Eight more people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Norfolk’s hospitals.

The deaths bring the total number of fatalities in the county’s hospitals up to 199.

As of Wednesday, both the Norfolk and Norfolk University Hospital in Norwich and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn have reported three more patient deaths from coronavirus.

Caroline Shaw, chief executive for the QEH, said “We can confirm today that a further three patients – a man in his 80s, a man in his 70s and a lady in her 90s – who had tested positive for COVID-19 have sadly died while being cared for at our hospital. “Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this difficult time.”

A spokesperson for the NNUH confirmed the patients who died were all male, two men in their 80s and a third in his 70s.

The deaths bring the total number of fatalities at the hospitals to 72 at the NNUH and 64 at the QEH.

READ MORE: Coronavirus facts and figuresMeanwhile, the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston has also reported two further deaths, one on April 20, and a second on April 21.

In a statement the hospital said: “Sadly, we can confirm that two patients who were being cared for at the James Paget University Hospital, and had tested positive for COVID-19, have died. The patients who died were a woman in her 50s and a man in his 80s. Both had underlying health conditions.

“Their families have been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”

Eastern Daily Press: Norfolk and Norwich Hospital April 2020 Pictures: BRITTANY WOODMANNorfolk and Norwich Hospital April 2020 Pictures: BRITTANY WOODMAN (Image: Archant)

The latest fatalities bring the total number of patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 at the JPUH up to 63.

The figures come after the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Norfolk passed 1,000 on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Two Norfolk resort towns among England’s worst hit by lockdownAcross the country, NHS England has announced a further 665 deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 16,272.

Of the 665 new deaths announced today, 119 occurred on April 21, 254 occurred on April 20 and 108 occurred on April 19.

The figures also show 175 of the new deaths recorded took place between April 1 and April 18, and the remaining nine deaths occurred in March, with the earliest new death taking place on March 22.

NHS 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.

The figures published today by NHS England show April 8 currently has the highest total for the most hospital deaths occurring on a single day: 828.