Coronavirus: UK COVID-19 deaths rise by 259 – at least 13 were healthy adults

Another 259 people have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus – with at least 13 of them having no underlying health problems.

The latest figures mean a total of 1,028 people have died in the UK after contracting the virus.

The vast majority of those were in England, where a further 246 deaths means a total of 935 people have died.

NHS England said the victims there were aged between 33 and 100, and all but 13 of them had underlying health conditions. Those without underlying health conditions were aged between 63 and 99.

Scotland has had seven more deaths, bringing the total to 40. There have been four more fatalities in Wales, bringing the total to 38. Northern Ireland has had 15 deaths after two more people who tested positive for the disease died.

It is not clear how many of those who died in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had underlying health conditions.

The highest number of deaths in one area was at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust in England where 16 people died. Fifteen of the deaths were at the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust.

Out of the 259 coronavirus-linked deaths announced on Saturday, more than 75 were in London.

There were 17,089 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Saturday.

Some 120,776 people had been tested.

The figures have been released by the government as new pictures emerged from inside the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London’s Excel building.

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Once work is completed this week, the facility will be able to hold 4,000 patients at a time.

Two more of these temporary mega-hospitals are to be built – one in Birmingham and one in Manchester.

Yesterday it was announced that a mortuary for up to 12,000 bodies is being worked on at Birmingham’s airport.

Meanwhile, Hundreds of frontline NHS staff will be tested this weekend to find out if they have the coronavirus.

Cabins have been set up at the Chessington World of Adventures theme park on the outskirts of southwest London.

NHS staff will drive up to them and get their nose and mouths swabbed by nurses to be sent off for testing.

Conservative MP Alister Jack became the latest cabinet member to announce he is self-isolating after experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus on Saturday.

The prime minister and his health secretary, Matt Hancock, have both tested positive for COVID-19.

Boris Johnson sought to show he’s still leading the government’s response by chairing the daily cross-Whitehall crisis response meeting via videolink on Saturday.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: UK COVID-19 deaths rise by 259 – at least 13 were healthy adults