NHS England has revealed for the first time the number of people who died with coronavirus with pre-existing conditions. The figures show that since March 31 - when pre-existing conditions began to be reported - of the 22,332 Covid-19 patients who died in hospitals in England, 5,873 (26 per cent) had diabetes.
Elsewhere 4,048 (18 per cent) had dementia, 3,254 (15 per cent) were reported to have chronic pulmonary disease, while 1,549 patients had asthma.
NHS England said the accuracy of the data is reliant on the availability and transfer of information by healthcare providers, and patients may have had more than one pre-existing condition.