The number of daily coronavirus hospital deaths has risen by 578 - following a rise in infection rates across 10 areas of England.
England recorded 494 new deaths, while Wales recorded 27, Scotland 48 and Northern Ireland recorded 9 in the last 24 hours. Today's figures follow a total of 1,001 people who died yesterday with the virus - the lowest Wednesday death rate so far in 2021.
The last time fewer people died on a Wednesday of Covid in the UK was on December 30, when 981 lives were lost. While latest figures show the nation's smallest county still has the highest coronavirus rate in England due to an outbreak inside a jail.
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