Highest weekend coronavirus death toll in Yorkshire hospitals since May as almost 100 fatalities recorded

There were 68 deaths registered yesterday (Saturday) and 30 recorded today (Sunday).

The last time a weekend death toll was so high was over the weekend of May 2 and 3.

Deaths were recorded where a patient either tested positive for Covid-19 or where no positive test result was received for Covid-19, but Covid-19 was mentioned on their death certificate.

NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death at hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago.

It means there have been 3,685 coronavirus deaths across Yorkshire's hospitals since the start of the pandemic.

Today (Sunday), the latest statistics for the whole of England showed a further 122 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 34,496.

Patients were aged between 44 and 98.

All except four, aged between 61 and 95, had known underlying health conditions.

The deaths were between October 15 and November 7.

Three other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

It comes as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab responded to the Government amending a slide which showed there could be up to 4,000 deaths a day linked to coronavirus by next month.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, statistician and chairman of the Winton Centre for risk and evidence communication at the University of Cambridge, had previously described the data which was shared with the public to justify a second lockdown in England as a “mess”.

Asked whether the Government is presenting “the scariest data” on Covid-19, Mr Raab told Sky: “No, look, we showed models which show what could happen if certain scenarios play out.

“We corrected the slide you referred to and it was the wealth of scientific information that comes forward… we tried to be as transparent as possible.”

He added that “mistakes are made or facts have to be changed, but that is the point of transparency”.

On banning foreign visitors from Denmark from entering the UK, Mr Raab was confident it was the right step and described it as a “common sense measure”.

Denmark was removed from the Government’s list of travel corridors due to widespread outbreaks of Covid-19 in its mink farms.

It led to the Government announcing a ban on foreign visitors from the country.

Mr Raab said: “Although it is a precautionary step, I think it is the right step whilst we engage with all of the health experts around the world, with the Danish authorities, and be clear about what has happened in Denmark, in particular in relation to the minks.”

From 4am on Saturday, all non-British national or resident travellers who have been in or transited through Denmark in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter the UK.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I wouldn’t describe it as draconian taking a precautionary measure to make sure that if and when we come up with a vaccine it can’t be sidestepped by a mutation in the virus which the Danes have found through their mink population.

“I think that is a common sense measure the public would expect us to take. I spoke to my Danish opposite number on Friday about it.”

Elsewhere, news has emerged of senior Government figures including Mr Gove and Health Secretary Matt Hancock being made to surrender their phones as part of a “chatty rat” inquiry.