DORSET insurer LV= has paid out more than £6million over deaths from Covid-19, with the youngest claimant aged 44.

LV= said it had received 384 claims over coronavirus-related deaths.

The age of claimants ranged from 44 to 87, while 71 per cent of those who died were men. The highest claim value was £800,000 and the claims totalled £6.02m.

Seven months after LV= received its first Covid claim on March 16, the County Gates-based business had also paid out nearly 190 claims on personal sick pay policies.

Payments for personal sick pay totalled £64,000, with the most common claimants being nurses, care assistants, carpenters, hairdressers and builders.

The youngest claimant was 21 and the oldest 63, with an average of 37. Men made up 72 per cent of the claimants, who were each assessed individually by phone. LV= says claims were paid into their accounts within two days.

Debbie Kennedy, director of protection at LV=, said: “The financial and emotional impacts of the coronavirus and lockdown are far reaching, worrying and uncertain.

“I’m proud of how we’re adapting to offer reassurance and support where we can; it’s in times like these that the strengths of mutuality can come to the fore.

“Since the start of the outbreak, we have been reviewing every aspect of what we do – including flexing our underwriting and claims processes and options to best support our members, and to help people get the cover they need in place without delay.

“Protection is more than the pure insurance benefit and paying claims, it can also help with everyday challenges too. The emotional and practical support through LV= Doctor Services and our Member Care Line, including 24/7 counselling and remote GP services, are proving invaluable during this time.

“For our existing members, we’re offering more options for those struggling to make ends meet, with much needed financial relief and with the reassurance that they can keep their policy in place.”