A FURTHER eight people have died in the region after testing positive for coronavirus. 

A total of 15 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,401, NHS England said today.

The patients were aged between 67 and 100 years old and all had known underlying health conditions apart from one 91-year-old.

Twelve deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.

The region with the highest number of deaths was the North East and Yorkshire with eight.

There were no deaths reported in the North West, where local lockdown measures in place in Greater Manchester and parts of east Lancashire were extended on Friday to include Preston.

The Government said 46,566 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Friday, up by 55 from the day before.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been 56,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The Government also said that in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 758 lab-confirmed cases. Overall, a total of 309,763 cases have been confirmed.

Here are the latest figures published today for confirmed coronavirus deaths in North East and North Yorkshire hospitals.

The figures are published by NHS England and include patients who have died in hospital and had either tested positive for Covid-19 or where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust – 252

Gateshead Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – 135

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – 202

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust – 140

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 255

South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust – 325

Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 116

York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 214

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust - 82

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (mental health) – 7

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (mental health) – 7

Total of 1,735 deaths.