covid at the Basildon and Thurrock hospital trust.

In Southend, there has been 79 deaths in the past week, up from 45 the previous week, while in Basildon, the figure sits at 52, down from 68 the previous week.

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A spokesman from the NHS, said: "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."