MORE patients at the hospital trust which runs Colchester Hospital have died after testing positive for coronavirus.

A further death was reported by Public Health England yesterday at the East Suffolk and North Essex Hospital Trust.

It follows an announcement by trust chief executive Nick Hulme on Saturday that three more patients had died due to Covid-19.

The coronavirus death toll for the trust now stands at 317.

In his statement released yesterday, Mr Hulme said: "We can confirm one patient in their 70s who had underlying health conditions, has sadly passed away at Ipswich Hospital.

"The patient had tested positive for Covid-19.

"Two patients in their 80s, have sadly passed away at Colchester Hospital, both had underlying health conditions and have Covid-19 listed on their death certificates."

Figures released by Public Health England yesterday revealed a further 147 people who tested positive for the coronavirus had died bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 25,691.

Patients were aged between 43 and 98-years-old. Five of the 147 patients (aged between 46 and 84) had no known underlying health condition.