THE number of hospital deaths from coronavirus across the UK has jumped by 861 to 13,729, the lastest figures show. Some 80 additional deaths have been recorded in Scotland.
The number of those who have become infected with the virus across the UK stands at 103,093 as of 9am today. Overall, some 417,649 tests have been concluded.
The new numbers came as the World Health Organisation singled out a handful of countries, including the UK, for having "tempered" the "positive signs" that Europe is passing the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, said that while there had been "optimistic signs" in countries worst affected by coronavirus, others, such as the UK, demonstrated "sustained or increased levels of incidents".
During the weekly WHO Europe briefing this morning, Dr Kluge described how "the storm cloud" of Covid-19 "still hangs heavily over the European region".
And the UK was one of a handful of countries he singled-out for providing an antidote to optimism elsewhere among the 53 members in the WHO's European region.
He said: "Of the 10 countries in the region with the highest numbers of cases, there have been optimistic signs in terms of the climbing numbers in Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Switzerland in recent weeks.
"But small positive signals in some countries are tempered by sustained or increased levels of incidents in other countries, including in the UK, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia."
Dr Kluge said the number of positive coronavirus cases reported in Europe "nearly doubled in 10 days" to nearly one million, accounting for around half of all cases reported worldwide.
Some of the worst-hit countries in Europe, including Spain and Italy, have announced a slight relaxation of some lockdown measures, including partial returns to work.
Dr Kluge added: "The next few weeks will be critical for Europe. Make no mistake, despite the spring weather, we are in the middle of a storm."
Current figures show the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than two million people worldwide, with more than 137,000 deaths recorded.
The US has recorded more than 30,000 deaths - the most in the world - and over 600,000 confirmed infections, according to a Johns Hopkins University count.
It came as foreign leaders rushed to the defence of the WHO after Donald Trump again vowed to halt US payments to the agency over allegations it has not sounded the alarm sooner over the virus.
The WHO said the US contribution represented around 15 per cent of its budget and called on the US President to re-think.
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