Coronavirus death toll in UK increases by 621 bringing total to 28,131

A further people 621 have died after contracting coronavirus in the UK, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed.

The latest death toll announcement brings the total number of deaths in the UK to 28,131.

This includes people who had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Friday.

Another 370 patients have died in hospitals in England from coronavirus, according to the NHS. Of the 370 new deaths announced in England, 75 occurred on May 1, 149 occurred on April 30 and 52 occurred on April 29.

The figures also show 85 of the new deaths took place between April 1 and April 28 while the remaining nine deaths occurred in March, with the earliest new death taking place on March 13.

Of the 20,853 confirmed reported deaths so far in hospitals in England of people who tested positive for Covid-19, 10,901 (52%) have been people aged 80 and over while 8,119 (39%) were 60-79.

A further 1,672 (8%) were aged 40-59, with 150 (1%) aged 20-39 and 11 (0.05%) aged 0-19, according to NHS England.

Local government minister Robert Jenrick announced the latest death toll at the daily coronavirus briefing on Saturday. Credit: PA

Coronavirus cases in Wales passes 10,000 mark

In Wales another 44 people have died in hospitals, bringing the total fatalities there to 969, according to Public Health Wales.

It comes as the number of confirmed cases in Wales passes 10,000, health officials have announced.

Dr Chris Williams, incident director for the Covid-19 outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said Wales appeared to have passed the peak of new cases, but repeated the warning that the public had to stay at home.

Dr Williams said: "We seem to have passed the peak and flattened the curve of new cases of Covid-19 in Wales, which appears to be an indication of the effectiveness of lockdown measures.

"We are currently working with the Welsh Government to determine the best approach for when the lockdown is eventually eased.

"In the meantime, social distancing rules remain in effect. Public Health Wales fully supports Welsh Government's revised stay-at-home regulations. The message has not changed - anyone can get coronavirus, anyone can spread it. Stay home, protect the NHS, and save lives."

Tests for Covid-19 are being carried out in several laboratories across the UK. Credit: PA

44 more deaths in Scotland as First Minister orders testing boost

In Scotland another 44 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the country's total deaths to 1,559.

Figures from the Scottish Government released on Saturday evening show the number of people who have tested positive for the virus is at 11,927, a rise of 273 from the previous day.

The latest figures come after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced an expansion to coronavirus testing north of the border.

There will be expanded testing of care home staff and residents, with all over-65s who show symptoms of the virus also being tested.

She set a target for testing capacity to increase to 10,500 by the end of next week, including both Scottish NHS laboratories and the UK Government's testing network.

The latest figures comes as US regulators have approved the use of the first drug which appears to help coronavirus patients recover quicker.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the use of remdesivir, a drug previously used to treat ebola patients, after studies showed it shortened recovery time by 31 per cent, or around four days on average, for hospitalised Covid-19 patients.

The drug is can now be administered to patients with severe conditions, such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know