SEVEN more coronavirus deaths have been recorded by the hospitals trust covering Bury, according to new figures released last night.

NHS England figures show 623 people had died in hospital at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as of 5pm on Tuesday.

That was an increase of seven compared to Monday, when there were 616.

It means there have been 24 deaths in the past week, up from 17 the previous week at the trust, which runs Fairfield General, as well as the Royal Oldham, Salford Royal and Rochdale Infirmary hospital sites.

The victims were among 5,557 deaths recorded across the North West, which is the third-worst affected of England's seven NHS regions after London and the midlands.

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.