Coronavirus: Further Shropshire death brings region's hospital death toll to 84
Another coronavirus patient has been confirmed to have died in Shropshire taking the county's hospital death toll to 84.
Across the UK, the death toll increased by 360 to a total of 21,092. In England the figure increased by 329 to 18,749.
NHS England announced the latest death had taken place at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH). .
It means that the total number of coronavirus deaths at the county's major health trusts has now reached 84.
The number of patients to have died and tested positive for Covid-19 at SaTH, which manages both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital Telford, is 77.
Four other patients have died in the care of Shropshire Community Health Trust and three at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry.
It has also been confirmed that there have now been seven deaths recorded in Powys.
Of the most recent 329 to die, 22, the youngest of which was 29, had no known underlying health condition.
In Powys a total of 157 cases have been confirmed, an increase of three from Sunday. In total there have been 553 tests in the county.
The news comes as around 6,000 people who have recovered from Covid-19 have signed up to donate their blood plasma to see if it can help patients currently infected with the virus.
A call from the NHS for patients to come forward has led to around 6,000 registrants who tested positive for coronavirus, including more than 500 people who were admitted to hospital.
Some have now begun donating their blood plasma in a process known as plasmapheresis, which uses a machine similar to that used in regular blood platelet donation.
The plasma from former patients is rich in the antibodies that develop as somebody recovers from an illness.
In other news, the nation is expected to fall silent in tribute to key workers who have died in the coronavirus pandemic.
Boris Johnson, who battled the illness himself, including a spell in intensive care, will be among those observing the minute’s silence on Tuesday at 11am.
Government workers will be asked to take part and the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it is hoped others will participate “nationwide”.
The Unison union, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing launched a campaign last week for the nation to take a moment to honour frontline staff who have died during the Covid-19 crisis.
Between them, the organisations represent more than a million NHS and public service workers including porters, refuse collectors and care staff.
As the Prime Minister returned to take charge of the Government’s response to the coronavirus crisis following his recovery from Covid-19, he said there are signs that the UK is “passing through the peak” of the outbreak and “coming now to the end of the first phase of this conflict”.
Comparing the disease to a mugger, he said: “This is the moment when we have begun, together, to wrestle it to the floor.”
But he said it is also the moment of maximum risk because of the danger that people would look at the “apparent success” and “go easy” on social distancing measures.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) said firms have voluntarily agreed to remove all their gaming product advertising for at least six weeks.
It comes a week after the Government wrote to gambling firms asking them to provide regular updates on how they are tackling problem gambling during the coronavirus lockdown.
The industry body said existing TV and radio advertising slots will be replaced by safer gambling messages, donated to charities or removed from broadcast where contracts allow.
