A total of 8958 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the updated figure, which applies as of 5pm yesterday.
The new total is up by 980 on the 7978 deaths reported 24 hours before.
It means the UK has now exceeded the highest daily death tolls recorded by Italy or Spain – 971 and 950 respectively.
NHS England has said 866 people died in England, taking the total to 8114. Patients were aged between 27 and 100 years old – and 56 of them had no known underlying health condition.
Earlier, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed another 48 patients who had tested positive for coronavirus have died in Scotland. This brings the total deaths in Scotland to 495.
The First Minister said there were 318 new confirmed cases, taking the total up to 5275. Of those, 1832 are in hospital, and 207 are in intensive care.
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