FORTY-FIVE more people have died with coronavirus in Dorset hospitals, latest figures show.

The new figure includes deaths which were not recorded in previous days due to a lag.

Data released by NHS England shows 34 more people died at the University Hospitals Dorset Trust, taking the trust’s total since the start of the pandemic to 449.

The newly recorded deaths came on January 26, when two people died, ten people died on January 25, 13 died on January 24, five died on January 23 and three died on January 22.

Six more deaths were also recorded at the Dorset County Hospital, taking the hospital’s total to 69.

One person died on January 26, two people on January 24, one person on January 23 and two people on January 22.

Finally, a further five deaths were recorded at the Dorset Healthcare Trust, taking the trust’s total to 50.

The deaths occurred when one person died on January 26, two people died on January 23, one person died on January 21 and another died on January 19.

A further 973 people died with Covid-19 in hospitals across England, including 95 in the south west.

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.