The number of patients who have died from coronavirus in the UK has risen by 786 to reach 6,159.
The figures are a sharp increase on the 439 deaths that were recorded yesterday and mark the UK’s largest rise in daily deaths.
As of 9am this morning 213,181 people have been tested, of whom 55,242 tested positive, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
However, just 9,740 people were tested yesterday, with 14,006 tests carried out in total. The government has previously outlined plans to reach 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.
The steep rise in fatalities comes after the UK had enjoyed two consecutive falls in the daily rate of growth.
The latest figures showed 758 deaths in England, taking the country’s total to 5,655.
Deaths in Scotland rose by 74 to 296. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was a “relatively large” number after the government introduced a new system for recording deaths.
