More than 400 Covid deaths in English hospitals have been recorded in the most recent 24-hour period, the deadliest day of the entire second wave. 

According to NHS England, 405 deaths of people who had tested positive for Covid-19 across the country were recorded. 

Patients were aged between 26 and 100 years old, and the vast majority – all but 13 of the total – had known underlying health conditions.

Their actual dates of death range from July 2 to December 21, 2020, with most being on or after December 18.

The total number of deaths reported in a single 24-hour period has not topped 400 since April 29, but the way the data are reported means it will be several days before the number of deaths actually occurring today will be known. Here’s a guide to understanding the daily updates provided by the NHS and the UK’s governments.

The most recent figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) state that 691 Covid deaths were reported across the UK in all settings during the most recent 24-hour reporting period.  

According to the most recent figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of excess deaths that have occurred in the UK since the start of the coronavirus pandemic has now passed 80,000.

There is currently no evidence that the new mutated strain of Covid-19 spreading quickly through the South East of England – referred to as VUI-202012/01 – is any more deadly than any other variant the UK has already seen. 

But Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats advisory group (NervTag), said on Monday that estimates showing the new strain is up to 70% more transmissible are based on less data.

Cases have risen extremely rapidly in some areas of the country, with a number of countries across Europe cutting off travel from the UK to avoid further transmission of the variant – leading to huge queues of lorries stacked up through Kent, unable to return to the mainland.