THE number of patients to have died at the trust which runs Colchester Hospital has passed 1,000, official figures show.

NHS England figures show 1,001 people had died in hospital at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on Monday.

This is an increase of 10 compared to Sunday, when there were 991.

It means there have been 90 deaths in the past week, down from 143 the previous week.

The victims were among 8,652 deaths recorded across the East of England.

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

This means some of the deaths which 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 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.