The new figures come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson battles the disease in the intensive care ward of a London hospital A record number of people in the UK were reported to have died from the coronavirus in 24 hours, denting hopes the spread of the disease is slowing, daily figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show.
A further 786 people died from the virus, the department said. In total, 55,242 people have tested positive for the disease in the UK. "As of 5pm on 6 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 6,159 have sadly died," the health ministry tweeted, up from 5,373 on Monday.