A further three coronavirus patients at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust have died taking the total number reported in October so far to 12.

Two of the patients were among 61 deaths reported today by NHS England across the country.

They had both tested positive for Covid-19 and they both died on Friday (October 16).

NHS England says the 61 patients were aged between 54 and 96-years-old. All except four (aged 56 to 92) had known underlying health conditions.

A third patient at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust passed away a day earlier on Thursday.

There have been 14 deaths of patients who tested positive for Covid-19 reported by the trust since September 25 - more than the rest of September, August, July, and half of June combined.

No trust in the eastern region of England has recorded more coronavirus deaths than West Hertfordshire in October, with the trust's death toll currently at 388.

Figures published on the government's dashboard today show 23 new patients were admitted to hospitals in the east of England on Friday, and as of today (October 18) there are a total of 226 coronavirus patients in hospital in the east - up from 137 a week earlier, and from 39 on September 24.

There are currently 23 patients in the east of England on a ventilator, up from 16 a week earlier, and four from September 24.

In London, there are 498 patients in hospital, up from 338 a week ago, with 86 on ventilation - up from 57 a week ago.

The north west of England continues to see the highest number of hospitalisations - currently 1,218 coronavirus patients in hospitals.

Dashboard figures show a total of 4,974 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of today up from 3,451 a week ago, while 503 were in ventilation beds, up from 401 a week ago.

The Government said that, as of 9am today, there had been a further 16,982 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 722,409.