TRAGIC TOLL REACHED 24 ACROSS THE DISTRICT UP TO THE MIDDLE OF LAST MONTH

THE death toll from the Covid virus in Atherstone and North Warwickshire up to the middle of April has been revealed for the first time.

Eight people in Atherstone and Mancetter have lost their lives with six more in the villages of Baddesley, Baxterley, Bentley and Grendon, according to newly-released figures from the Office of National Statistics.

The virus claimed the lives of four people in Coleshill and Water Orton; two in Dordon, Hurley, Picadilly and Wood End; two more in Curdworth and Kingsbury, one person in Austrey, Polesworth and Warton; and another in Fillongley and New Arley.

The ONS stats, applicable between March 1 and April 17, show a borough-wide death toll of 24.

According to a newly-published ONS interactive map, some 90,232 people died in England and Wales between those dates – 20,283 victims of coronavirus.

It shows all Covid fatalities in England and Wales which were registered before April 18.

The map, which excludes the number of non-residents who have may have died in the area, allows anyone to discover how many have succumbed to Covid in a given postcode area.

The news comes as the town and surrounding area grieves over its lost sons and daughters to the killer virus and with another funeral of a Covid victim scheduled to take place next week.

The death toll at the town's main hospital – the George Eliot in Nuneaton – stands at 87.

Figures show the infection has also killed twice as many people in poorer areas compared with wealthy ones.

For example, in Wales, the most deprived regions suffered 44.6 deaths per 100,000 population – almost twice the least deprived area with 23.2 Covid deaths per 100,000 population.

Friday's tally of 27,510 deaths – up 739 on the previous day with the combined total including figures from hospitals, care homes and the wider community.– puts the UK in third place in the global fatality table behind Italy (27,967) and the US (63,861). The world total is now 235,000.

America's one million plus recorded cases makes up a third of the global total of 3.3 million people testing positive for the virus.

The UK has seen its confirmed cases pass the 170,000 mark – Thursday's figure being up a further 6,032 to 171,253. It has now overtaken the German and French totals and put the UK in fourth place in the 'case' league table

Kent remains the UK's 'hot spot' for coronavirus in the upper tier local authority table with 3,331 people testing positive for the virus – Birmingham remains in second spot with 2,801.

Warwickshire has 1,141 confirmed cases, Coventry is on 654 – Atherstone's neighbouring counties Staffordshire and Leicestershire have 1,697 cases and 906 respectively.

By region, London now has 24,297 cases, East and West Midlands is 19,615 combined, the North West 18,253 and the South East 16,831