More than 500 patients have died with Covid-19 in Dorset hospitals since the start of the pandemic.

Latest figures showed a further 12 people had died after recording positive results for the coronavirus.

Over the past 10 months, a total of 502 people have died with the virus across the county’s hospitals.

University Hospitals Dorset, which runs Royal Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals, confirmed 10 deaths in the latest data released on January 21.

Four were recorded on January 18 with a further four the following day. The other two occurred on January 10 and 14.

Dorset County Hospital reported two deaths on January 19 and 20.

Yesterday, another 19 deaths were reported across Dorset hospitals. 

University Hospitals Dorset has confirmed 228 deaths in total, Dorset County Hospital 56 and Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust 43.

Prior to the hospital merger, Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital confirmed 68 and 107 deaths respectively.

NHS officials said a further 789 people who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 64,111.

Patients were aged between 8 and 111 years old.

All except twenty-eight (aged 25 to 97 years old) had known underlying health conditions.

Date of death ranges from October 20, 2020, to January, 20, 2021 with the majority on or after January 17.