SIXTEEN more people with coronavirus have died in Dorset, according to the latest figures. 

NHS England figures show 713 people with Covid-19 had died in hospital at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on Sunday (March 7). That was an increase of 16 compared to Friday, when there were 697.

Two of the deaths occurred on March 6, one person died on February 2, one died on February 1, one died on January 27 and 26, three fatalities occurred on January 25, three people died on January 21, two on January 17, one on January 16 and one on January 12.

Since the start of the pandemic, 713 people have died with the virus at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. The victims were among 4,379 deaths recorded across the South West.

107 patients with Covid-19 have died at Dorset County Hospital while 72 people have died within the Dorset Healthcare Trust.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community excluded, such as those in care homes.