The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) has confirmed the deaths of three more patients who had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

All three newly-reported deaths occurred on April 15, taking the death toll there to 52.

It comes as 15 people in total were confirmed to have died in Norfolk hospitals after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, a new high for the number of fatalities reported in one day.The total number of deaths so far in the region now stands at 148, up from 133 the previous day.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn released no new figures on Wednesday, but today announced that a further 10 patients had died after contracting Covid-19.

One patient died on April 10 and another the day after, while four patients died on both April 12 and April 13, taking the current total at that hospital to 51.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital CEO Caroline Shaw said: “Sadly, the deaths of ten patients, four men and six women between the ages of 68 and 93, who had tested positive for Covid-19 and were being cared for in our hospital, have been confirmed. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones.”

Meanwhile, two new fatalities reported at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston – both on April 14 – takes the total there to 45.

In Suffolk, 141 patients have died at hospitals run by the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, up six from 135 on Wednesday, while one more confirmed death at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds takes the total number of people to have lost their lives there after contracting the disease to 18.

READ MORE: Care home CEO calls for more support as eight residents die from coronavirusNHS England has announced 740 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 12,396.

Of the 740 new deaths announced today, 151 occurred on April 15, 314 occurred on April 14 and 122 occurred on April 13.

The figures also show 143 of the deaths took place between April 1 and April 12, and the remaining 10 deaths occurred in March, with the earliest new death taking place on March 9.

READ MORE: Hundreds of staff from fashion stores made redundant after administrators called inNHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago. This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for post-mortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated.

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