THE death toll from Covid has almost doubled this week compared to last week according to new figures from a hospital trust.

East Suffolk and North Essex Trust recorded seven more deaths in the latest 24-hour period.

NHS England figures show 593 people had died in hospital at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on Tuesday (January 5).

It means there have been 51 deaths in the past week, up from 29 the previous week.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance states: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

The victims were among 5,456 deaths recorded across the East of England.