TWO coronavirus deaths have been recorded at Leighton Hospital in the past 24 hours, the latest official figures show.

NHS England figures show 136 people had died in hospital at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the trust that manages Leighton Hospital, as of 5pm on Wednesday (May 6).

That was an increase of two compared to Tuesday, when there were 134.

A week ago, there had been 112 deaths recorded.

The victims were among 3,356 deaths recorded across the north west, which is the third-worst affected of England's seven NHS regions after London and the midlands.

Of 28 trusts within the region, Mid Cheshire Hospitals trust has the 15th-highest death toll.

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 last 24 hours may actually have taken place days earlier.

Northwich Guardian:

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.

Across England, the death toll hit 22,432 on Wednesday, up from 22,049 on Tuesday.

Separate figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show 201,101 people had tested positive for Covid-19 across the UK as of 9am on Wednesday, up from 194,990.