Coronavirus UK deaths reach 603 over 24-hour period

UK official death toll nears 60,000 as cases top 1.6m

The UK has recorded a further 603 coronavirus-related deaths over 24 hours, according to government data. 

The latest government figures bring the official UK Covid-19 death toll to 59,051.  

Some 13,430 new infections have also been confirmed, bringing the UK total to 1,643,086.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 74,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The daily death toll accounts for people who died in the 24 hours up to Tuesday within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.  

The rise in Covid-19 deaths registered each week in England and Wales is slowing down, the latest figures show.

A total of 2,697 deaths registered in the week ending 20 November mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It is the highest number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the week ending 15 May.

But the figure is an increase of just nine per cent on the previous week.

This is the lowest week-on-week percentage rise in registered deaths since the start of the second wave of Covid-19 in early September.

The ONS figures show the increase in deaths started to slow in late October.

Deaths jumped by 53 per cent in the week to 16 October, then by 46 per cent the following week, then by 41 per cent, 40 per cent, 27 per cent and most recently nine per cent.

Covid-19 still accounted for just over a fifth (21.5 per cent) of all deaths registered in England and Wales in the week to 20 November, however.

Every region of England except one — Eastern England — recorded an increase in deaths involving Covid-19 in the latest figures.

Additional reporting by PA