UK death toll now highest in Europe according to new official figures

The number of deaths in the UK linked to coronavirus is over 32,000.

The Office for National Statistics said that 29,648 Covid-19 related deaths had occurred in England and Wales up to April 27.

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That figure rises to 32,313 with the addition of deaths in Scotland and Northern Ireland according to calculations by Reuters

Higher than Italy

This new figure is well in excess of the figure in Italy, 29,029, who had previously been the continent's worst hit country.

It is thought that figures in Italy will dramatically inflate in the coming months, and it is worth noting that the current figures only include people who tested positive for the virus.

UK scientific experts have repeatedly encouraged caution when comparing international figures, stating that ultimately the number of excess deaths will be the best indicator of how each country has been impacted by the virus.

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The latest death toll released by the Department of Health and Social Care was released yesterday.

A statement by the government department read: "As of 9am 4 May, there have been 1,291,591 tests, with 85,186 tests on 3 May.

"945,299 people have been tested of which 190,584 tested positive.

"As of 5pm on 3 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 28,734 have sadly died."