The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has reduced the coronavirus death toll by more than 5,000 following a review of how figures are calculated.

Officials said as of yesterday the number of all deaths in patients testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK within 28 days was 41,329.

Earlier Government figures said 46,706 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, as of 5pm on Tuesday.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have been 56,800 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The DHSC said the change came after the UK Government and devolved administrations agreed to publish the number of deaths that have occurred within 28 days of a positive lab-confirmed Covid test result each day.

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Previously deaths were included for anyone who had died following a positive coronavirus test at any point.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock last month ordered an urgent review into how Public Health England (PHE) calculates daily Covid-19 death figures.

It came after researchers criticised "statistical flaws" in the way the deaths are reported.